Harper Lee’s classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, follows the story of a young girl named Scout progressing from an immature, naïve mentality to a more mature one, brought upon by the cruel events which occur amidst the lazy Southern town in which she lives. Lee explores the idea of social conditioning contributing to the darkness that is so apparent in society, and commends those who fight against it. She acknowledges the bravery of individuals who overcome personal darkness, but also acknowledges the difficulties of facing both personal demons and the prejudice of an unbalanced society.
Lee illuminates the idea that society can sometimes raise us to contribute to cruelty such as prejudice, and recognises individuals who see past these original …show more content…
She demonstrates different reactions people exhibit when facing adversity, one of which is to run. Lee displays this defence mechanism quite literally when Tom Robinson is shot whilst fleeing prison. Tom, being faced with the death penalty for a crime he did not commit, was confronted with the darkness forced upon him by the racism of the (majority of the) white community, and finding himself unable to find a way to rise above it, “broke into a blind raving charge at the fence.” Through the Ewells, Lee exhibits how sometimes when dealing with complications people choose to lie. Mayella Ewell “tempted a negro”, which was at the time was deemed intolerable and insupportable. Rather than facing her hardship head on, Mayella instead opts to create an elaborate lie, dragging other people into her darkness with her. Though both these examples have rather negative connotations, Lee also demonstrates characters that face their adversity head on despite putting up with consistent setbacks. Perhaps best displayed by Atticus whilst defending Tom, Lee commends his ability to keep fighting even if he knows that he’s “licked before [he] begin[s]”. Atticus faces extreme opposition to his decision to defend Tom Robinson, to the point of death threats, yet still remains set in his choice and sees the situation with clarity, whilst others view it with vision clouded
Lee illuminates the idea that society can sometimes raise us to contribute to cruelty such as prejudice, and recognises individuals who see past these original …show more content…
She demonstrates different reactions people exhibit when facing adversity, one of which is to run. Lee displays this defence mechanism quite literally when Tom Robinson is shot whilst fleeing prison. Tom, being faced with the death penalty for a crime he did not commit, was confronted with the darkness forced upon him by the racism of the (majority of the) white community, and finding himself unable to find a way to rise above it, “broke into a blind raving charge at the fence.” Through the Ewells, Lee exhibits how sometimes when dealing with complications people choose to lie. Mayella Ewell “tempted a negro”, which was at the time was deemed intolerable and insupportable. Rather than facing her hardship head on, Mayella instead opts to create an elaborate lie, dragging other people into her darkness with her. Though both these examples have rather negative connotations, Lee also demonstrates characters that face their adversity head on despite putting up with consistent setbacks. Perhaps best displayed by Atticus whilst defending Tom, Lee commends his ability to keep fighting even if he knows that he’s “licked before [he] begin[s]”. Atticus faces extreme opposition to his decision to defend Tom Robinson, to the point of death threats, yet still remains set in his choice and sees the situation with clarity, whilst others view it with vision clouded