The Unwanted Truths-Comparison of Oedipus and Mockingbird

There are those who seek the truth and those that choose to deny its existence. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Oedipus the King by Sophocles, various themes relating to truth are present; in particular, there is a focus on the overall theme of the rejection of the truth. Each piece of work deals with people rejecting the truth; the truth is clearly shown before them, but in each occurrence, the characters choose to discard it. Through themes of irony, ignorance and justice the overall theme of the rejection of truth is revealed.

Irony helped each piece to establish the truth of what happens in the respective stories. In To Kill a Mockingbird, everyone in Maycomb, even the “most devout” Christians (Lee 232) expressed signs of racism towards the Black people. Both, the Bible and the law states that ‘all men were equal’ (205) however; it is peculiar to see that even in a law abiding and highly religious society, the most simplest of rules were completely ignored. It was this ironic perception that the townspeople possessed which eventually led to Tom’s demise. Tom was sentenced to prison with the verdict of “guilty” (211); this verdict is ironic to the fact that the law is seeking the truth. Atticus proved that the ev

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Tom Robinson did not deserve what came to him, while in Oedipus the King, justice was rightly served to Oedipus for his actions.

Justice is seen in both pieces, but not entirely in the same way. ” (Lee 90) Tom Robinson was just a man who did what he could to “help” (191) Mayella, but everyone ignores this fact because Tom was a Black man. Although ignorance is not used in the exact way in Oedipus the King as it is in To Kill a Mockingbird to reveal truth, it is still present in the play. in my ignorance, proclaim that awful curse against myself”(745), Oedipus finally realized the truth but it is too late. Much like in To Kill a Mockingbird, a touch of irony is used in Oedipus the King to reveal the overall theme. However, it was ironic that this persistent truth seeker; who was finally presented with the truth by Teiresias, could not accept it and boldly rejected it. Both pieces include the theme of irony to show the rejection of the truth, but that is not the only theme showing this, ignorance plays a heavy role as well. Through considering the ideas presented through the three themes, one draws to the conclusion that, through these three themes, a generalized theme of the rejection of the truth exists. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson was sentenced to prison where the guards “shot him” (Lee 235). Oedipus was viewed as a truth seeker as he was on his quest to discover “the man whose death the god denounces” (Sophocles 102-03). Tom Robinson is much like a mockingbird in the story, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. In both stories the justice served through the rejection of the truth was shown. It is incredibly ironic that a man without sight perceives more then a man with his eyes.

Approximate Word count = 1100
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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