Justice
Justice is a theme that relates predominantly to Atticus. Atticus strongly believes throughout nearly the whole novel that justice and the system of law always delivers a fair verdict to those placed under its care. He is adamant throughout his defence of Tom Robinson that a fair decision is to be reached and that Tom should be treated the same as a white man, though inside him he realizes that it would not happen.
Social Inequality
Maycomb is divided into different levels of society, each with their own ways and characteristics. The Finches are near the top of Maycomb’s social hierarchy, and this is shown in Atticus’ job as a lawyer, Aunt Alexandra’s involvement in the Missionary Society, and Jem and Scout’s regular attendance at school. Below the Finches are ignorant outlying farmers such as the Cunninghams and Ewells, who are struggling greatly due to the financial crisis, and are forced to repay debts in the form of produce. Below even them are the black community, not because of ignorance or poverty, but solely due to the racial prejudice of Maycomb’s residents. Scout is one of the few people in Maycomb County who can see past this social status arranging, and says to Jem once when talking about Walter Cunningham, “Nothin’s wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.”
Racism
One of the central themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism and discrimination against negroes. The novel presents racism in a variety of separate ways in different contexts, highlighting the evils of each. The most obvious instance of racism is the accusation of Tom Robinson by Bob Ewell, who simply views blacks as lesser than whites and thinks nothing of potentially sentencing one to death to cover his guilt. The jury exhibit a different, non-malignant kind of racism in that despite all evidence pointing to the contrary, they sentence Tom as guilty. They have simply been raised with the mentality that a black man’s opinion is not, under any circumstance, to be taken over a white man’s, no matter how obscene. Another kind of racism is displayed by the lynching mob, who have been blindly misled into thinking of blacks as monsters and physical threats, and as such they aggressively feel the need to kill Tom.
Bravery
Bravery is shown many times in the duration of the novel, in many different ways. Atticus displayed this bravery in protecting Tom Robinson outside the jail at the risk of his own life, and again when shooting the rabid dog. He believes that one of the greatest forms of bravery is in resisting the temptation of unnecessary violence. He says to Scout after she gets in trouble for fighting “You just keep your head high and keep those fists down… Try fighting with your head for a change.” He also believed that Mrs Dubose was extremely brave in fighting her morphine addiction in order to die untainted, even when she knew it would use the last of her strength. On the other hand, Bob Ewell represented the gravest cowardice, lying in court to protect his honour and attacking children with murderous intent to make himself feel superior.