There are many themes in the novel To Kill A Mocking Bird. But the main themes that we notice are racial and sexual prejudice, injustice, growing up, don't judge a book by its cover or things aren't always as they appear and courage. Harper Lee sends across these themes through the dialog, actions and lifestyles of the characters.
The biggest and most important theme in To Kill A Mocking Bird is that of racial prejudice against the Negro population in America in the 1930's. The main example of this that we see is that of the racist actions and thoughts towards Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell shows the most racist attitude towards Tom, which makes him a very important character in this theme. He wrongfully accuses Tom of raping his Mayella, and try's to lynch him at the jail. Lee also shows the racial prejudice by portraying the way some of the Negro characters are kept as and thought of as slaves.
Also many characters around the time of the court case show dislike and disgust towards Tom and look down on him. Negro's are seen as bad, thoughtless, hopeless people eg "Typical of a nigger's mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind the first chance he saw." (p265). Anyone who associates with the negro population other than by occupation or friendship is see as a nigger lover and frowned upon eg Dolphus Raymond, married a negro woman made an outcast of society and Atticus verbally abused and called names by some people for defending Tom Robinson eg "At a safe distance he called 'He's nothin' but a nigger-lover!'"(p).
Throughout the novel there are appearances of sexual prejudice. An occasion where this is evident is when Aunt Alexandra doesn't approve of the way Atticus...