One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School | Themes

One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School Themes

Integrity

Integrity is an important theme throughout the book as Scott watches the changing behavior of his professors and peers and struggles to hold on to his own code of ethics. Scott's fascination with the law turns into harsh reality when exposed to some of the questionable tactics and precedents presented. Scott is also bothered by the importance of nearly perfect exam grades as the measure of a person's worth as opposed to the overall value a student may offer in terms of ethics and life experiences. Scott's sense of fair play and ethical behavior is particularly challenged in some classroom settings, especially Perini's class where Perini's cruel and humiliating tactics instill fear and hatred in the students. As the book progresses Scott shares his observations of his peers' changing behavior as the reality of surviving law school turns them into jealous, driven competitors instead of friends...
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