To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Nick Sieb
English

To Kill A Mockingbird

Forcibly thrust out into the world not knowing, or liking what society is trying to force upon you. Anything less than what is considered right and holy, is a sin, and in the old South there are severe consequences. The South is greatly known for its ethics and standards; if you do not follow these standards you are considered odd, and could be disenfranchised from the whole town. In small towns they did not have much of a fair justice system, so justice was taken into the hands of the townspeople. This can lead to some very horrific consequences, such as hanging and unfair juries. In order to survive in a biased world, sometimes you must change your ways to fit in, however you must be careful that you don’t forget who you are, or where you came from. Strong beliefs are important and you must stick to your ethics, because you are your own person.
Scout just wants to have fun, and has trouble trying to live up to the social standards that she is expected to follow. She is not very emotional, and sometimes considers herself more of a boy than Jem. Everyone makes her feel uncomfortable, and queer. It is not her fault she does not like all the fancy clothes, and other burdens that woman-hood brings; she wants to be free to do whatever she wants, to become whoever she wants to be. Your place in the world can not be pre-determined, because you must choose. Your actions will be what determines what kind of person you will be, you will never be truly successful, unless you are satisfied with yourself. The opinion of everyone else does not matter, only you know the truth.
Like Scout, Atticus is very different, and only some of the people in the town understand him. He seems distant not many people in the town can relate to him. He is intelligent and always knows what he is doing, instead of talking he lets his actions speak for him. Kindness, instead anger, peace instead of violence, open-minded, instead of closed, in almost every way he is different, but he is proud of this fact, for he knows how to be true to himself. As he says in the book, “So it took an eight-year old child to bring them to their senses…That proves something, that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human.” He knows that no matter how crazy, or prejudiced someone is, they always have a real person inside of them. No one is one-dimensional, everyone is complicated, with emotions, and ethics, and deep down everyone is just as human as you.
Even though he is peaceful, he is the first one I would call in an emergency. He keeps his calm, and always knows what to do. He acts his age and knows his limits, doing what he knows to be the right thing to do. When confronted with the rabid dog, he knows his place as a man and takes care of the problem. Scout and Jem are amazed, because they did not know their dad was so brave. Scout even goes so far as saying, “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been in a war, was the bravest man that had ever lived”. Atticus is the perfect example of an ideal man, and a great father. He is patient, understanding, brave, intelligent, humble, generous, and most of all loving. You have to be strong if you want to stand up in front of everyone, and try to tell them your opinion. If everyone in the world was like Atticus, the world would be a much more peaceful, and overall better place.
Dill is another example of not fitting in; he tries to keep the fact that he has no parents a secret. He is very solitary and would rather sit and read, instead of go outside. As an idealist, he constantly questions life, and other complex things that many try not to worry about. No one understands why he is so involved in his books or thinking, and they tell him to just go outside and have some fun. Dill is the perfect example of an idealist champion, he is stubborn, but very easy to befriend. Dill always is searching for new ways to express himself, and better himself overall. Expressing what you think is right is a great way to show who you are, and that you are not afraid to be different. When he does this he is mistaken for being a jerk, for bloating, but really all he is doing is saying what he thinks is right. To be the same is to be a failure, and you will accomplish nothing important, nothing new.
All of these characters share one common thing, they definitely do not go with the flow, they make their own waves. To break down these old barriers, and break people of their old, and outdated ways is not an easy thing. Everyone has their own opinion, and they have the need to voice it, to allow yourself to be taken over by peer pressure, is to surrender everything that makes you human. The ability to think, the ability to sympathize , the ability to love, and the ability to wake up everyday knowing you can strive to do better, to make yourself better, all of these things make us human. There is almost naught you cannot do if you really try, and dedicate yourself to it. As William Ward said, “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you dream it, you can become it”. If you do not do all you can, you will be overrun by peer pressure; your dreams will be lost, and you will be forced to be exactly what you wanted to avoid. Your dreams are yours, your view are yours, your opinion is yours, do not let anyone tell you otherwise.