Many people strive to be liked by everyone, resulting in them changing his or her appearance and/or lifestyle to please others. But pleasing others should not dictate one’s choices or actions. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee suggests that people should embrace his or her individuality. Throughout the book, we meet multiple characters who live in Maycomb County who push through adversity and remain strong in their ideals. Whether it’s other citizens, family members, or the norm of the town, these characters still find a way to be themselves, not conforming to the norms of Maycomb County. In the face of adversity, one must not conform with society, but instead be his or her own individual.
The pressures of society can quickly influence …show more content…
Using foil characters, Lee shows how one can be his or her self through adversity. When Lee first introduces the house next door to the Finches, Dill explains it is the house of the Radleys. He says, “The shutters and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only” (9). The use of the Radley family as a foil to the town of Maycomb displays how the Radleys are individual and separate, unlike the other families of Maycomb. Their ways are “alien” to Maycomb, suggesting they are different and have diverged from the usual Maycomb. They have not become a part of the normal lifestyle of Maycomb, but have distinguished themselves as a “closed” family from Maycomb. Again Lee uses more foil characters, this time Calpurnia and the segregation of Maycomb. One day Calpurnia decides to take Jem and Scout to her church, a black church where whites attending is considered inappropriate since they have their own white church. Another lady who attends Cal’s church, Lula immediately questions Cal, saying, “‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church.’... ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here — they got their church, we got our’n’” (119). Cal quickly responds saying, “‘They’s my comp’ny’” (119). Here Lula represents segregation and racism as a whole. She saying …show more content…
A majority of the time peer pressure comes from multiple people constantly pushing one to do a specific action or join in with the crowd. As the town prepares for the trial of Tom Robinson, almost everyone plans to attend. That is, except for Miss Maudie. Jem questions her why she won’t attend the trial. She replies, “‘I have no business with the court this morning.’ ... ‘’t’s morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life.’ ... ‘Just because it's public, I don't have to go, do I?’... ‘Look at all those folks, it’s like a Roman carnival’” (159). Using a simile, Lee emphasizes Miss Maudie’s morals. She clearly believes that this trial is just another form of entertainment for the townspeople. A “Roman carnival” can be described as a time when the Romans watched gladiators fight for their lives. In this sense, we see that Miss Maudie does not believe that it is morally right to watch an innocent man persecuted for entertainment. She thinks the entire town should not watch Tom be ridiculed. The town clearly loves the drama of the trial, enjoying other’s pain just to make themselves happy. Lee then goes on to use a piece of imagery to describe Walter Cunningham. The Cunninghams were a white family yet very poor and were considered inferior to the rest of Maycomb. Most pay no attention to the Cunninghams and treat them poorly as well. Walter is seen as skinny and pale, something that others aren’t
The pressures of society can quickly influence …show more content…
Using foil characters, Lee shows how one can be his or her self through adversity. When Lee first introduces the house next door to the Finches, Dill explains it is the house of the Radleys. He says, “The shutters and doors of the Radley house were closed on Sundays, another thing alien to Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only” (9). The use of the Radley family as a foil to the town of Maycomb displays how the Radleys are individual and separate, unlike the other families of Maycomb. Their ways are “alien” to Maycomb, suggesting they are different and have diverged from the usual Maycomb. They have not become a part of the normal lifestyle of Maycomb, but have distinguished themselves as a “closed” family from Maycomb. Again Lee uses more foil characters, this time Calpurnia and the segregation of Maycomb. One day Calpurnia decides to take Jem and Scout to her church, a black church where whites attending is considered inappropriate since they have their own white church. Another lady who attends Cal’s church, Lula immediately questions Cal, saying, “‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church.’... ‘You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here — they got their church, we got our’n’” (119). Cal quickly responds saying, “‘They’s my comp’ny’” (119). Here Lula represents segregation and racism as a whole. She saying …show more content…
A majority of the time peer pressure comes from multiple people constantly pushing one to do a specific action or join in with the crowd. As the town prepares for the trial of Tom Robinson, almost everyone plans to attend. That is, except for Miss Maudie. Jem questions her why she won’t attend the trial. She replies, “‘I have no business with the court this morning.’ ... ‘’t’s morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life.’ ... ‘Just because it's public, I don't have to go, do I?’... ‘Look at all those folks, it’s like a Roman carnival’” (159). Using a simile, Lee emphasizes Miss Maudie’s morals. She clearly believes that this trial is just another form of entertainment for the townspeople. A “Roman carnival” can be described as a time when the Romans watched gladiators fight for their lives. In this sense, we see that Miss Maudie does not believe that it is morally right to watch an innocent man persecuted for entertainment. She thinks the entire town should not watch Tom be ridiculed. The town clearly loves the drama of the trial, enjoying other’s pain just to make themselves happy. Lee then goes on to use a piece of imagery to describe Walter Cunningham. The Cunninghams were a white family yet very poor and were considered inferior to the rest of Maycomb. Most pay no attention to the Cunninghams and treat them poorly as well. Walter is seen as skinny and pale, something that others aren’t