To Kill A Mockingbird Isolation Analysis

748 Words2 Pages

There are many different ways that isolation can affect people; as this will be proven by analyzing Harper Lee’s Novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The book illustrates that people act differently while in isolation. Arthur (Boo) Radley reacts by avoiding people,Mrs.Dubose reacts bitterly and Mayella reacts with a strong desire for love.

Arthur (Boo) Radley is a man who isolates himself from society and the events that take place in Maycomb County because of how the people are. In the beginning Jem and Scout thought that the only reason why Boo stayed inside so that he wouldn’t cause any trouble. According to the neighbourhood legend “Boo was locked up in the courthouse basement” (Lee 12) for stabbing his father in the leg with scissors so that …show more content…

During the trial Tom Robinson explains that while he was helping Mayella get a box down from the top of the chiffarobe Mayella just jumps onto Tom. Tom tells Judge Taylor that “she hugged me. She hugged me around the waist” (Lee 259) This shows that Mayella does not know how to control her desire love which made her spontaneously hug Tom. What also shows Mayella’s desire for love is that she grabs Tom and kisses him out nowhere and tells Tom that “ she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger (Lee 260). The fact that Mayella kept on forcing Tom to kiss her back shows that Mayella had this want for love and she did not even care if the person was a negro. Therefore Mayella Ewell’s desire for Tom Robinson show how she has a desire for love and how strong it became because of her isolation.

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee illustrates that not everyone reacts the same way when they are in isolation. Boo Radley’s reaction to his isolation is to avoid people at all costs. Mrs.Dubose’s reaction to her isolation is to be mean and bitter all the time eg.Mayella Ewell’s reaction to Isolation is having a strong desire for love and company. What this shows is that every person can be affected by isolation and their reaction can be very different and

Show More
Related

  • Isolation In The Outsiders

    386 Words  | 1 Pages

    Isolation; the state of being in a place or situation that is separate from others : the condition of being isolated. Though easily defined, Dallas Winston in S.E. Hinton’s text, “the Outsiders”, gave it such an extent of profundity--that which cannot be described by words and reaches far beyond the feeble grasp of definition--so as to aspire to isolate himself from life itself. And in Dally’s isolation, Johnny was the glue that held him together when he was falling apart.

    Read More

  • Theme Of The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    We may believe were not in no form of isolation from a single thing but we are all in isolation without notice. In the book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar wao” by Junot Diaz, he shows isolation in every character in a very distinct way but still not noticeable. Throughout the Brief wondrous life of Oscar Wao, Diaz conveys that there is isolation in every person through his characters that are all different in personalization but are still isolated from something.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Isolation In The Wondrous Woo

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Miramar went to go meet her old friends from university, she realized how much they had progressed in life since she first met them. “Tina announced that she had just gotten accepted to nursing school, and Denise said she had decided to apply for an MBA…as they flipped through the pictures commenting on how hot each other’s boyfriend were, I let my posture crumple, feeling more and more like the garden gnome again” (Leung 150). Miramar felt alienated that her friends had such a great future ahead of them with great jobs and earnings while she had no future because she had dropped out of university and left her own family, having to find a house and make money for herself. This affected her emotionally as she did not mention any details on her own future as she hid not only her emotions, but suppressed her life from everyone else. “They looked like kids playing dress-up, but still, I looked down at my jeans and t-shirt and felt left behind” (Leung 149). Miramar felt left out as she wasn’t wearing elegant and somewhat trendy clothes like her friends. Instead she was wearing a typical jeans and t-shirt. Miramar did not lash out or complain verbally for not having clothes similar to her friends, she kept her emotions to herself and lived on in her own gray world. “Mouse was my first real friend in a long time and a good distraction from the wandering thoughts that invariably landed me back in quicksand” (Leung 152). Miramar dealt with her struggles as she finally found a real friend who she could trust and create a real connection and bond with to help her cope with her problems. Mouse was the first person she could open up to again, expressing her emotions freely. Isolation builds a barrier between those who are victims to it and the outside world. Those affected by isolation lose all sense of emotion and contact with the outside world. Only with help

    Read More

  • Theme Of Rumors In To Kill A Mockingbird

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    But Boo tends to be a misunderstood character, just like the mockingbird. In chapter 28, when Jem and Scout were walking back home from school, they took the shortcut which happened to be pitch black. Jem heard a sound which alerted them. At first Jem thought it was Cecil Jacobs (a boy who liked to pull jokes on Jem and Scout), but then they realized it was someone else. They heard footsteps running after them to find that it was a grown man. Jem called out to Scout to run but she fell due to her costume.When Scout finally got back up to find Jem, the man squeezed her until she could barely breathe. Worriedly, Scout called out for Jem but didn’t get a response. She saw two men underneath the tree besides Jem and herself. She called out “Atticus?” but there was no answer once again. She noticed a man laying the ground that had the awful essence of booze, she got up and made her way over the road, and within the light of the street lamp Scout sees a man carrying Jem. The man headed towards the Finch house, where Atticus let him in. Scout eventually realized that “the man” was no other than Mr. Arthur or commonly referred to as Boo Radley. Mr. Arthur, despite his poor perception of

    Read More

  • Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    After his father died, his brother moved in with him. While Boo was locked up inside is house, the people of Maycomb County made up stories about him. The legend of Boo Radley was well-known to the people of Maycomb. Jem describes Boo, “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.”

    Read More

  • Isolation In A Christmas Carol

    2081 Words  | 5 Pages

    Isolation is being separated or separating your self from others. Marry Shelley’s Frankenstein and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, both show the two types of isolation. Loneliness, unfriendly, and separation for ones peace can also mean the same as isolation. No matter what way you look at it, they all mean the same thing. Great examples of these are in Frankenstein and A Christmas Carol; the characters show it very well, which sets the tone and mood of the stories. In A Christmas Carol and Frankenstein, Victor choses to be isolated and separates himself from society to work on the unknown, which is to recreate life. Victor’s teacher was the reason he was isolated, “he took [him] into his laboratory and explained to [him] the uses of his

    Read More

  • Isolation In Minister's Black Veil And Not Waving But Drowning

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Isolation can be a somber subject. Whether it be self-inflicted or from the hands of others, isolation can be the make or break for anyone. In simpler terms, isolation could range anywhere from not fitting into being a complete outcast due to personal, physical, or environmental factors. It is not only introverted personalities or depression that can bring upon isolation. Extroverts and active individuals can develop it, but they tend to hide it around crowds of other people. In “Richard Cory,” “Miniver Cheevy,” The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Not Waving but Drowning,” E.A. Robinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Stevie Smith illustrate the diverse themes of isolation.

    Read More

  • Isolation Theme Essay

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    Isolation is a popular theme in Ray Bradbury’s short stories. It is in all the short stories that were read in class. I, personally, can identify with this theme because i suffer from depression and anxiety. I know that it is sometimes easier to be alone then to deal with people. I know what it is like to not want or be able to leave the comfort of home.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Isolation In Of Mice And Men

    1326 Words  | 3 Pages

    The nature of isolation starts when an individual starts to separate him/herself from others, socially and emotionally, and is also used as a defense from dangerous people. One example is where Crooks tells that “The white kids come to play…… My ol’ man didn’t like that” (70). He’s been taught from his childhood to be by himself so that he would not get in trouble. Candy demonstrates this concept too when he talks about his fate after having to witness the shooting of his only companion, his old dog. “When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won't have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs”. This quote argues that men with disabilities and color in this book are treated as bad as dogs or even worse. Humans are evil by nature and by birth. It is how the world was made. To love and to hate, although, the latter wins. People in the higher caste tend to blame everything small thing that they get in trouble for on people under them. Therefore, when individuals intend to protect themselves, they isolate themselves from the world, emotionally and

    Read More

  • Isolation In Romeo And Juliet

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Isolation is a forced or voluntary physical or mental separation from our surroundings. It is often used as a main theme in stories that are involved with tragic endings. Juliet's growing sense of isolation plays an important role in the development of the plot in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the story, Juliet separates herself from her friends and family physically as well as psychologically as a result of her newfound love, her own actions, and betrayal of the people she trusts.

    Read More

  • How Does Arthur Radley Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1909 Words  | 4 Pages

    The first important character who symbolizes the mockingbird is Arthur Radley who is given the nickname Boo by the children. He suffers from destruction yet still demonstrates innocence. Scout reveals the reader of a story in that Boo Radley was bound to be sent off to an industrial school. A benefit to refine young men into responsible adults who turned away from their childish actions as an adolescent. Although this proposal was offered by the judge, Mr. Radley suggested Arthur be locked in the

    Read More

  • Misconception In To Kill A Mockingbird

    186 Words  | 1 Pages

    In To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Arthur “Boo” Radley represents misconception and can symbolize Scout and Jem’s guardian angel. The people in the town of Maycomb misjudge Boo Radley as the weird, crazy guy in the town and no one associates with him. When Boo was a boy he got into the wrong crowd and as a punishment he was locked up in his house for awhile; rumors were made about Boo that he stabbed his father, but this was never proven to be true (Lee 13). No one has seen him come out of the house since. From then on, everyone misjudged the Radley house and what goes on in there. Throughout the book, Boo leaves gifts for Scout and Jem in the knothole of an old oak tree. Boo also mends Jem’s pants and put a blanket over Scout one cold

    Read More

  • Perspective on Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boo Radley, also known as Arthur Radley, is the scary, evil creature that lives in the creepy old house down the street from Jem and Scout, and is misjudged at first. Jem and Scout, two main characters, first see Boo as some sort of scary monster. Jem described him in the first chapter as “...six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks...” and said “...he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off...” Jem also mentioned Boo had a “...long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” Scout and Jem also call Boo a “...malevolent phantom...” As if that isn't bad enough, the kids hear and tell horrible stories about Boo. One is of how he stabbed his dad with a pair of scissors; another tells how he was locked up in the courthouse basement. Even with such a grisly initial perception at the beginning of...

    Read More

  • Life Of Pi Isolation Essay

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Despite negative views from the society, isolation reveals and strengthens the good in an individual as they are not manipulated from their surroundings. As shown in Life of Pi, where the main character’s alienation has an impact on the nature of humankind, his identity and morality. First of all, human beings are capable of adapting to any changes, which is why Pi has become a better survivor and has overcome many difficulties when he was isolated on the lifeboat. Furthermore, a person can discover their true identity when faced with hardship. Pi’s true self is revealed as he remained faithful to God till the end. Lastly, when alienated, Pi is forced to choose between good or evil in order to stay alive, and he chooses to take care of Richard

    Read More

  • Trapped By Society: I Only Came to Use the Phone

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    Do you ever feel trapped when you are in a place that you have never been before? Isolation criticizes society since it does not let everyone be equal or have the same rights. Isolation can completely change a person, and it is usually for the worst. Society “acts” like they try to prevent isolation, but in reality they isolate people for certain reasons, then those people get judged for being “different.” Upon closer inspection it is human nature to deny equal rights because people that do not act, dress, or look the same are labeled as strange, and unfortunately, many times are not accepted by the majority of society. This gives authors a way to shine a light on society’s flaws.

    Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Isolation Analysis

Open Document