Background
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a 1962 drama film based on Harper Lee’s novel with the same name. The film, engaged brilliantly by Robert Mulligan, is set in the old town of Maycomb, Alabama, in the 1930s. To date, the movie remains the favorite of many fans of the book and critics as well. It tells the Finch family’s story with Scout, played by Mary Badham, her brother Philip Alford as Jem, and their single father Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. The protagonists include Tom, Scout, and Atticus, while the antagonist is Ewell. Atticus is faced with difficult decisions in his law career. He has to defend an African-American man, Tom Robinson, suspected of raping a white girl, Violet Ewell. Correspondingly, his two children are fascinated with the rumors that their neighbor Boo Radley is dangerous. This essay seeks to analyze the terms used to critique the movie.
Point of Attack
Scout, her brother Jem, and Dill spend their time playing games in the treehouse on summer days. They would roll down the town streets in a car tire and tell imagination stories about Boo Radley. Boo lives a mysterious life since he never gets out of the house to play. Despite the frightening stories the Finch’s have heard about Boo, they are curious to find more (García 2). The two believe that Boo’s father has chained the boy on a bed and would cane him every day. On the extreme, Atticus is approached by the judge to defend the wrongly accused Tom Robinson against his rape charges.
Plot
Atticus believes in fair justice for everyone irrespective of origin or race. However, his children are exposed to schoolyard taunts when he accepts Tom’s case. Before the trial, a lynch mob approaches Atticus when safeguarding Tom. To his rescue, Jem, Dill, and Scout interrupt the assembly. Surprisingly, Scout has no idea what the group is doing at the jailhouse. She quickly noticed Mr. Cunningham and told him to pass her greetings to his son Walter who happened to be her classmate. Cunnigham felt embarrassed as the crowd scattered, leaving him behind. On Christmas Day, the children attend church with their African-American cook, and they are well received. The plot proves to be logical and consistent throughout the movie, motivating the audience to watch till the end of the film.
Turning Points
Tom is accused of going to Ewell’s home and raping his daughter Mayella. Atticus argued that his client has a disabled left hand, yet the accuser suggested that her assaulter was left-handed. During the hearing, Atticus notes that Ewell was left-handed and implied that he is responsible for beating up her daughter since she seduced a black man. In his defending statements, Tom states that Mayella was never taken to a doctor. Additionally, Tom maintains that he did not attack the girl, and she forcefully kissed him. When Tom testified in court, the prosecutor reacts that he pitied the woman and offered to help her with her chores. Atticus closes his remarks by asking the white side to put away their prejudices and defend Tom’s innocence. Despite all these pieces of evidence, the court still convicts Tom. Later that day, news has it that Tom was shot dead when trying to escape from prison. Ewell feels the urge to fight Atticus and the judge for making him feel like a minor. Therefore, the audience can learn that the above acts contribute to the turning point of the film.
Climax
Ewell plans an attack on Atticus, and armed with a knife; he attacks Scout and Jem when heading home. The climax picks when Boo suddenly appears to rescue the children. He stabbed and killed Ewell during the struggle, using Ewell’s blade. Jem, who is hurt during the attack, is carried home by Boo. To protect Boo from the murder charges, the sheriff insists that Ewell tripped and fell on his knife that instantly killed him. Additionally, the sheriff believes that accusing Boo will be equivalent to killing the mockingbird. From the movie, all blue jays can be shot but not the mockingbirds as they are harmless in society. These sets depict the film’s climax, whereby the audience can learn the movie’s moral lesson.
The Through Line
Despite Atticus’s awareness of racial prejudice, he tries to plea with the white jury to see the African-American innocence. His effort, however, goes in vain when Tom stands and says that he pitied the white woman. Present in the courtroom is Scout and Jem. It is an essential part of their lives since it gives them a chance to witness racism and hate experienced in their town. Consequently, individuals can analyze the scene when focusing on the through the line since it involves a vital topic involving prejudice in the play.
The Theme of Race and Prejudice
“To Kill a Mockingbird” outlines the struggle of an accused African-American man living in a town full of prejudice. Robert Mulligan produced the film in the 1960s when the civil rights movement was holding numerous protests across the nation (García 1). It is an arrogant move for Ewell to accuse Tom of raping his daughter; correspondingly, the whites from humble backgrounds compete with the Africans for job opportunities, revealing prejudice towards African-Americans. Ewell’s move to falsely accuse Tom while attempting to lift himself above the African community clearly shows racism’s dark side. Despite Tom being falsely charged with raping Ewell’s daughter, he is shot and killed.
Racism is also evident when the whole town frowns at Atticus for making the harsh decision to defend a black man who had raped a white woman. When Atticus is busy helping Tom win his case, his children are bullied in school. After the possibility is ruled, Jem learns the hard way that a black man can never win a lawsuit against a white man.
Characters/Symbolism
Boo and Tom are both characterized as mockingbirds in the film. They both live innocent lives until they are found in a killing scenario. At the beginning of the movie, Boo is described as a dangerous man by Scout and Jem, who believe he can harm them. No one knows much about him since he never comes out of his house. Later, the kids realize that he was a nice guy and would leave gifts for them at a nearby tree. Equally, Tom is falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. In reality, Tom was only trying to do the right thing by helping Ewell, but he gets accused of raping and assaulting her in return. These accusations lead to his death.
Atticus also portrays significant human characteristics when he decides to fight for Tom when the blacks are viewed as inferior. Atticus, who was white, tries his best to defend an African-American man. These human actions make him a respected man in town, mostly by the black community. He symbolizes the real hero in the film since few people would act in that manner. Therefore, the various prospects in the movies are educative, and the audience can learn about the themes and the moral lesson of the film. Moreover, the movie is fascinating and educative since it involves significant issues faced by people in the community.
Work Cited
García Ramallal, Uxía. “The girl who despised being called a “girl”: Scout Finch and the issue of gender in To Kill a Mockingbird.” Web.