Overcoming Tragedy in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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OVERCOMING TRAGEDY
The loss of a loved one is a tragedy for family, friends, and the community as a whole. Emotional reactions can range from quiet to intense and the circumstances of the loss can definitely be a factor. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, the citizens of Maycomb County suffer a series of losses that affect the Finch family and the entire town. These losses include the death of Tom Robinson, the death of Mrs. DuBose, and the near-death incident involving Jem and Scout. These losses all have lasting impacts. Similarly, one’s own family may suffer loss and near-loss situations, making this novel especially relatable. Therefore, getting over a tragedy can be challenging. First, acknowledge that a tragedy has occurred, then express personal emotions and feelings, and finally focus on the positives.
Acknowledging that a tragedy has occurred can be difficult to accept. The death of Tom Robinson is definitely a tragedy. Tom is a kind, honest black man who helped a young white woman, Mayella Ewell, with chores. This act of kindness is responsible for Tom being charged with rape, his arrest, a trial, and a guilty verdict even though the testimony showed that Mayella’s own father, Bob Ewell, was the one who beat his daughter. “It was Jem’s turn to cry.” He was upset with the verdict and thought it was unfair to send Tom to jail knowing that he is now in there for life. In jail, Tom tries to break free, heading over the fence and is shot seventeen times. Jem, along with the black community of the town, had a difficult time accepting and acknowledging that Tom had died after he was shoot. They all wept and mourned in the loss of Tom. Tom is innocent, but he is convicted of raping a white woman due the prejudice of p...

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...the positive outcomes. If you focus on the changes they will most likely be changes for the better. I hope that greater awareness has been gained and more knowledge for the future will hopefully have great change for the future. Many things such as death, fear, and devastation are in the world today. In life, one does not know when tragedy will occur but when it does having courage and positive attitude will make a difference. A world without tragedies and fears would make it a much better place.

Work Cited
Lee, Harper. "11." To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. 149. Print.
Lee, Harper. "22." To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. 284. Print.
Lee, Harper. "25." To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. 323. Print.
Lee, Harper. "31." To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. 374. Print.

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