Evil in To Kill A Mockingbird
"Our greatest evils flow from ourselves" (Tripp 192). This statement, by Rousseau, epitomizes many points of evil that are discussed in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. In our world today, we are stared in the face everyday with many facets of evil. These nefarious things come in several forms, including, but not limited to discrimination of sex, race, ethnicity, physical appearance, and popularity, alcoholism, drug abuse, irresponsibility, and even murder. The occurrences of evil and wrong-doing in To Kill A Mockingbird further along Scout's maturation into a young woman. Three of the most important instances of evil are those of racism, alcoholism, and gossip.
Dispersed within To Kill A Mockingbird are numerous illustrations of racism. Statements such as "You father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for" (Lee 108) seem to be common through the entire novel. This seemed to bother people of the common day, and this drove many people to deem Lee's book "banned" from their school. If we look back to the times when the book was written, we can understand the use of the "N-word." During the Great Depression, and at many times during the early twentieth century, the "N-word" was used as commonly as many people today use the word "work." It seems as though people either didn't think, or didn't care, about how demeaning "nigger" was. Eventually, some African-Americans came to accept this word. They became so used to hearing it, they heeded it no attention. Atticus Finch, Scout's father, however, had a different way of thinking. Although Atticus was Caucasian, he realized that the "N-word" (as commonly referred to in the recent trial of Orenthal James Simpson) was wrong to say. He instructed his children not to use that word either.
This courtesy did not catch on. People continued to refer to African-Americans as "niggers" and called anyone who was kind to "niggers" a "nigger-lover." Scout realized this, and as she grew older, she came to realize how wrong the use of the "N-word" actually was. She assumed, as a child, that because everyone else used it, that it was perfectly fine for her to use. As she matured, she began to understand why this was a wrong term, and she learned how wrong it was to use that word. This was only one of the things Scout
learned as she grew and matured.
Jean Louise, Scout, was also subjected to more evil than racism. Robert Ewell, a violent alcoholic, attempted to murder Scout and Jem in a violent drunken rage. Mr. Ewell appeared in many places throughout the book, and it was his daughter, Mayella Ewell, that pressed false charges against Tom Robinson for the offense of rape and battery. Almost every time Bob is mentioned, he is either violent or severely drunken. He used the welfare checks that he received, not to purchase food for the family, but to buy booze for himself to consume. This, in itself, shows us the evil that drug dependency can inflict not only on one person, but all people that the alcoholic comes into contact with. If anything, Scout learned the dangers of not only the effect that alcohol can have on someone, but the effect that it can have on that person's family as well.
Another evil present today, as well as in the 1930's, is one that we don't often think of, gossip. Many people are hurt or improperly represented by other's words and actions. Situations are often exaggerated to make a story more interesting or for a person to give people something to fill their boring lives with. Arthur (Boo) Radley was a victim of such evil. Scout's head was filled with gossip about Boo, who ironically, at the end of the novel, ends up saving her life. She is fed ideas that are illustrated in this series of dialogue between her and Miss Maudie: ". . . do you think Boo Radley is still alive?"
"His name's Arthur and he's still alive."
"Maybe he died and they stuffed him up in the chimney."
"Where did you get such a notion?"
"That's what Jem said he thought they did" (Lee 43).
Arthur was misrepresented by people who didn't understand the situation that he was in. He was kept inside his house, and seemed to be denied access to the outside world, but he was very much alive. Without him being alive, Scout and Jem would most likely be dead at the hands of Bob Ewell. It is ironic that the man who was marred by insults and speculations was the hero of the story. The lesson Scout learned from this was that she should never judge a man or woman until she has walked around in their shoes.
All through To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout is subjected to various evils, yet she seems to gain experience and knowledge from each situation. This exposure furthered her understanding of life and the trials she will come to. This story of Scout's learning can also apply to what we, as readers, can learn and appreciate from Harper Lee's work. Although some of the language is "unacceptable" to some people, if you look past the derogatory terms, the literature really speaks to you not only as a reader, but as a person as well.
Works Cited
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. 1960. New York: Warner Books, 1982.
Tripp, Rhoda Thomas. The International Thesaurus of Quotations. New York: Harper and Row,
1970
. In Harper Lees beloved novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader confronts prejudice and hateful attitudes towards individuals and groups in many forms. By examining the setting, the characters, and the rigid socioeconomic hierarchy of Maycomb, Alabama, one sees the sin of judging other people based on physical appearance, age, family, wealth or ethnic background instead of by the worth of their inner being. Bob and Mayella Ewell, Lula, and Aunt Alexandra are characters who illustrate the many cruel paths to a life of prejudice, as well as the negative effects prejudice can have on society, especially in a small community.
Robert E. Lee Ewellnot to be confused with the General of the same name who fought valiantly in the Civil Warand Mayella Ewell exemplify prejudice because they assume that the level of deference shown to them by their town is greater than the level deserved by a black family, solely on account of skin colour. At the climactic rape trial of Tom Robinson, Bob and Mayellas testimonies sharply contradict the circumstantial evidence that had been presented earlier on, evidence that proved Toms innocence. As Atticus says in his summation speech to the jury, although it was physically impossible for young Tom to have beaten Miss Ewell with his left handthe hand most likely to have caused injuries on the right side of the girls facethe witnesses presented themselves to [the jury] in the cynical confidence...that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumptionthe evil assumptionthat all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women (Lee 204). Atticus speaks here about a terrible fallacy that represents the false sense of social security that lies in the minds of White people because they feel that, no matter how disgusting or wicked they are, they will be favoured over a Negro when in fact all men and women deserve fair and equal judgement. Similarly, Mayella, a lonely and pathetic girl, takes advantage of Toms skill with handiwork and does not compensate him for his selfless acts of pity. The fact that this girl then heartlessly accuses Tom of a crime he did not commit shows her utter disloyalty towards the only friend she ever made and the closest thing she came to romance, albeit forbidden love on her rung of Maycombs White-exclusive class system. By hastily using Tom as a scapegoat, Mayella exemplifies a form of desperate prejudice, a crucial way for her not to let go of her slipping dignity, a total loss of which is the sure fate for tempting a Negro. Even though White supremacy prevails as Tom is sentenced to death by electrocution, Bob Ewell feels that his pride was tarnished by Atticus cross-examinations and desires revenge against those affiliated with the trial. One of his victims is Helen Robinson, Tom s courageous wife, who is afraid to so much as walk past the Ewells house on her way to work for fear that the angry man and his children would harm her. Forgetting that all people deserve human compassion and understanding, Bob offers Helen no sympathy or concern for the hardships she had and would be forced to face while single-handedly raising children and being the sole source of income in her household. It is obvious that both Bob and Mayella Ewell are prejudiced and place an important emphasis on supporting the belief that they are far superior to Tom Robinsons innocent, good family, a senseless sureness that destroys any possibility for justice and humanity to prevail.
Bob and Mayellas desperate discrimination of Negroes is not only contradictory and unfair, but it also launches a fiery tension between the Blacks and Whites, which continues as steadily as a game of table tennis. The reader sees that a reverse-prejudice exists within the Black community when Calpurnia, the motherly housekeeper of Jem and Scout Finch, decides to take the children to First Purchase M.E. Church, thereby exposing her double life outside the Finch household. Amid hospitable greetings from Calpurnias black friends, Jem and Scout are confronted by Lula, who is not pleased with Calpurnia bringin white chillun to nigger church...they got their church, we got ourn (Lee 119). From this outburst the reader can understand how the Negroes rejected by the Whites in Maycomb, so they therefore feel the need to protect the only place where they could be closer to God and free of persecution. Lula demonstrates a hostility towards Jem and Scout that is not unlike the kind she had been shown every day. However, hers stems not from innate feelings of prejudice, but rather from the need to fight back in order not to lose hold of her pride by way of deflecting tension off her crumbling shield. Lula feels more strongly about sheltering her dignity than do her neighbours because she had faced more mistreatment than she would ever be able to forgive. Instead of letting the past prevent a better future, Lula should have recognized what Reverend Sykes did: that innocent children like Jem and Scout could be catalysts for bringing about equality together with the few adults who subtly stood up for human rights, namely Miss Maudie and Atticus. Jem crying after hearing Toms verdict, muttering It aint right (Lee 121), suggests that the boy has not fully matured as he still considers the law and justice to be the same thing. Since he and his sister have not yet been pressured to follow in societys footsteps, they offer a glimmer of hope. In general terms, prejudice is a vicious cycle that stimulates reverse-prejudice, killing any hopes for peace between opposing parties as each forgets that all humans are created equal and deserve to be respected for who they are on the inside.
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