The theme that I chose was relationships. To Kill A Mockingbird is filled with many different themes but I chose this one because there was so much of it in chapters 1-5, such as Scout and Atticus, Scout and Jem, Scout and Calpurnia, and Boo and Scout and Jem.Scout and Atticus have a very interesting relationship, it is unlike a normal father daughter relationship. The relationship between them does not feel like a father-daughter relationship but more as a teacher-student relationship. It is said that Atticus treats them “with courteous detachment.” Scout states that her and Jem found Atticus “satisfactory.” Scout is a very bright little girl and often asks questions about everything and Atticus is one of the only people that responds to her thoughtfully.Scout and Jem also have a very interesting relationship. He is four years older than her, she is 6 and he is 10. Scout is very naive and often asks questions which Jem can find annoying at times. However, he always answers them, most of the time incorrectly. For example when Scout asks Jem what and entailment is he tells her it is when your tail gets stuck in a crack. Because Scout doesn’t know any better she goes along with it. They are very close, but in Chapter 5 you can see Jem and Dill maturing and not wanting to spend time with Scout because she is a girl.Scout and Calpurnia also have a very interesting relationship. Calpurnia is the hired help and Scout is the “rich” child. However, Calpurnia still disciplines Scout and does not seem to like her much during the first chapter. When Walter Cunningham comes to dinner with Scout and her family Scout says something rude to Walter when he pours syrup over his food. This leads to Calpurnia smacking her and lecturing her. During this time period it was very uncommon for an African-American woman to be disciplining a white child. However, Calpurnia seems to have a soft spot for Scout. When Scout comes home from her first day of school she gives her crackling bread, let her watch her make supper, and kisses her. She even tells her that even though she is loud and always causing trouble the house wasn’t the same without her. This is her way of telling Scout the she missed her and acknowledging the fact that she had been very hard on her in the past.Another interesting relationship is the one between Boo Radley and Scout and Jem. At the beginning of the book when Jem slaps his hand on the side of the house they see the shutters flick, indicating that Boo was watching them from inside. Also, when Jem, Scout, and Dill are “playing Radley” Scout hears a low chuckle from inside the house which again shows that someone was watching them. Scout and Jem also receive gifts from inside a knothole in a tree by the Radley yard. The reader can infer that Boo has been leaving them these gifts.There are so many examples of relationships in chapters 1-5 and I only touched on a few. I think that many people that have siblings can relate to Scout and Jem’s relationship. I think that is one of the reasons this novel is so timeless and considered a Great American Novel.
