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Literature and the Concepts of Good and Evil

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When did you first start to understand complex things, or have you even started yet? In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem Finch [at a very young age] starts to understand “Grown up or complex things” that are happening around him. Jem grows older; he begins to realize how unjust the society he lives in truly is. He grows up in an area where there are many different types of people. Some rich, some poor, some are black, and others are white. This very small and diverse town is known as Maycomb, Alabama. In the beginning of the story, Jem is very young; he is only ten years old. Jem, being a young child, does not understand some of the events that happened in his town. As Jem grows older, he experiences the injustice that happens in his small town, and although he thinks there is no hope for kindness in society, his faith is fortunately restored by Mr. Arthur (Boo) Radley. From Miss Maudie’s burning house comes an interesting lesson. While Jem and Scout are trying to keep out of the way, they notice how small Maycomb really is. They see everyone helping, trying to save all the furniture and belongings coming from the house. Lee writes, “The old fire truck, killed by the cold, was being pushed from town by a crowd of men” (69). In this passage, Lee explains how in times of need everyone comes together. Everyone in this small town, even for just a moment, puts their differences aside to help. They create, (as Jem called it) a cocoon, where everyone stays in the safety of each other and the town. This formation creates room for their society to grow and progress as a whole. Jem realizing the fact that the town needs as much help as they can get, states, “Atticus, reckon we oughta start moving the furniture out?” (69). He understands the fact that in order to save as much as they possibly could from burning, everyone needs to help. Scout on the other hand, does not really understand what is happening and all she wants

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