Superstition In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that is empowering and moving, as many life lessons are taught with the use of different themes in this classic novel. The setting of the novel is in a small southern town in the 1930’s where prejudice was widespread in the American society. During the era, judgment, corruption, and intolerance of others were not uncommon. There was a separation between social and racial means. Atticus Finch, a distinguished lawyer in the town, is against prejudice and biased judgments towards others. He strategically taught life lessons to his children as they are criticized themselves in the local community. Atticus’ children were not criticized by the color of their skin, but for …show more content…
Boo is a smart individual who suffered both physical and emotional abuse from his father in his lifetime and rarely comes out of his home. Boo stabbed his father with a pair of scissors, suggesting that he has gone mad, but when the sheriff was called, Mr. Radley refused to send Boo to the asylum. There is no talk about Boo’s definite condition, so the reader never knows if Boo’s family is providing protection for him or further disabling him, they are ultimately taking his innocence from him. No one ever took the time to get Boo’s side of the store, therefore, rumor began among the townspeople and Boo was made out to be a mentally-ill person and a creeper to Maycomb County. People quickly formed opinions and began judging Boo even though they did not know his situation, which is similar to how many individuals in today’s society form opinions of others without full consideration of the circumstances. Boo is a caring, susceptible man who is ridiculed by the town for not meeting the town’s standards. Jem, Scout, and Dill believed the rumors they heard about Boo and misjudged his character. Jem described Boo, even though he had never laid eyes on him, as the following: “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging by this tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained – if you ate an …show more content…
The destruction of innocence is represented by Lee through the imagery of the mockingbird and links the themes of justice, imprisonment, prejudice, and childhood. Lee used the mockingbird, which could be considered a multifaceted symbol, to describe the justice issues in Maycomb County (Blackford). The comparison of Tom and Boo throughout the novel proves that kindness and fairness go beyond color and prejudice. The people of Maycomb committed sin as justice was not served for Tom but also for Boo because he was not convicted for his involvement in the crime. Lee uses the symbol of the mockingbird to illustrate torn souls who were undeservedly demolished by the prejudice of society. Tom, Boo, and Atticus are interconnected but symbolized by the mockingbird in different ways. First, all three men were perceived of evil by the town. Tom for his crime of allegedly raping a white woman, Boo for the untrue stories fabricated by the town about him, and Atticus for defending a black man, which was considered against the social norm. All three men were victims of prejudice, even though they showed acts of kindness to others. Tom showed kindness to Mayella, in her time of need and was then wrongfully accused of an act he did not commit; Boo showed kindness to Jem and Scout by providing them gifts and protection; and Atticus