Theme Of Appearance In To Kill A Mockingbird

It’s a foggy Halloween night where masks and mist create a chaotic and confused atmosphere. Anyone can appear as anything by a simple change of costume. The same principle applies in the striking novel written by Harper Lee. The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, presents the theme that one's true appearance or personality can be altered by stereotypes and suspicions.
For the majority of his life, Boo Radley has been sheltered from the rest of society as a result of his different life style and abnormalities. Maycomb’s condemnatory society made rumors about Boo eating "…raw squirrels and any cats he could catch" (Lee 13) and how he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. However, despite his life story derived from the judgmental minds of Maycomb’s’ residents, Boo is actually a kind, fragile person revealed through the presents he hid in the tree, his mending of Jem's torn pants, the blanket he

wrapped around Scout, and his heroic deed of saving Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell’s assault. Unfortunately, the malevolent suspicions made Boo’s charitable acts almost invisible until the end of the novel where he finally reveals himself. “Atticus was right …you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (Lee 279). Scout and the others soon realize that Boo couldn’t hurt a fly and that they all misjudged him. Society fails to see through Boo Radley’s oddities and view him as a man with a heartless soul.
Throughout the novel, readers and the people of Maycomb believe that Mr.

Raymond has corrupted his life by becoming a drunk and is a traitor to the white community for marrying a colored woman. Lacking the knowledge about the kind of individual he truly was, presumptions about Mr. Raymond were accepted freely. "As Mr. Dolphus was an evil man I accepted his invitation..." (Lee, 200). In reality, Dolphus Raymond’s intoxication and whiskey in a bag, turns out to be a sham act only to validate Maycomb’s assumptions. Mr. Raymond describes prejudice as "the simple hell people give other people" (Lee, 200). He explains that, "When I come to town if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey - that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" (Lee, 200). Mr. Raymond’s decides to leave his true self undercover and allow Maycomb to continue to believe what they want. Mr. Raymond's hidden life goes to show how he is assumed to be an evil man because of the color of his

spouse.
Racial prejudice was the cause of Tom Robinsons death, loss of innocence, and a ruined reputation. "In our courts when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life"(Lee, 224). Tom Robinson is an African American man falsely alleged of taking advantage of a white woman. However, despite Atticus’ honorable actions and evidence proving that the horrible acts of violence were not Tom’s doing, the jury found him accountable. The justice system did not allow this man to have a fair trial because of the color of his skin. Everyone refused to accept the fact that a black man could be found innocent over the word of a white man because it would simply not fit into the rules of society. Consequently, the decision between life or death was based on Tom Robinson’s appearance.
Unfortunately, ones one's true self or personality can be distorted by stereotypes and suspicions. Despite their different situations, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond, and Tom Robinson all have one thing in common. All three of them have experienced a form of separation form society due to their appearance or background. Because of this prejudice, they were thought of as evil people, when in reality they were probably the nicest people in all of Maycomb County.