Imagine you caught your child doing something considered taboo by all of society. Would you lie to cover up your shame, or would you face the rest of the world and own it? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout are the children of lawyer Atticus Finch, but they are not the problem. Mayella Ewell is a 19 year old poor white woman who claims that Thomas Robinson, a black man, beat her then raped her. But, this might not be the case. As Atticus goes to work to prove Tom innocent, you can recognize that Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father, chose to lie his way out. In an article by Andrew Cockburn, and American Dreams: Lost and Found by Studs Terkel, the themes that are prominent are the same as the ones found in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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In the novel, we get a glimpse of Mayella’s lonely life. Her loneliness is what made her make advances on Tom Robinson, the only person who was ever kind to her. “...it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty five years. Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her,” (Lee, 256). This quote explains that because she’s treated like the trash she lives with, she gained feelings for the first person who treated her like a decent human. Arthur “Boo” Radley is a man who has been in his house for the past 25 years. He lived alone with his father, who was the only person to see him. Despite the rumors heard by the children, Boo’s loneliness doesn’t turn him into a monster. “‘...then somebody yanked Mr. Ewell down’… ‘Who was it?’ ‘Why there he is, Mr. Tate, he can tell you his name.’ … ‘Hey, Boo,’ I said” (Lee, 361-362). Boo heard the commotion that was happening outside his house, then made the decision to walk out and help the kids defend from their attacker, Mr. Ewell. He was most likely lonely in his house, but he didn’t let his loneliness get the better of him. In American Dreams: Lost and Found, we observe the choices made by C. P. Ellis and why he decided to join the Klu Klux Klan, or the Klan. He didn’t feel like he was needed, so he jumped at the opportunity to be in the Klan.”They’re in …show more content…
Jem and Scout are still children by age, but by mentality they’re adults. They’ve had to grow up at an alarming rate. “I said I would like it very much, which was a lie, but one must lie under certain circumstances and at all times when on can’t do anything about them.” Scout is still under ten years old, and in this situation, most kids her age would be on the floor, screaming and crying. They wouldn’t lie to their father because they knew they couldn’t alter the final decision. Scout has been living with her very mature father all her life, for her mother died when she was very young. Jem has also had to lose his innocence at a young age, too. After the trial and the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty, Jem freaks out. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting” (Lee, 284). All throughout the trial, Jem was listening to every detail. He was catching every word and absorbing it, like a sponge to a dripping faucet. So when the verdict was delivered, it was clear to why he was so upset. Tom was clearly innocent, and Jem knew it. To him, it didn’t matter if Tom was black. He was an innocent man. In Andrew Cockburn’s article, there is a 20 year old woman who for 3 years of her life was enslaved. That means at 17 years old, she became a slave.
In the novel, we get a glimpse of Mayella’s lonely life. Her loneliness is what made her make advances on Tom Robinson, the only person who was ever kind to her. “...it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world. She was even lonelier than Boo Radley, who had not been out of the house in twenty five years. Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her,” (Lee, 256). This quote explains that because she’s treated like the trash she lives with, she gained feelings for the first person who treated her like a decent human. Arthur “Boo” Radley is a man who has been in his house for the past 25 years. He lived alone with his father, who was the only person to see him. Despite the rumors heard by the children, Boo’s loneliness doesn’t turn him into a monster. “‘...then somebody yanked Mr. Ewell down’… ‘Who was it?’ ‘Why there he is, Mr. Tate, he can tell you his name.’ … ‘Hey, Boo,’ I said” (Lee, 361-362). Boo heard the commotion that was happening outside his house, then made the decision to walk out and help the kids defend from their attacker, Mr. Ewell. He was most likely lonely in his house, but he didn’t let his loneliness get the better of him. In American Dreams: Lost and Found, we observe the choices made by C. P. Ellis and why he decided to join the Klu Klux Klan, or the Klan. He didn’t feel like he was needed, so he jumped at the opportunity to be in the Klan.”They’re in …show more content…
Jem and Scout are still children by age, but by mentality they’re adults. They’ve had to grow up at an alarming rate. “I said I would like it very much, which was a lie, but one must lie under certain circumstances and at all times when on can’t do anything about them.” Scout is still under ten years old, and in this situation, most kids her age would be on the floor, screaming and crying. They wouldn’t lie to their father because they knew they couldn’t alter the final decision. Scout has been living with her very mature father all her life, for her mother died when she was very young. Jem has also had to lose his innocence at a young age, too. After the trial and the jury finds Tom Robinson guilty, Jem freaks out. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting” (Lee, 284). All throughout the trial, Jem was listening to every detail. He was catching every word and absorbing it, like a sponge to a dripping faucet. So when the verdict was delivered, it was clear to why he was so upset. Tom was clearly innocent, and Jem knew it. To him, it didn’t matter if Tom was black. He was an innocent man. In Andrew Cockburn’s article, there is a 20 year old woman who for 3 years of her life was enslaved. That means at 17 years old, she became a slave.