Themes in

To Kill a

Mockingbird

To determine the theme, you have to explain what it teaches about racism.

OK… racism is bad. We knew that already.

GO DEEPER.

To Kill a Mockingbird is about racism.

Getting To Depth= WHAT ELSE?

Where does racism appear? How does racism affect people? How does racism affect a

community? How does racism against black

people affect white people? Are there different types of racism? What is the human cost of racism?

Consider Tom Robinson/ Tom Robinson’s death What Calpurnia says about two

languages. First Purchase Church Dolphus Raymond and his “mixed”

kids Ms. Merriweather’s comments at the

tea party How Bob Ewell perceives the events Mayella’s “attraction” to Tom How Miss Gates is hypocritical

Come up with a thematic statement

about the theme about

racism

in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Coming of Age/ Loss of

InnocenceScout and Jem grow up in this novel. We see each of them mature through their behaviors, actions, and the things they say. They lose their innocence. What do we learn about growing up from this novel? What happens as we grow up and get older, as demonstrated in this novel?

Courage/Integrity

What are some events that are meant to teach us about courage or integrity?

Stepping into someone else’s

skin

Write a thematic statement about this topic.

InnocenceThe mockingbird comes up several times in the novel. It does nothing to hurt anyone or anything, but they make music to enjoy. It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. It is a symbol of innocence. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are also innocent. What is the author trying to make us think about innocence from the events of this novel?

The Gothic Motif

Harper Lee includes many Gothic elements in To Kill a Mockingbird.

Why? What does it do to the story? How does it affect it? What was her purpose in including these

elements? Where do we see the ribbon of the gothic throughout

this novel?

Forebodings Of Evil

Imprisonment, including barriers,

walls, and veils

Ghosts, vampires, witches and ghost houses

Home as a dangerous prison

Forbidding secrets

The prison of stereotypes

Insanity

Taboos (such as interracial

relationships)

The influence of the past and degeneracy

Violence, especially that which has to do with the attempt

to break boundaries

Eccentricity

The lure of terror