To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

Atharva

1. How does Harper Lee use minor characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to explore some of
the main concerns in the novel? Choose three of the following to discuss: Mrs. Dubose,
Mayella Ewell, Heck Tate, Dolphus Raymond, Tim Johnson, Grace Merriweather, Miss
Caroline, or Lula.

a. Give THREE main concerns of the novel, making close reference to the text.
(7 marks)
b. Identify and discuss THREE minor characters’ relationship to the main concerns.
(18 marks)
TOTAL 25 marks

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Essay
Harper Lee uses many minor characters in To Kill a Mockingbird to explore and further develop
some of the main concerns of the novel, which play a pivotal role throughout the book. Some of these
main concerns include racism, social class, and innocence. Racism is represented by the character of Lula,
social class is represented by the character of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, and innocence is represented by the
character of Mayella. By further developing the main concerns of the novel, Harper Lee emphasizes these
real-life issues that occurred in the United States during the period of the Great Depression.
The 1st main concern that Harper Lee highlights throughout the novel is Racism. The theme is
first introduced in chapter 8, page 72; Scout tells Jem that she has never seen a ‘n-word’ snowman before.
By making Scout comment on the mud that is on the snowman in this manner, Harper Lee makes a
reference to the racism and segregation that existed in America during the Great Depression. People who
were black or classified as ‘colored’ were treated very unfairly and atrociously by the white people.
Harper Lee makes another reference of this on page 90, where the character of Francis calls Atticus an “n-
word lover”. By making the character of Francis say this, Harper Lee makes another reference to the
racial issues that existed in America during the 1930s, and how black people were referred to as the n-
word.
The 2nd main concern that Harper Lee highlights throughout the novel is social class. An
example of this is in chapter 13, where learn that Aunt Alexandra really likes to show dominance, because
she is a strong supporter of segregation and socio-economic class systems. We know this because on page
132, the first thing she says as she enters the house is: “Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia,’. By
making her say this, Harper Lee emphasizes the lack of respect that Aunt Alexandra has towards an
‘colored’ individual. This helps the readers in getting an insight of the time, place, and culture in which
this novel is situated in, which broadens the reader’s perspective on the novel.
The 3rd Main concern that Harper Lee highlights throughout the novel is Innocence. on page 130,
where the character of Scout asks Calpurnia: “what’s rape, Cal?”. By making Scout say this, Harper Lee
emphasizes the fact that the novel is narrated in the perspective of a young girl. This helps in further
developing the theme of innocence. Harper Lee also further develops this theme later in the novel by
further developing Atticus’s love for his children. This occurs on page 140, where he tries to tell the
children that Aunt Alexandra expects them to behave properly, as they come from a good family.
However, as Scout starts to cry, Atticus takes back everything that he said and advises the children to
forget what he said. This tells us that Atticus does not want his children to feel uncomfortable, by telling
them to act in a certain way, which is not part of their personality. This gives us an insight of how
considerate Atticus is towards his children, and this also makes a reference to the theme of innocence.
Harper Lee uses the character of Lula to highlight one of the biggest concerns of the novel, which
is racism. An example of this occurring is on page 125, where the character of Lula asks Calpurnia why
she was bringing two while children to a black church. By making the character of Lula say this, Harper
Lee makes a major reference to the racism that existed in America during the 1930s This helps the readers
in understanding the novel and it is setting more clearly. Lula’s anger for Jem and Scout also represents
how frustrated the black communities were, due to the bad treatment that they received from the white
people.
Harper Lee also further develops the main concern of ‘social class’, by further developing the
character of Mr. Raymond. An example of this occurring is on page 167, where it is learnt that Mr.
Raymond was with a colored woman, which caused him to have mixed children that society completely
neglected. The whites would not take the mixed children in because they were part black, and the blacks
would not take the children in because they were part white. We also learn that Mr. Raymond was going
to marry a white woman, and there was going to be a grand wedding, but then the bride committed
suicide by shooting herself in the head with a shotgun, because she finds out that he was having affairs
with a colored woman. This tells us why Mr. Raymond sits with the black people at the courthouse. By
doing so, Harper Lee emphasizes the theme of class and provides us with historical context, by educating
the audience regarding the impact it had on social relations between people of different backgrounds in
the 1930s.
Finally, Harper Lee uses the character of Mayella to highlight one of the main concerns of this
novel, which is innocence. This occurs on page 184, where Scout provides a description of her. Mayella is
described as a 19-year-old young girl, who seems very “fragile-looking”, and she is a thick-bodied girl
that was accustomed to strenuous labor. It is very likely that the character of Mayella is very traumatized
towards this trial, as she cries at the witness stand multiple times throughout chapter 18. Harper Lee also
highlights the theme of innocence on page 201, where Bob Ewell sees Tom and Mayella through the
window, and calls Mayella a ‘whore’ and threatens to kill her. Mr. Gilmer then cross-examines Tom and
gets him to admit that he has the strength to take advantage of Mayella, and Tom later reveals on page
203 that he felt sorry for her. By doing so, Harper Lee makes a reference to the racism, segregation and
class that existed in America during the great depression, because at that time, black people were not
supposed to feel bad for white people, as the white people were more privileged than black people,
making the whole situation ironic. Alongside this, Harper Lee also highlights the theme of innocence, as
all these events stated represent Mayella’s sad fate, and are intended to make the audience feel contrite for
her.
In conclusion, by using minor characters such as Lula, Mayella and Mr. Dolphus Raymond,
Harper Lee highlights issues such as racism, social class, and innocence. This makes Harper Lee a very
efficient writer, as she is taking full advantage of these minor characters, by giving them an extremely
high level of significance. This overall, further develops the reader’s understanding of the novel, in terms
of understanding the historical context and the time era that it is situated in.