To Kill A Mockingbird Kindness Quotes

The Cruelty and Kindness Inside Maycomb
Marcus Aurelius once said, “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.” In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character of Maycomb was living proof of this quote. Elderly and stubborn, he refused to change no matter how much time went by. The days moved slowly for him, though. Always merciless and harsh, he was stuck in an era that had long been passed in other parts of the world. Maycomb refused to believe that people unlike him were still equal to him. The characters of Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and Miss Gates showcased the aspects of Maycomb. Mrs. Dubose was wrathful and brutal to Scout, Jem, and Atticus when they tried to be kind. Bob Ewell attempted to kill Scout and Jem just to get revenge on Atticus. Miss Gates was a hypocrite, pitying the Jews, but being cruel to African Americans. Maycomb was old, hateful,

discriminatory, rigid, and harsh, and these traits were reflected in Miss Gates, Bob Ewell, and Mrs. Dubose.
Miss Gates, like Maycomb, was self-righteous and racist. She judged people because of the color of their skin, then shamed others for the same acts. For example, in Scout’s class, the children were learning about current events. Miss Gates was teaching the class about Adolf Hitler and said that she sympathised with the Jews, even claiming that she didn’t understand why they were being persecuted. Scout tried to ask Atticus about it, but she couldn’t find the right words to express what she was feeling. Later on, Scout explained to Jem why the opinions revealed by Miss Gates bothered her so much. She stated, “Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was… I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home-” (Lee 331). The world was, and still is, a place for both good and evil. Miss Gates was evidence of the unpleasantness in Maycomb. She behaved like it was perfectly fine for her to say rude things about blacks. Directly afterwards, though, she stated that she didn’t support Hitler because he was inhuman to Jews. Considering the time period, it can be inferred that many other people acted the same way Miss Gates did. She showed that people, even if they appear to be kind and righteous at first sight, can be racist or harsh. No humans are above any others, no matter how much Miss Gates conducted herself as so.
Bob Ewell displayed many traits of Maycomb, such as cruelty, stubbornness, and vengefulness. After the trial, he walked up to Atticus and spit on him. He called him rude names and told Atticus that he would get revenge. Lee wrote, “Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin’ bastard?” (Lee 291). Bob Ewell was being harsh to Atticus when the latter was being just and kind. Mr. Ewell went on to attempt to murder Jem and Scout, but killed himself in the process. He beat his children and then tried to push it onto Tom Robinson, because he knew that the jury would convict a black man. Bob Ewell was another sign of the extreme desperation and malice in Maycomb. He showed what most people in the town had thought at one time or another and personified the mass of hatred that had accumulated. A harsh character until the end, Bob Ewell was a symbol of the chaos that can occur even in the smallest of towns. He portrayed the villainous, malicious, out of control side of Maycomb.
Mrs. Dubose was vile and hateful to the Finches. She treated them horribly whilst they were considerate. Mrs. Dubose was vicious to Jem and Scout when they walked by her house to go into town. She noticed that insulting Atticus affected them, so she continued to do so. Lee stated, “Yes indeed, what has this world come to when a Finch goes against his raising? I’ll tell you!... Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (Lee 135). Ms. Dubose mocked Atticus and crushed Jem and Scout. She was old, heinous, and sadistic. Mrs. Dubose treated everyone like they were less than her. She acted like she was in charge of their lives and expected them to listen to every word she said. Another example of the bitterness Maycomb possessed, Mrs. Dubose was cold-blooded and callous. Prideful and haughty, she represented the hubris that all humans have acquired. She refused help when she may have needed it most, and was extraordinarily independent and brave. Though these were admirable qualities, Mrs. Dubose’s characteristics also caused her to become overly scornful and bitter. Her pride was an attribute shared with Maycomb and a number of other people.
Many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird had the same nature and traits of Maycomb.

Examples included Mrs. Dubose, Bob Ewell, and Miss Gates, all of whom were vicious, spiteful, venomous, and intolerant. Miss Gates said she hated Hitler, but was then unkind to black people. Bob Ewell spit in Atticus’ face because Atticus destroyed his credibility at the trial. Mrs. Dubose was taking her pain out on Jem and Scout, two young children, by yelling at them and insulting their father. Maycomb was an atrocious person, antagonistic and racist. Today, there are still places and people like Maycomb. Our society must attempt to be more thoughtful and help others. We can all make an effort to be like Atticus, Boo Radley, Miss Maudie, Jem, and Scout- kindhearted characters. This novel shows that there can be moral people in a cruel place, good in evil, but it also proves the opposite. All of humanity has a wicked and villainous side, with no exceptions. Life is full of love and compassion, corruption and hate, and there will always be another side of the spectrum- another version of the

story.