Fear of Change Illustrated in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

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Some people hide from change thinking that it will never find them, but change is happening all around, whether it is the seasons or how people think and act things change. Sometimes though, as quickly as the world changes, there are people and things that may not change with everything else. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are people who refuse to acknowledge the world changing around them and try to reverse the changes that have already occurred. Two of these people afraid of changes are Bob Ewell and Walter Cunningham. Two people who become accepting of change are Miss Maudie and Aunt Alexandra. Fear of change is one of the root problems in society.

Bob Ewell is afraid that Blacks will take over or gain higher power over Whites so he works to keep the Black population suppressed by the Whites. One way that he showed this was by falsely accusing Tom Robinson of a crime that he never committed. He accused Tom of raping his daughter, Mayella, because he was ashamed that his daughter attempted to kiss a black man. Because of Bob’s fear of Blacks, Tom is dead....

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