Parenting Types as a Viewed theme in To Kill a MockingBird

Abstract

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) is a novel that is concerened with the parent-child's relationship. One of the things
that strikes the reader the most is the bond shared by Atticus, a single parent, and his children Scout and Jim. Most of the lines from this
novel are memorable and express a lot about parenting in a very simple style. It states that true parenting is about sharing a bond that
provides the right amount of affection and love unconditionally and teaches a sense of responsibility and humanity in children. It also
emphasises respecting the children and at the same time teaching them the basics of life without being pedantic. It is to be the child’s
friend and mentor without one role over powering the other. Parenting is one of the most fulfilling tasks in life, yet one of the most difficult
ones. Every parent deals with his/her child in their own different way, still most of the parenting types can be categorized into some
specific types of parenting. This paper will discuss the commonly found parenting types, their advantages and disadvantages. That are:
the Authoritarian, democratic, permissive, desmissive, and abusive types. Two of these types will be discussed in this paper: the
democratic and the abusive types as they are the subject of To Kill a Mockingbird. The moral-philosophical approach will be implied as
the most suitable approach to the novel.