Journey from Innocence to Experience in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

Abstract

The Major thrust of this research is the exploration of the moral nature of human beings that is, whether people are essentially good or essentially evil. The Coexistence of Good and Evil: The research shows the reader the transition of Scout and Jem from innocent children, when they assume that all people are good, to a more adult perspective where they encounter evil, prejudice and hatred. This research approaches this question by dramatizing Scout and Jems transition from a perspective of childhood innocence, in which they assume that people are good because they have never seen evil, to a more adult perspective, in which they have confronted evil and must incorporate it, into their understanding of the world. As a result of this portrayal of the transition from innocence to experience. One of the most important themes involves the threat that hatred, prejudice and ignorance pose to the innocent. People such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radely are not prepared for the evil that they encounter, and as result they are destroyed. Whereas Scout is able to maintain her basic faith in human nature despite Toms conviction, Jems faith is Justice and in humanity is badly damaged and he retreats into a state of disillusionment. Keywords: Psychology, justice, quality and justice, innocence, transition, institutional racism, prejudice.