Malevolent Phantom (To Kill a Mockingbird)

Malevolent Phantom (To Kill a Mockingbird)

“Vision is the act of seeing things invisible” (Jonathan Swift). In every society there is an underlying darkness that is alienation. Those who fall victim to alienation become the invisible and voiceless members of society. In Society there are few that see alienation. There are even fewer that know it is morally wrong and try to illuminate it.

Alienation often goes unseen, but it is always there. The struggle to eliminate it will forever continue. In To Kill A Mockingbird it is children who have not yet learned to be blind, and an enlightened minority that have vision to see the invisible. In To Kill A Mockingbird there is a strong and important theme of alienation and unjust treatment.

The fight to eliminate it is represented through Atticus’s efforts. In To Kill A Mockingbird alienation is illustrated through the treatment of characters such as Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell. Throughout the novel there are countless instances of societal discrimination toward these characters. Intolerance and ignorance in society is the cause of alienation.

In Maycomb almost every person alienates Arthur Radley. The reader never really understands who Boo Radley is. Instead the reader hears the many opinions of the people in Maycomb. Harper Lee does this on purpose to demonstrate that no one has the right to judge another person because no one can be sure of another person’s position. People of Maycomb choose to believe what they hear about Arthur because “[p]eople generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for…(174). There are many rumors about Boo Radley, for example some “[p]eople said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows” (9). Stories about Boo are pasted around Maycomb quickly but the truths of injustice are kept quiet. Arthur’s behavior suggests that the lack of tolerance and understanding was apparent to him. Jem explains that he used to think there was “…just one kind of folks”(227). He goes on to say that he understands why Boo Radley’s stays shut up in the house all the time “…because he wants to stay inside”(227). This suggests that Jem is starting to recognize the injustices in the world around him and is struggling to understand how he will deal with them without alienating himself. No one in Maycomb wants to be the one to rock the boat including Arthur Radley.