“Southern states of the U.S. have higher violent crime rates than the rest of the country (1). Moreover, Southern men may be more willing to stand up for themselves using physical aggression - particularly if they have been insulted, or believe their homes are threatened. This phenomenon is referred to as a "culture of honor." says Dr. Nigel Barber. The culture of honor has to do with maintaining one's reputation, which is what honor and self-worth revolve around. This concept can be applied to several characters in literature, and can be used to inspect why they do certain things. The culture of honor is still part of southern culture today, and differences in culture and beliefs is what creates a divide between people. An examination of the
…show more content…
An example of this situation is when Bob Ewell attempted to get revenge on Atticus for humiliating him in court. “I ran in the direction of Jem’s scream and sank into a flabby male stomach. Its owner said ‘Uff’ and tried to catch my arms…” (Lee 351). The culture of honor is about going after the person who wronged you, not people they care about. Bob Ewell went after Scout and Jem, Atticus’s children, knowing it would hurt him. However, this is dishonorable, and would have only made seem like a coward who was frightened of Atticus. He paid the price for making this decision since Boo Radley intervened and saved the children. “‘Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck between up under his ribs. He’s dead…’” (Lee 357). Bob Ewell failed at the culture of honor, not only because he went after his target’s children, but because he died trying. These pieces of evidence are important because they connect back to Harpers Lee’s message which still rings true to this day. The message of To Kill a Mockingbird is to get to know someone before a conclusion is made about their character and to take the time to understand others beliefs and cultures even if they can be disagreed with. A part of Lee’s message is that if people are unwilling to change, then time should not be wasted …show more content…
An example of this is Tom Robinson and how he died. “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run.” (Lee 322). The culture of honor would have prompted a man in the south to “die like a man”, meaning to die with pride or acceptance of death. However, Tom decides to run which would have been deemed cowardly if he were a caucasian man. This is significant because it shows that Tom is excluded from the culture of honor because of his race, which gives him a different
An example of this situation is when Bob Ewell attempted to get revenge on Atticus for humiliating him in court. “I ran in the direction of Jem’s scream and sank into a flabby male stomach. Its owner said ‘Uff’ and tried to catch my arms…” (Lee 351). The culture of honor is about going after the person who wronged you, not people they care about. Bob Ewell went after Scout and Jem, Atticus’s children, knowing it would hurt him. However, this is dishonorable, and would have only made seem like a coward who was frightened of Atticus. He paid the price for making this decision since Boo Radley intervened and saved the children. “‘Bob Ewell’s lyin’ on the ground under that tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck between up under his ribs. He’s dead…’” (Lee 357). Bob Ewell failed at the culture of honor, not only because he went after his target’s children, but because he died trying. These pieces of evidence are important because they connect back to Harpers Lee’s message which still rings true to this day. The message of To Kill a Mockingbird is to get to know someone before a conclusion is made about their character and to take the time to understand others beliefs and cultures even if they can be disagreed with. A part of Lee’s message is that if people are unwilling to change, then time should not be wasted …show more content…
An example of this is Tom Robinson and how he died. “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run.” (Lee 322). The culture of honor would have prompted a man in the south to “die like a man”, meaning to die with pride or acceptance of death. However, Tom decides to run which would have been deemed cowardly if he were a caucasian man. This is significant because it shows that Tom is excluded from the culture of honor because of his race, which gives him a different