Acceptance is the first step....Then comes tolerance

Two of the bigger themes throughout the book.

Theme: Acceptance/ Tolerance

Acceptance is taking a certain situation, understanding it and moving on. You can accept the situation or you can embrace it and let it keep you tied down. Tolerance and acceptance are two of the most prominent themes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee does a great job of Showing these themes in such a way it makes the reader feel what the characters feel. I feel the characters that show the most acceptance in the book are Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch.

Firstly, Tom Robinson is a prime example of tolerant human being. He was an honest hardworking man, and he was wrongly convicted by an unjust court ruling, he died knowing that he was innocent. Had Tom Robinson been white, his mannerism would have been commended, but due to the fact that he was black it seems expected. Perhaps if people were a little more accepting Tom Robinson could be responsible for altering the opinion that many of the people in his society had. Maybe, just maybe he could make people comprehend that all blacks were not actually savages and were not of a lower class than whites.

Scout saw what Atticus saw in Tom Robinson, that he was a regular human being. The word regular is taken for granted in our so called modern society. If we were so modern and accepting, why is half the world still in poverty? Why are black people still taken for granted in places around the world? As a matter of fact, not only black people, all types of people are taken for granted by someone. Have we gotten so modern that we have forgotten our morales....

Scout was not the only person to recognize Tom Robinson's excellent personality attributes. Mr. Link Deas, Tom's boss, also thought that Tom Robinson was a good human being he voiced his opinion in the courtroom during Tom's trial. "I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now...", Link Deas stated, "...that boy's worked for me for eight years now an' I ain't had a speck o' trouble with him. Not a speck!" p.195.These words coming from a white man is important to the theme of tolerance and acceptance because it shows that there are white people who are not prejudice and that will stand up and do what is right, even though it may be in the lower half of the polls. Mr.Link was thrown out of the court but was his opinion heard, yes. Tom is also very tolerant and accepting of the ignorance of others, such as that of the prosecuting attorney Mr. Gilmer, who always referred to Tom as "boy" p.196. It is Tom Robinson who addresses everyone with respect when he speaks to them and he addresses men as "suh" or when he refers to Mayella he calls her "Miss Mayella". Tom accepted him self as a so called "nigger", whether it was right or wrong touches back on my prejudice post..People put him there so thats where he stays.

Atticus Finch, a respected white lawyer, who stands up for the right cause. He saw the innocence in Tom's face and right then he knew that some things can not be tolerated like the conviction of this boy. Even though Atticus loses the case and Tom is found guilty he has no intention on giving up and thats an admirable trait in anyone. Also, he is given a standing ovation by the courtroom for his excellent display of the case. It was due to the bias of the 'White Jury' that Tom's verdict was guilty. It wasn't only the courtroom where Atticus showed acceptance and tolerance, he showed it everyday in his daily lifestyle. Being a single parent he had to accept he had to play both parents and he tolerated how hard it could be. Scout seems like she doesnt listen to anything Atticus say but she does and this quote may be one of the best in the book. " Atticus says cheating a colored man is ten times worse than cheating a white man" p.201. The significance of this quote is quite clear; it is ten times worse to cheat someone who is already down, that would be like killing a mockingbird who is without wings.

-Kurun Soni