Fear and Prejudice in Maycomb County

798 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: To kill a mockingbird inportance of maycomb

Dread, anxiety, terror, horror, and alarm are all synonyms for the word fear, while narrow-mindedness and bias are synonyms for prejudice. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, fear is shown as illogical or logical, depending on whose view it’s from and how people react to it. So is “the only thing we have to fear, fear itself” or is the real world a fright-filled place? According to the Lee, the answer is both. The comparison of Jem and Scout’s fear of Boo Radley and Bob Ewell, Boo’s fear of the outside world, and Mayella’s fear of her father will are used to illustrate this point. Lee uses the theme of fear and lack of fear is used to point out the problems and prejudices in Maycomb and in the lives of the characters.
To Kill A Mockingbird is told from the point of view of young Scout Finch, a lawyer’s daughter in Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930’s. It includes the various adventures of Scout, her older brother Jem, and their friend Dill, such as their obsession with Boo Radley. The trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, is the main focus of the story. Scout and Jem’s father Atticus takes on the impossible task of defending Tom Robinson, the man accused of the crime, but loses based on the jury’s racism and prejudice. Throughout the book, Maycomb’s many problems unfold and Scout and Jem grow up.
Fear through the eyes of children: something meant to be scary won’t faze them, while something else can scare them half to death. Children’s fears are also easily changed and influenced by the people and problems. Jem and Scout’s fears, and lack there-of, are the perfect example of this. Jem, Scout, and Dill create this “monster next door” based on what the adults have told them abou...

... middle of paper ...

...ombination and that we shouldn’t be afraid of something due to prejudice or ignorance. By using Jem and Scout’s fear of Boo Radley and their lack of fear of Bob Ewell, Lee shows that the children are very impressionable and the adult’s prejudice can cause fears of things that don’t deserve it, like Boo. Maycomb County is a town full or judgment, gossip, and fear of the unknown. Bob Ewell was a crook with bad motives and he wasn’t feared at all, while Boo Radley was an innocent hermit because of the town’s judgment. As Jem eloquently put it, "I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time…it's because he wants to stay inside." (227) The reason things were the way they were in Maycomb is because the fears and prejudices are passed down from generation to generation.

Works Cited

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Show More
Related

  • How Does Atticus Show Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself as well.

    Read More

  • Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Childhood is a continuous time of learning, and of seeing mistakes and using them to change your perspectives. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how two children learn from people and their actions to respect everyone no matter what they might look like on the outside. To Kill A Mockingbird tells a story about two young kids named Scout and her older brother Jem Finch growing up in their small, racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. As the years go by they learn how their town and a lot of the people in it aren’t as perfect as they may have seemed before. When Jem and Scout’s father Atticus defends a black man in court, the town’s imperfections begin to show. A sour, little man named Bob Ewell even tries to kill Jem and Scout all because of the help Atticus gave to the black man named Tom Robinson. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the central theme that it is wrong to judge someone by their appearance on the outside, or belittle someone because they are different.

    Read More

  • The Aging Curse in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1349 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem symbolize coming of age through the onerous events they deal with that require maturity. People, like Jem and Scout, evolve through life experiences that evoke wisdom and composure. Two young children show that when faced with tough events, people mature in order to be able to handle the situation. Scout knows that coming of age is a package deal with other personal qualities that emerge along the way. This story demonstrates that growing up is a necessary and frustrating task. However, people must handle anything that life throws at them with wisdom beyond their years. The aging curse prevents people from staying young and innocent, instead forcing them to enter adulthood and tackle the challenges facing them.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Cruelty In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    They have many misconceptions of people, places, and concerts in Maycomb county. However as they are young and don't really have opinions themselves. They abide by those presented them. At the start of the novel Scout and Jem see Mr. Arthur Radley or "Boo", as a dangerous, crazy, and rather isolated man. Although never being in his presence or in association with him they always make assumptions about him. They constantly pestered his household and played games that mocked him, "..time to play Boo's big scene...steal the scissors...Jem would fake plunge into Dill's thigh..."(LEE40).They also had the misconception that Boo was kept inside forcefully by his family. Boo was also blamed for unresolved events. As time goes by they mature and start to develop more of an understanding of Boo, "..I think I'm beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in his house all this time...he wants to stay inside"(LEE227). Jem develops an understanding as to why Boo Radley stays inside. It's not because his family forces him to stay inside. He realizes that when living in a town like Maycomb, there is an incredible amount of judgement and labeling that occurs. It becomes evident to him that Boo has no place and isn't welcomed into the society. Especially with having a stereotype "glued" to his identity. Scout then has an

    Read More

  • Atticus Finch Impact

    1754 Words  | 4 Pages

    An important part of the book is the story of Atticus Finch, a lawyer and resident of a fictional county in Alabama called Maycomb, told from the perspective of his daughter, Scout, who is recalling her childhood. Atticus represents Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping

    Read More

  • Racism in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird

    646 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.

    Read More

  • Transition From Childhood to Maturity: Good and Evil

    973 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the story, Jem and Scout experience different people, and grow up in the process, differentiating from the good and the bad. A major character in the lives of the children was Tom Robinson, who was found guilty for no apparent reason. Mrs. Dubose acted very intolerant towards the children, but in the end Jem learned some things very valuable from her. Boo Radley, our “mockingbird”, is revealed to be one of the good guys, like a silent savior. The children learn their lessons, as it can be seen when Scout acts like a lady when Jem is being a teenager, when Dill loses his innocence, and when Jem hits adolescence.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    People in Maycomb generally stick to their daily routines and stay away from anyone who seems suspicious or out of place. Because of this ideology, Boo Radley a mysterious, seemingly sinister figure that never comes out of hiding becomes the subject of the town’s never-ending streams of gossip, accusations and fallacies. For the children, Boo was a fascinating figure that seems to be the center of all their ghost stories, which they share like ones around a campfire. Boo is said to be a man who, “dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch…” This is a vicious, bloody image that is painted in the reader’s mind. Boo is described so vividly through the eyes of a variety of characters that this portrayal of him almost becomes the reality. For the children, fear is a sign of weakness and Boo is the source of their fear. As the time passes on, the children’s plans to force Boo out of hiding become more and more elaborate. Jem, Scout and Dill decide to role-play what Boo’s might be like. In a way, this helps the children cope with their fear. The more they think they know about Boo, the less fearful they become.

    Read More

  • Fear and Courage in To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Radley family has a presence that startles nearly all of Maycomb County in some way. For example, every resident of Maycomb County would never set foot in even the Radley house yard. However, this was not the case for protagonist Scout Finch and her brother Jem. This show of bravery represents outstanding courage. Moreover, the main area of fear of the Radley family is provided by Boo. Boo is the child of the family, and is rumored to eat grotesque foods such as live rats. Although very few people had ever seen Boo, nobody dared to search for him. That is, except for Scout and Jem. Despite being terrified of what Boo could be, Jem and Scout searched tirelessly for him. Even after their father forbid them to search for Boo, Jem and Scout would not be denied and searched for him anyways. The courage shown by the young children in this novel is good.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Calpurnia Quotes

    1650 Words  | 4 Pages

    The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place in the 1930s in a small Alabama county called Maycomb. The novel is about the Finch family of three. Atticus, the father, Scout the older brother and Scout the younger sister, who acts like a tomboy. Scout may be a lady, but does not like to act like one, she likes to play and get dirty with her brother. Being young, both children learn lessons throughout the novel by many different residents, such as, Calpurnia, the maid, Miss Maudie, the neighbor, and their father, Atticus. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird various citizens in the town of Maycomb play an important role in the lives of Jem and Scout Finch

    Read More

  • Fear in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1576 Words  | 4 Pages

    Fear in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Fear is an important force in the novel because it is the cause of most people's actions. The main theme in the book is a result of fear. such as the Tom Robinson case and Boo Radley. Ignorance breeds fear which in turn breeds prejudice. Fear is infectious, and each character.

    Read More

  • To kill a mockingbird essay on fear

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every child has a fear, it’s either real or imaginary. Fear plays a significant role in child’s lives as they think their fears will never disappear. But as children grow throughout their lives their fears vanish. In to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the theme of fear is well represented throughout the novel. Lee demonstrates a lot of events where Jean Louise Finch (Scout) a young girl has fears but as she is growing she loses all of them. Every fear that Scout overcomes is from the help of her growth. For Scout, growing up means losing her fear of the unknown. There are lots of fears that Scout loses in the novel which include her fearing a myth that she hears from everyone in the town, also fearing someone coming between her and her brother’s relation, and fearing an ignorant and poor man who looks for revenge on her family, last but not least she fears her femininity while she is growing.

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird

    2420 Words  | 5 Pages

    "Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square."(Lee 9). This environment, as Scout Finch accurately describes, is not conducive to young children, loud noises, and games. But, the Finch children and Dill must occupy themselves in order to avoid boredom. Their surroundings are their boundaries, but in their minds, they have no physical confines. Although the physical "boundaries were Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house two doors to the north..., and the Radley Place three doors to the south,"(Lee 11) Jem, Scout, and Dill find ways to use the limits, in conjunction with their imaginations, to amuse themselves. The children are the ones who change the old town and make it full of unexpected events. In the same way as the children, the adults of the novel play games that come from their imaginations and, they themselves are the ones who provide the fear for everyone in the county to fear. "Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself"(10). The adults and the children share the fact that they both play games, but a difference also exists between them. The children enact their entertainment, knowing that the games could get violent, but in the end, when the games are over, all the players are able to return home. On the other hand, the adults play their adult games, hurting anyone who does not play by the given rules, and not everyone is fortunate enough to return home. The children pretend to be violent at times but the adults actually are violent. As the children move through the novel, they use these games to develop from their innocence to a level of experience by actualizing the realities of their games through the lives of the adults. Through their own games and through the games of the adults, the children learn values of respect, courage, and understanding.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Film Analysis

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    The film particularly focuses on a white family living in the South of the United States in the 1930s. The two siblings, Jem and Scout Finch, undergo major changes while experiencing evil and injustice in their small town of Maycomb. Jem and Scout’s father is named Atticus and he is a well-respected man in the town as well as being a lawyer. The main plot of the story is when Atticus decides to work on the case of a black man, Tom Robinson. Mayella, the woman defending against Robinson, comes from a low income and low educated family, making them a poor family.

    Read More

  • Life Lessons in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...

    Read More

More about Fear and Prejudice in Maycomb County

Open Document