To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, tells how a young girl named Scout Finch learns about problems faced in Maycomb County, Alabama. She discovers that individuals are treated differently depending on what race they are, how they interact with others, and even by what was worn by a particular gender. Thus, the town is faced with several sources of enmity that cause prices to be paid by certain characters mentally and physically. These three main sources of tension are: racial prejudice faced by Tom Robinson, suspicion towards Boo Radley, and lastly animosity in which Atticus Finch faces.
First, the source of tension Tom Robinson faces is racial prejudice. Being an African American man in the late nineteen thirties was …show more content…
Arthur “Boo” Radley was one of the main topics during conversations in Maycomb County, Alabama. Since he rarely interacted with others and the things his family did were eccentric, people began to wonder about his daily life. “…People still looked at the Radley’s place, unwilling to discard their suspicions” (Lee,10-11). This is an example of suspense that Boo Radley faces throughout the novel because the town was unable to leave him and his family’s differences alone. They thought that there was something about Boo that made the Radleys act the way they did, including the way he was isolated from the rest of the community. This led to theories of what he was like, causing many to avoid contacting him or his home. Another example is when Scout says “People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him” (Lee,10). Scout Finch and her brother Jem, had not physically seen Boo, so they were suspicious of him because the things that others claimed he did and said he look like, had no way to be proven to them. In their eyes, he could have been fictional, or even deceased, which is one of the many reasons why Arthur was given the name “Boo”, for lack of appearance throughout the county. The price that was paid by these suspicions towards Arthur “Boo” Radley was Bob Ewell attacking Jem and Scout. After being saved by Boo, they learn that he is a nice, amiable man who tries to keep his distance from the commotion and …show more content…
Being Tom Robinson’s lawyer caused many people to dislike Atticus during and after the trial. Defending a black man that was hated by most whites in Maycomb County resulted into hostile encounters that shows the hate everyone had for Finch. “Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he would get him if it took him the rest of his life” (Lee, 240). Bob Ewell spitting in Atticus’s face shows that he meant nothing to him, and that he did not care for him at all. He hated him for proving that an African American man was innocent and that he had sexually assaulted his daughter, not Tom. Even though Robinson was still found guilty, Bob Ewell knew that they had known what he had done. For this, he would resent Atticus for the rest of his life, even if it took harming him. Another example is when Francis; Atticus’s nephew says to Scout, “… But now he’s turned out a nigger lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin” (Lee,110). Saying this gives an idea of how Atticus’s own family was hostile towards him and his children him for doing what he thought was right. They felt as if his actions would be the cause of future problems with others who disagreed with what they called “nigger-loving”. The price that was paid for the animosities towards Atticus Finch is Bob Ewell’s death. Trying to harm Atticus’s children caused the Finches to prosper, not the Ewells. Bob
First, the source of tension Tom Robinson faces is racial prejudice. Being an African American man in the late nineteen thirties was …show more content…
Arthur “Boo” Radley was one of the main topics during conversations in Maycomb County, Alabama. Since he rarely interacted with others and the things his family did were eccentric, people began to wonder about his daily life. “…People still looked at the Radley’s place, unwilling to discard their suspicions” (Lee,10-11). This is an example of suspense that Boo Radley faces throughout the novel because the town was unable to leave him and his family’s differences alone. They thought that there was something about Boo that made the Radleys act the way they did, including the way he was isolated from the rest of the community. This led to theories of what he was like, causing many to avoid contacting him or his home. Another example is when Scout says “People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him” (Lee,10). Scout Finch and her brother Jem, had not physically seen Boo, so they were suspicious of him because the things that others claimed he did and said he look like, had no way to be proven to them. In their eyes, he could have been fictional, or even deceased, which is one of the many reasons why Arthur was given the name “Boo”, for lack of appearance throughout the county. The price that was paid by these suspicions towards Arthur “Boo” Radley was Bob Ewell attacking Jem and Scout. After being saved by Boo, they learn that he is a nice, amiable man who tries to keep his distance from the commotion and …show more content…
Being Tom Robinson’s lawyer caused many people to dislike Atticus during and after the trial. Defending a black man that was hated by most whites in Maycomb County resulted into hostile encounters that shows the hate everyone had for Finch. “Mr. Bob Ewell stopped Atticus on the post office corner, spat in his face, and told him he would get him if it took him the rest of his life” (Lee, 240). Bob Ewell spitting in Atticus’s face shows that he meant nothing to him, and that he did not care for him at all. He hated him for proving that an African American man was innocent and that he had sexually assaulted his daughter, not Tom. Even though Robinson was still found guilty, Bob Ewell knew that they had known what he had done. For this, he would resent Atticus for the rest of his life, even if it took harming him. Another example is when Francis; Atticus’s nephew says to Scout, “… But now he’s turned out a nigger lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin” (Lee,110). Saying this gives an idea of how Atticus’s own family was hostile towards him and his children him for doing what he thought was right. They felt as if his actions would be the cause of future problems with others who disagreed with what they called “nigger-loving”. The price that was paid for the animosities towards Atticus Finch is Bob Ewell’s death. Trying to harm Atticus’s children caused the Finches to prosper, not the Ewells. Bob