Illusory Appearances and Hidden Internal Realities Deluded people can often make automatic judgments concerning physical appearance of women and men in society, without understanding the victim’s inner disposition. Boo Radley, an isolated citizen of the Maycomb county, experienced this victimization in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley faced discrimination from younger people in Maycomb. He often got targeted for being a dangerous and mysterious individual according to others. Jem Finch and Scout Finch, children of lawyer named Atticus Finch, dedicated their time into judging Boo Radley. Their actions display ignorance, which lead to many unwanted further generalizations about Boo Radley. It was not until Jem and Scout Finch …show more content…
Ms. Dubose, a neighbor of Jem and Scout Finch, had expressed prejudice towards the negro community. Jem and Scout had criticized her because she proclaimed many degrading statements about Atticus by emphasizing, “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” when Scout and Jem stood outside her house (Lee 135). Ms. Dubose was a product of the Maycomb environment that had different views installed in her mind. She was judged solely by her slurs rather than her actual character. Jem and Scout realized this as they got to spend personal time with Ms. Dubose. They both have figured out that everyday, she revealed was becoming more of an acceptable person, when they had to read to her. Additionally, Atticus interprets Ms.Dubose as being a strong woman, by explaining to Scout and Jem that “She was the bravest person I ever knew” after the Finch family received the news of Ms. Dubose’s death (Lee 149). Ms. Dubose died as a morphine addict, which explained her random tantrums and fits when she was alive. When Ms. Dubose was fighting her addiction, it coincides with the time that Jem and Scout had to stay longer at Ms. Dubose’s house because they were forced to read to her. Every day she was holding back her addiction, for a longer periods of time because the Finch brothers were reading longer to her. She had the mindset to change her unhealthy habit, which earned …show more content…
Tom Robinson, a black man, in Maycomb, went through this struggle caused by the citizens of Maycomb. He was accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell, although he has been the only person who treated her with respect in the past. During the trial, Tom Robinson was asked by Atticus Finch, if he had ever took advantage of Mayella Ewell and Tom declared, “No suh, Mr.Finch, I never did. I wouldn’t do that, suh” without a sense of hesitation or guiltiness shown in his voice (Lee 257). Revealing that Mayella was using Tom as an easy target to accuse of rape because she thought that people would believe her, since the rest of Maycomb are mostly composed of racist people. These racist people would most likely choose the side of a white woman and think that Tom is guilty man. The jury picked for the trial were also composed of biased and racist people. This made it difficult for Tom Robinson to win the case; however, Tom further revealed the unpredictable actions of Mayella. During the intense trial, Tom Robinson was asked about what Mayella did to him, he confirms, “She reached up an’ kissed me’ side of th’ face” after Mayella asked Tom to fix something in her house, in the past (Lee 259). This contradicted Mayella’s statement, showing that she has not only lied, but she had done something a white person may never do. People
Boo Radley was a white man that no one hardly ever seen or knew. Everyone thought he was mean, and crazy. Scout narrates “As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parents leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants and resumed his activities(11). The story was not true, but that’s what everyone thought of when they talked about Boo Radley. Boo Radley was actually the exact opposite of what people thought of him to be. Jem and Scout would find little things in an old tree, and they had realized that Boo Radley was the one who was leaving them things. Also when Jem pants was tangled on the fence, he left and came back to try and pry them off and they were neatly folded across the fence, untangled. Lots of people stereotyped him to be something that he’s not, which means he’s a mockingbird because he is nothing but
Mayella (white), goes to court against Tom Robinson (African American), where Mayella is accusing Tom Robinson of rape. When Atticus asks Mayella questions, Atticus mishears Mayella. An example of Mayella’s lack of power is when Atticus closes his argument by describing Mayella’s injuries during the court case. “Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely by someone who led almost exclusively with his left.”
Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, we are presented with various representations of stereotypes involving numerous characters of all ages. Due to specific encounters, we are faced with repeated stereotypical situations. For example, Walter Cunningham is a poor, misunderstood boy who comes from an underestimated family name. Along with the main character Scout, who narrates the story from a young age and finds herself constantly reminded to be the lady she is not. In like manner, Tom Robinson is familiar with the ways of Maycomb, Alabama who easily loses hope with his case of an alleged rape. Walter, Scout and Tom all validate as victims of stereotyping, but from the goodwill within and taking the time to understand someone beforehand,
Mrs. Dubose is a bitter, old lady that is extremely rude to Scout and Jem, yelling dirty thing at them everytime they pass by her house. Jem hatred for that woman was so short, that one day he grabbed Scout’s baton and lost his temper, Scout explains that “He did not begin to calm down until he had cut the tops off every camellia bush Mrs. Dubose owned…” (137). As a punishment for his sudden outrage, Mrs. Dubose asks that he read for her everyday and they learn things about her along the way. They described that “...From time to time she would open her mouth wide...cords of saliva would collect at her lips...Her mouth seemed to have private existence of its own” (143). Later on in the chapter, Atticus reveals that she was a morphine addict
Tom Robinson is a kind black man whom Atticus is defending against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows that he will lose because Tom is black, but he also knows that Tom is innocent and that he has to defend him. Tom Robinson is portrayed as a hard-working father and husband in the novel and he was only attempting to help Mayella since no one else would, but she made advances that he refused and her father saw them. On the witness stand, he testifies that he helped her because, "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" (256). Even though Tom helps Mayella out of kindness and pity, Mayella is trapped and must accuse him of raping her to save her own life. Shortly after being wrongfully convicted
There 's a point in everyone 's life when people are forced to wear a mask to hide their true selves. People want to fit into what they think is normal. Most of the time, the individual behind the mask is very different from what they are being perceived as. They can be evil and wicked, or they can be smart, loving, and caring. Characters in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee live through the Great Depression and Segregation. They all have qualities that make them unique in their own ways. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama, citizens are put under stereotypes all throughout the novel. Characters get assigned labels that aren 't entirely correct. Dolphus Raymond, Mayella Ewell, and Boo Radley are all products of what it looks
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
Being an African-American and living in a generally prejudiced town like Maycomb, Tom was already licked from the start. Tom was allegedly accused of raping a white person and as Atticus says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (295). During his trial, Tom could have lied about his reasoning for helping Mayella, to keep himself from getting into more trouble, but instead he showed real courage by revealing the real reason behind his actions: “I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (264). Since Jim Crow laws were active in Maycomb, Tom’s answer was seen as a terrible mistake: “Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer” (264). It showed that he, being a black person, thought he was better off than a white person.
Atticus demonstrates his character by defending Tom Robinson. Atticus leads by example, showing the highest respect for everyone in Maycomb, not discriminating by color or class. His serious defense for Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, proves his high ideals. Atticus fights a hopeless battle against the racism in the town. Atticus not only shows his non prejudice through the trial of Tom Robinson, but also through his everyday dealings with Calpurnia. Atticus refutes Aunt Alexandra persistent attempts to fire Cal and claims that she is one of the family.
The author George Elliot once said “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Appearance can be very misleading, and you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something by its outward appearance alone. This philosophical idea has been included in many works of literature, including the timeless classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. The novel takes place in the town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Many citizens of Maycomb tend to make judgements based on outward appearances alone. In the novel, Lee uses minor characters such as Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Tom Robinson to convey the book’s theme of prejudice.
Tom Robinson is a hard-working African American in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. However, his life takes a tragic turn when he is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, daughter of the town’s least respected citizen, Tom Ewell. When he goes to court , even with the very capable Atticus Finch as his lawyer, his future looks grim. Regardless of the information that Tom Robinson and Atticus had provided that proved Tom as innocent, he was still found guilty. The reader can then conclude that the only explanation for this is that Tom Robinson was guilty not of rape, but of his being black. During the trial, Atticus states that, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it comes crashing down on her afterwards.” Atticus also states that, "Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a
To begin with, Scout learns reality is not how it appears through her neighbors. Surely Mrs. Dubose is not as heartless as she first seems to be. Mrs. Dubose poses as a high maintenance old lady that interrogates Scout's and Jem's behavior on a daily basis. She seems callous and inhumane with her spiteful remarks about how she is an "ugly girl" (Lee 99) and how her "father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for" (Lee 102). After the destructive encounter with her precious camellia bushes and endurance of a reading punishment Scout sees her in a new light after her death. Despite her initial depiction of the fowl mouth of Mrs. Dubose she finds out that "She was the bravest person [Atticus] ever knew" (Lee112) and simply "died beholden ...
During the court, Tom Robinson explained everything what happened that night, but that was not the abuse and rape of Ms. Mayella. However, Tom had an embarrassing situation, which Atticus had to explain to Scout later “he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run—a sure sign of guilt.” (Lee 221) Everything Tom tried to do just helped Mayella, but he was wrongly accused of rape. After Tom’s death, Mr. Underwood compares the death with “……..
" forces an explosive burst of anger from Jem (135). Before saying that, she puts her hand to her mouth and "a long silver thread of saliva" trails from her hand as she draws it away (135). Jem seethes silently on the way to and from the store, then proceeds to destroy Mrs. Dubose's garden with Scout's baton and breaking it afterward (137). Such a seemingly senile old woman nearing the end of her life could not possibly have any kindness left in her as shown by her strict and unpleasant personality. Mrs. Dubose never did show any nice side to her as she yelled at them and prompted them to despise her.