Ignorance Constructs Fear
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that revolves around Harper Lee’s perspective on innocence and ignorance. Harper Lee utilizes this ideology to demonstrate how children are influenced by individuals that surround them. The novel is centered around the trial of Tom Robinson and the aura of suspicion surrounding Boo Radley. Lee uses Scout’s interactions with various individuals throughout the novel to convey that fear is created from ignorance and innocence.
Firstly, Lee utilizes Boo Radley’s character to express the ignorance the town has towards him and how it instills fear. The name, Boo was created from the interpretation of him being a scary individual. Towards the beginning of the novel, the narrator introduced Boo as “a malevolent phantom”(Lee 10). The town, Maycomb, had a bias against him which resulted in him being framed as an antagonist for a single wrongdoing. He may have a mental issue, but the townspeople are ignorant, they frame him up as an antagonist since he proceeded with one incorrect action. As the novel continues onwards
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She was introduced as “ a mean lady”(132), she instilled an aura of fear in the kids through her callous comments towards Atticus which the children took to heart. They did not understand that Ms. Dubose was a “morphine addict”(147), which was the reason she said those mean comments without knowing. They walked away from her comments without knowing the reason why she said them. Later, Jem destroyed her garden after some of her mean remarks, he was then told to by Atticus to go to her house every day and read to her. After a few weeks of reading to her, he realized that she was sick. He then felt the slightest of sorries for her, but he still hated her. The ignorance towards her by Jem before he knew of her illness caused them to think of her as a monster. In addition to Ms.Dubose, Tom Robinson continues to emphasize how ignorance leads to
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the ignorance seen throughout the novel conveys how expectations set by society affects the important events of life. The trial of Tom Robinson exemplifies how the recurring beliefs on race affected the outcome of the trial. The ideas of social class in Maycomb determined the way the Cunningham's were treated. Aunt Alexandra´s visits to Atticus's house and her gender view towards Scout. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee reveals how society sets expectations of how people should treat others based on race, social class, and gender.
To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on the experience of Scout and Jem as they share the turmoil of emotions faced by Atticus in the trial of Tom Robinson. They face contrasting mindsets taught by society and Atticus himself. Within this internal indecisiveness, Scout and Jem mature and learn important lessons from their father. The author, Harper Lee, explores the causes and consequences of the ignorance that influences bigotry and the knowledge needed to educate closed opinions.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a dramatic rollercoaster. The intense mystery of Boo Radley and his lifestyle, the daily lives and secrets within the Finch family to the heartbreaking realities brought along with the Tom Robinson court case. This novel is bound to leave a mark on anyone's psyche as well as a bundle of questions in their mind.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, tells the story of a six year old girl named Scout, seeing evil, hypocrisy, and injustice in the adult world. The novel takes place in her eyes, enabling the reader to know what she’s thinking but preventing them to know what’s going on in the other character's head. Scout’s character developed over the three years that the novel covers into a wiser child than most children in today’s society, but in the novel’s setting, it is a believable maturation.
The misunderstood stands alone reaching out trying to set an explanation to the accusers, know-it-alls, critics, pleading for ears to hear the cries of the vibrations that form from the vocal cords that turn into sound waves. The lies told, the lies heard from only feet away, the horrid hearing of words that continue to flow. How unfair, how simply unfair. Throughout the course of the semester, the classroom has gained the acknowledgement of the following books The Killing of A Mockingbird and Twelve Angry Men, filled with various topics to gain acknowledgment from, I gained the acknowledgement of the misunderstood characters within both stories.
Criticism comes easy to Ms. Dubose for she yells and degrades those around her. Jem and Scout look upon her as an evil woman with no respect for the society. Little do they know she is fighting her own battle each and everyday. As Atticus has said many times before “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Children never quite understand the complexity of life as a whole. They see what the want to and choose what to believe. This is the case for Jem and Scout, understanding Ms. Dubose’s cruelty does not come easy. Atticus sees the light in her and was able to foresee what she put forth towards the children. Throughout the novel she unveils her true colors and proves she is not merely evil. Being a morphine addict turns her bitter and forces her to become somebody she is not.
The purpose of Mrs. Dubose in the story is to show there is more to each person then what you can see. She had a rough past, but she pushed ahead for what she wanted in her future. She had the courage to fight for what she wanted, but all the kids saw was a nasty, mean, and sick old lady. Atticus never told the kids about Mrs. Dubose’s motives in the story because he wanted them to learn from her. He wanted them to see her courage and perseverance for themselves and see that there was more to her than what they originally thought. Had they known Jem probably would have been a lot nicer to her and maybe pitied her. However, he also would have never seen her courage or her thoughtfulness. Mrs. Dubose helped Jem and Scout learn what true courage
Jem and Scout make a judgement about Mrs. Dubose that she was a terrible lady without knowing anything about her. They hated her because she was rude and yelled at them, even though she wanted to change her ways before she died. They later realized that she was a lady trying to do her best and try to make up for her past mistakes in her life.
Boo Radley is a character the symbolizes a mockingbird. People like Mrs. Crawford spread rumors about Boo. “As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activites” (Lee 11). When the people of Macomb say these things, people think of him as a bad person. Boo also never comes out of his house because of his brother.
To Kill a Mockingbird, follows the story of a curious young girl named Scout, with a tomboyish nature. Her innocence is very clear at the beginning of the book, but as the story continues, Scout learns many valuable life lessons that dissolves her innocence. Through the adventures of her brother, Jem, her friend, Dill, and herself, they find that society isn’t always fair and equal in the very racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout learns how to cope with her emotions, determines that society isn’t always fair, and the ability to understand someone’s life story before making prejudices. Follow Harper Lee’s story into Scout’s life of taming her curiosity of a mysterious neighbor, her father’s defense against an innocent African American man in court, and learning that true courage is continuing to fight, even when you know you’ve already lost. To Kill a Mockingbird, allows readers to experience the life lessons of Scout Finch, that can be applied to everyday lives.
Boo Radley’s role in the novel is minor, but also a very important one in the novel. I believe that Boo Radley's role in the novel is to keep it interesting and always have the readers captivated. Most of the characters are interested in him because they have never seen him since he doesn’t come out of his house. The reason for this is because his father would not let him leave the house ever after he stabbed his mother with scissors and spent jail time. Everyone wondered how Boo Radley looked like, especially the children. In one scene of the story, Scout and Jem were attacked by Bob Ewell on their way to school. They realize a stranger had saved them because that stranger killed Bob. Scout realizes that the stranger was Boo Radley and Bob
To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel, that offers a view of life through a young girl’s eyes. The novel is focused on two main themes which are racism and discrimination.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is based on the passed experienced from Harper Lee's childhood. The character of Atticus resembles the author’s father, and the character of Scout resembles herself. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by the well known author, Harper Lee. This book is written in Scout's perspective to depict her life. The main character, Scout, who is also the narrator is portrayed as a young girl who is still learning the rules of life. Her father, her brother Jem, and nanny (Calpurnia) all play a role in teaching Scout right from wrong as she grows. The novel is centered around the case of Tom Robinson and the events that happen in Maycomb. It is greatly based on prejudice; mainly prejudice against poor people, prejudice against women, and prejudice against race.
To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a demonstration of many themes that are easily identified throughout the text. This novel takes place in a racism-ridden town in the deep south of Alabama in a small county called Maycomb where the Finch family resides. The main character, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, is a young lady who is learning what it is like to grow up in a generation that is judgmental and hates anyone who tries to go against the norm. Scout’s father is a popular lawyer advocating for an African American man who is bound to be convicted, not because he committed the crime, but because he is black. In this story, Scout and her brother, Jem, have to learn how exactly to grow up without catching Maycomb County’s common disease. Three prevalent themes in To Kill a Mockingbird are education, racism, and curiosity.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee about a young girl growing up in Alabama during the 1930s, throughout the years of the Great Depression and when poverty and unemployment were boundless. The theme of social inequality is used to develop the authors message that the unfairness of societal expectations lead to injustice, shown through literary devices, setting and characterization. The symbolization of a mockingbirds’ innocence is often compared to Tom Robinson. The setting of Maycomb shows the social expectations and laws during the time period. Additionally, the characterization of Atticus and Scout prove the unfairness of society's expectations.