Multi-Paragraph Essay 1
By: Alexis Clark
Nov.19.09
5 th
Hour
Ms. Tucker and Mr. Feraco
Reading the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by: Harper Lee then watching the film Places in the Heart directed by: Robert Benton, many similarities seem to emerge between the two sets of characters. Think about this, they both take place in the rural south during the great depression and tell the stories of two families trying to make it through their hard times. So To kill a Mockingbird and Places in the Heart have many character similarities indeed.
To begin, lets look at the parents from each, Edna from Places in the Heart and Atticus from To Kill a
Mockingbird. Edna and Atticus both want only what they think is best for their own children. Edna starts growing cotton after her husband’s death to support the life style that her children occupy. Atticus gives his children advice as to how to react to other people: don’t judge a person until you walk around in their skin. On top of that they always tried to teach them right from wrong, but they do so as single parents for both of their spouses died early in their childrens’ lives. They do however have help, which brings me to my next point. They do both have help raising the children. For Atticus, it’s their black made Calpurnia, who has had a hand in helping raise the children since before his wife died. Then with Edna, Moses, a freed black slave, comes into the picture soon after her husband dies. Even though he only appears in the story to help farm the cotton fields, he seems to take a liking to the children and the children to him. Both parents do what they need to keeps their kids, and their own lives going. If they need a little help along the way then they should get that.
Secondly, besides the parents, the children in these stories appear the same as well. Take Frank from
Places in the Heart and Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird for example. Both boys become mischievous and don’t like listening to what their parents, or anyone else tells them. Which brings us to Scout, Jem’s younger sister and Possum, Frank’s younger sister who also shows similar characteristics. They want to grow up and become just like their older brothers. They may know when something they do appears wrong but if Jem or
Frank does it, they have to follow in their footsteps, only to soon regret it. Both sets of children always got into trouble in some way. Jem and Scout tried to contact Boo Radley, and Frank and Possum scratched Mr. Will’s

record. Even though the children sometimes did the wrong things, the decisions they made had everyone’s lives a little bit better.
Lastly, the similarities between Mr. Will and Boo Radley appear. In both situations, the characters seem mysterious in the beginning; as time goes on however; their personalities become explained. Mr. Will never wanted any company and to only listen to his records in his room. Then Boo, well no one ever saw him in real life and only after Mr. Ewell’s attack on the children did he reveal himself to the family (manly Scout). Win or loose, bad or good, both these characters actually cared about the children. Mr. Will went as fast as he could
(considering his circumstances) upstairs to save Possum from the tornado and breaking glass. Then Boo saved
Jem’s and Scout’s lives that night of the attack. Without him Mr. Ewell would’ve finished them off in the woods. In the beginning Boo and Mr. Will wanted the same things, loneliness and solidarity, but what they got was something neither of them expected… a loving family.
Even though the main focus had shifted, the characters still remain the same. Edna and Atticus, the loving parents, Frank and Possum Jem and Scout, the mischievous children, and Boo and Mr. Will the childrens’ heros. Looking back at it, the similarities between book and movie appear quit obvious. All and all
To Kill a Mocking Bird and Places in the Heart have differences but the similarities, not just in characters but also in setting and time frame, which make the differences easy to over look. Each story is a classic in it’s own right and their similarities will live on with them from generation to generation.