To Kill a Mockingbird theme Ch. 1

Austin Rosenberg
English 8
Mr. Salsich
September 22, 2009

Change

The Endlessly Occurring Part of Life

No human being can go through life without experiencing a change. No matter what you do to try to avoid it, change will happen to you. The only thing we can do is prepare for it and make the most of it because we all change for a reason. Change is an important part of anything, and when it happens to us, we should try to change for what we think is better.

In the first chapter of To Kill a Mockingbird I noticed that the narrator described herself as having a life of simplicity up until she met Dill, which creates a theme of change. This is an important point she makes because it means her life is about to vary. In most books, the word “until” usually means a dramatic change is about to occur. The change can be for better or for worse, but no matter what, it will lead away from the life of simplicity the protagonist was living. The change is also the part of the book that makes the story interesting. Without the change, the story seems dull and will not attract many readers. However, with the situation of an alteration in her life about to occur, readers will want to find out what it is and how the protagonist will deal with it. Imagine living in such a small innocent town where nothing in particular seems to stick out. Now to make an important theme appear and draw the reader’s attention, the author needs to juggle things up a bit and make the story more complicated. What the author does is set up a foreshadow that leaves the reader anticipating something vital that will happen because they know the story will vary. Change is a very significant theme because it affects the value of the story, the reader’s interest in the story, and the quality of a story.

The theme “change” plays a very big role in To Kill a Mockingbird, and it also plays a big role in my own life. Some of the roles it plays in my life are also the same or similar to the ones it plays in the book. In the book, the author provides a change to entertain the readers, and in my own life, changes happen to me which make my life more fascinating. Without the changes in my life, I would go on living the same dull life that no one would want to be a part of. Another way change affects me is it shows how much I can endure when life throws its worst at me. In order to overpower what life does to me, I have to alter my ways to cope with it, so I can push on through the bad and get to the good. If I cannot do that and learn new ways, eventually I will drown when life comes crashing down on me. A further change that I will need to deal with is an emotional change. This is the kind of change where I will have to move on from a depressing circumstance that has overcome me. I don’t want to be stuck in the past, giving my life away to grief because I could not defeat an emotional sorrow. Change affects just about everything, and in my life, I try to change for the better.

Because change is undeniably going to happen to you at one point, making the most of it is the best way you can handle it. If you aren’t prepared to make the most of change when it happens to you, it will lead to an unfortunate turn for the worst. However, always being prepared for change will make you a flexible person able to deal with all kinds of problems. Change is one of the most significant things that will happen to you, and if you can deal with the alteration of your life you are presented with, it will benefit you in ways you will most definitely appreciate.