Society's Assumptions and Moral Values in To Kill A Mockingb
Alienation, a feeling that is experienced commonly, stems from society's intolerance of individual differences in regards to race, gender, class, circumstances, or ideology. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes the alienation of certain characters to portray the assumptions and moral values of society. This is accomplished through the alienation of Arthur "Boo" Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch, who all play a key role in this novel. Arthur "Boo" Radley's alienation leads to countless wild myths and gossip, which is a result of society's ignorance. Scout and Jem strongly believe that within the Radley's house "lived a malevolent phantom... but Jem and I [Scout] had never seen him" (8-9). Jem and Scout are one of the numerous people in society who do not know much about Boo Radley, and yet they still assume that Boo is a malevolent phantom. In general, society values gossip and myths because they either gain pleasure from it or a sense of excitement, even though their assumptions may be completely incorrect. The alienation of Boo can also be traced back many years in an incident that shows how behavior is valued. When Jem and Miss Stephanie Crawford converse about Boo Radley, she claims that "Bo
Harper Lee also reveals in this novel that life in the 1930s is not an ideal society, but one that flourishes with intolerance towards unique individuals. They deem that Atticus's actions will only undermine society's traditional ideology in its views and attitudes towards people of certain races. When the student's talk about their fathers in school, "there was nothing Jem and I [Scout] could say about him, primarily because he did not do the things our schoolmates' fathers did" (89). In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee critiques many of the flaws in this 1930 society and how the people are quick to judge and make assumptions towards those that are alienated, as displayed through the character developments of Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is alienated not because of his race, but since his beliefs differ from that of society's. Tom Robinson's alienation conveys the destructive effects of racial prejudice, and is also a great blow to the reputation of the judicial system. Because Atticus is a firm believer in justice and truth, he is willing to try his absolute hardest to defend Tom. Society values an individual's race to such a great degree that they are willing to condemn an innocent man only by the sole fact that his skin color is black. Thus, society is also implying that black people in general can rarely be trusted. This incident becomes quite a controversy because according to Boo's behavior, he appears to be mentally unstable and a possible threat to society. Lee's main intention in developing characterization is also to emphasize the destructive effects of racial prejudice and the corruption of the judicial system of the 1930s, as seen from Tom Robinson's trial. Thus, society greatly values receiving respect from everyone, especially from these "inferiors. Unfortunately for Atticus, he knows that he has no case in the trial because "Tom was a dead man the moment Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed" (241). Unlike the alienation of Boo Radley's, Tom Robinson's segregation derives from the fact that he is black.
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Acceptance Essays
