this town, and eventhough things are simply “not fair”, that’s just the way today is. . Boo Radley, who appears to be a “town freak. ” Not much is really knownof him, just hearsay stories that people whisper to one another and totheir children to warn them of the ‘so called’ evils that may occur -when they, really, are the evil ones.
(this is due to the fear of theunknown. . One story told is regarding an incident with the Radley’s father, whois supposedly stabbed with a pair of scissors, while Boo is under thewrong influence of the wrong group of friends. .
Mrs. Dubose is a story within herself. Introduced as an annoying oldlady, who always screams insulting remarks at the children, she seemslike the typical crotchety elderly women . Atticus is a single parent, who faces the world raising two children. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, overflowingwith integrity.
. Tom Robinson, the accused, has a reputation within his own blackcommunity as an upright, honest, church-going family man. The Ewells,as a contrast to Robinson, aren’t exactly noted for being modelcitizens, Bob Ewell, the father, has a reputation for being a towndrunkard, allowing his children to miss out on valuable education. . The major event that has started to unravel, prior to the novel is thecase between Tom Robinson and the Ewells. Robinson, who was a hiredhand, is accused of raping Bob’s daughter, Mayella.
This case fallsinto Atticus’s lap, not because he believes that Robinson is innocent,but it is his job to prove the latter so. . When Tom takes to the stand, the obviously true story comes out. Itbecomes evident that Mayella Ewell was a very lonely person whose onlycrime was to kiss a black man.
Her father, Bob Ewell, beat and rapedher for this crime. Bob Ewell forced her to say that Tom did it, sothat he wouldn’t get into trouble. . After the verdict is announced, guilty, the children, as well asmembers of the community, discuss and react to the verdict.
. BOO VS. SOCIETY – The fear of the unknown plays a major role in thisconflict. Viewed as the town freak, the parents of the community tellstories of Boo, and warn their children against going near him, oreven worse: becoming him.
These stories and the curiosity built upinside every child leads Radley to be a ‘set off’ from society. . ROBINSON VS. WHITE COMMUNITY – As another ‘mockingbird’ of the story,he is wrongly accused, and loses his life due to racism of thecommunity. Even though it is obvious, to every person in the jury,that Robinson could have not committed the crime, and that he is anupright and religious church-going man, he is still accused of rapeand is jailed. .
EWELLS VS. ATTICUS – During the trial Atticus was the lawyer for Tom. He proved through various examples that Bob was guilty, not Tom. Thiscompletely, but silently, destroys any type of credibility that Bobpossessed. He now resented Atticus and sought revenge on him.
Heattacked things that Atticus held most dear, his children. After aHalloween ball, Jem and Scout were walking home. Bob Ewell followedthem and attacked them with a knife. Boo Radley saved them.
. Prejudice runs rampant in Maycomb County. The town has prejudiceagainst blacks. This is shown against Tom Robinson, as well as theBlack community. It is obvious that Tom is innocent through evidencepresented by Atticus. But since the jury ‘cannot’ find a black maninnocent over a white family, they find him guilty.
. No one bothers to find out about the real Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley. He mayseem a little scary but the town ridicules him and shuns him fromsociety. All children have been raised to fear him as the town freak.
If they took the time to see the world from his eyes they might not beso prejudiced about his situation. SMALL TOWN, BIG PROBLEMS!! “Prejudice is the ‘Big’ topic in our small town today, although there’sreally nothing new about it. In fact, this whole ‘damn’ country was builton deep prejudicial values. .
. “- By Alex Grinter -Don’t believe me? Can you say ‘Prejudice’? Can you say ‘Racism’? Howabout ‘Intolerance’? Or ‘Hypocrisy’? These words would have never ofevolved if there wasn’t any hate in this world!It seems unreal to Maycomb that there are still people who considerthemselves powerful enough to judge human beings by the color of theirskin, or their background. These people ignore the fact that the mostimportant values are what is inside, under their skin, and have nothing todo with their color or physical features, and this saddens me. Prejudice of every sort runs rampant throughout this town, and eventhough things are simply “not fair”, that’s just the way today is. Recently, was the trial of Tom Robinson vs. The Ewells.
We could treat Tomas a Mockingbird of the town. He poses as no threat to the communitywhatsoever. He does what he is supposed to do everyday. Does what everyother black person does. Works as a slave, or as an outcast to thecommunity.
Atticus Finch, Tom’s lawyer, says, “. . . It is a sin to kill aMockingbird.
” And what have we done, killed the Mockingbird. Robinson, who was a hired hand, is accused of raping Bob’s daughter,Mayella. This case falls into Atticus’s lap, not because he believes thatRobinson is innocent, but it is his job to prove the latter so. Even though it was obvious to every single person in the courtroom,especially the jury, that Robinson could have not committed the rape ofMayella Ewell, he is still – unfairly – prejudiced against, simply becauseto take the word of a black man over two whites would threaten the systemunder which we live – the system of segregation. Of lately, an attack, made by Bob Ewell, was carried out on Atticus’schildren, Jeremy and Jean Louise, while they were strolling home from theHalloween ball, held recently at the town hall. “Just as we were walking past the Radley’s house, some guy came out ofthe bushes and tried to stab us.
” said Jeremy. “Yeah, and then Boo came out and saved us. ” said Jean Louise. The day after the attack, Bob Ewell admitted to the community that hewas irritated by the fact that Atticus tried to prove him guilty. Bob said,”I resented Atticus and wanted to seek revenge on him. So.
. . I decided toattack the things that he held most dear, his children. “Atticus is a single parent, who faces the world raising two children. He has a reputation for being an open-minded, fair man, overflowing withintegrity, and his children are what matters most to him.
Now there is something very peculiar about that incident. Why wouldArthur ‘Boo’ Radley protect children, when he is a ‘savage’ and an’outcast’ to our society? Obviously our community has got it all wrong. “You never really understand a person until you consider things fromhis point of view. . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.
“Atticus says. The fear of the unknown plays a major role in this conflict. Arthur issadly viewed as the town freak, even though none of us have actually seenhim, heard of him or even know what he does day after day. And what keepsthis fear moving from generation to generation is stories that parents telltheir children, and warn them against going near him, or even worse:becoming him. These false, prejudged stories, and the curiosity built upinside every child leads Radley to be a ‘set-off’ from our society.
Jeremy Finch says he is “six and a half feet tall, judging from histracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch. . . There was along. .
. scar that ran across his face. . .
his eyes popped and he drooled mostof the time””He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did”. SaysMiss Maudie, who claims to have known him as a boy. Now, who do we believe? None of these descriptions may be true, but itis wrong to prejudge someone when you haven’t even seen who they are. People may look ‘weird’ but it is what is in the inside that counts.
Mrs. Dubose is also another person that this small town has prejudgedideas against. She may seem an annoying elderly lady, who always screemsinsulting remarks as you walk by her house, but really, she is enduring theterminal pains that overcome us at old age.
