1. Themes in To Kill a Mockingbird

2. To Kill a Mockingbird is about racism.
To determine the theme, you have to explain what it teaches about racism.
OK… racism is bad. We knew that already.
GO DEEPER.

3. 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?

4. 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

5. Authors write stories with a theme in mind.
A theme statement is a universal lesson that anyone reading the story or piece should learn; therefore, to be a theme statement it needs to be generalized.

6. general theme statements
For example: People should not try to please others by pretending to be something false.
Or People should not blame their problems on others.

7. Some stories can have more complex theme statements, but all theme statements are to be stated as general lessons learned.

8. A formula to help you determine the theme of a story:
Concepts- What are important concepts in the story?
Conflict- What conflicts are in the story?
Character-What are the problems the character is facing in the story?
Conclusion-What happens to the character in the end of the story?

9. First put the four C’s together
When you put the specifics of the four C’s from the story together you are getting sort of a summary of the particular story and the lesson learned in the story.
Then make it general for all people to turn it into a theme statement.

10. People often concept because
conflict and, as a result,
conflict character almost or had happen; therefore,
the message learned.

11. Come up with a thematic statement about the theme about racism
in To Kill a Mockingbird.

12. Coming of Age/ Loss of Innocence
Scout 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?

13. Courage/Integrity
What are some events that are meant to teach us about courage or integrity?

14. Stepping into someone else’s skin
Write a thematic statement about this topic.

15. Innocence
The 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?

16. 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?

17. Forebodings Of Evil

18. Imprisonment, including barriers, walls, and veils

19. Ghosts, vampires, witches and ghost houses

20. Home as a dangerous prison

21. Forbidding secrets

22. The prison of stereotypes

23. Insanity

24. Taboos (such as interracial relationships)

25. The influence of the past and degeneracy

26. Violence, especially that which has to do with the attempt to break boundaries

27. Eccentricity

28. The lure of terror