Examples Of Appearance Vs Reality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Set in the town of Maycomb County, this novel describes the journey of two young kids growing up in a small-minded town, learning about the importance of innocence and the judgement that occurs within. The individuals of Maycomb are very similar, with the exception of Arthur “Boo” Radley, the town’s recluse. Boo Radley has never been seen outside, and as a result of this, the children in the town are frightened of him and make up rumors about the monstrous things he allegedly does. This leaves the individuals in the town curious as to if Boo Radley really is a “malevolent phantom” like everyone assumes that he is or if he is just misunderstood and harmless. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Boo Radley is a saviour. This is

Throughout the novel, the citizens of Maycomb county show many forms of discrimination. For most of the book, the children assume Boo Radley is a terrible person. Jem, Dill, and Scout all group outside of the Radley 's house. Since Dill is new to Maycomb he asks what Boo Radley looks like. “‘Wonder what he looks like?’ said Dill. Jem gave a reasonable description of Boo: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that 's why his hands were bloodstained--if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (13). Then the kids feel the need to find out what Boo Radley really looks like so they go to Boos backyard and try to catch a glimpse of him, but as soon as they enter the backyard they get shot at and they scatter. After Dill, Jem and scout reach safety Scout tells them “Every night-sound I heard from my cot on the porch was

Many people are judged based on their appearance. When you judge someone based on appearance, In reality, they could be completely different. This is called appearance vs reality. This is relevant in the novel to kill a mockingbird. There are many instances in the novel that characters are misunderstood based on those three factors. One character that was misunderstood was Boo Radley. Boo is a man in his late 30`s that nobody really saw but the town of Maycomb spread rumors about Boo saying that he’s crazy and violent but in reality he is a harmless man that is shy and doesn't want to go outside because he has been isolated in his house by his father for many years. Another character that was misunderstood was Tom Robinson. Tom is a black man who is accused of raping a

We know stereotypes exist, because we control how people view us. However, we often create false images of ourselves in order to avoid prejudice. In Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a lawyer and father to Jem and Scout, who are ages six and nine in the beginning of the story and end at ages nine and twelve. The story is all based around this small family and their town Maycomb dealing with a rape case with a black male and a white female. Throughout this Novel many characters put up a front to hide who they truly are so that they’ll be judged on that rather than what they really are. We see this on a daily basis with people whom put on a smile everyday, but we also see this with Mrs. Dubose, Tom Robinson, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond when he hides behind his “alcohol” so that it gives the public a reason for his lifestyle.

The town of Maycomb has created a horrible label for him because of his parents and social issues. Many people think as Jem, Scout and Dill that, “judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained (...) There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (16) all because of the stories they heard around. Boo Radley shows the theme of coexistence of good and evil, because no one knew who he was so they made up horrible rumours by pure ignorance although he is nothing of a monster as people describe. He turns out to be a protective, shy and caring person at the end of the book protecting Jem and Scout from Bob

Imagine you are a lawyer tasked with an impossible case, and everybody in your community is against you, but still there is a shred of hope you cling to. What might that be you ask? That to which you cling are your morals. In To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch had been given the Tom Robinson case, where a black man was convicted of raping a white woman. As a single father of two children, he continues to reinforce his values throughout the trial and during his daunting task of raising his children. In To Kill A Mockingbird what Harper Lee suggests about the nature of morals is that you should try to stand up for what you believe in even if people oppose or reject your ideals. Even when faced with an insurmountable opposition you should stand up for your morals because in the end if your don't follow your beliefs you are just contributing to the problem. We should try to create a voice for what we believe in and impress that upon the next generation so they can continue to exercise their beliefs to make the world a better place.

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird shows us how one small, peaceful, southern town during the Great Depression can be engulfed in hatred, racism, and prejudice unseen by the outside world. In this seemingly quiet town in the middle of Alabama, people are forced to live by racist ideals that their families have carried on for generations. Although the citizens of Maycomb believe they are right and just, their prejudices overtake their human conscious when the time comes for them ‘to do the right thing.’ They truly believe that they are a kind community of Christians who live by the words of the Bible. While Maycomb includes all folks who think the same way as they do, they ban those who think differently or are from an ‘inferior’ race. Therefore, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond, and Mayella Ewell stand outside the structure of respectable Maycomb society, in some cases as the result of their own doing and in some, as the result of being forced out by others.

Appearance versus reality is a huge issue throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. It is when someone believes they know someone but, in reality, they are actually a completely different person. There are tons of rumours about Arthur (Boo) Radley in the town of Maycomb. Arthur (Boo) Radley is rumoured that he eats cats and squirrels, he was locked in a room by himself for years and is a dangerous person to be around. This is because Arthur (Boo) Radley never comes out of his house, therefore, remains a mystery to everyone. In reality, Arthur (Boo) Radley ends up saving Jem’s life and he is a part of appearance versus reality. This is proven in chapter 31 when scout said: “Boo had drifted to the corner of the room, where he stood with his chin up,

Although the people of Maycomb view Dolphus Raymond as a disgraceful man, Scout learns that his true personality does not match what others think of him. Once she discovers that Mr. Raymond actually drinks coke, she asks why he still pretends to be intoxicated, and he replies by saying, “it’s mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, [...] I’m not much of a drinker, but [..] they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live” (268). Through fathoming the reality of Dolphus Raymond, Scout learns that there is more to a person than what meets the eye. She is enlightened of the fact that Maycomb’s citizens are not like Atticus. They “could never, never understand that” Mr. Raymond wants to live among the coloured people. Due to their inability to “really understand a person”, a man who is “not much of a drinker” must allow “folks” to think that his behaviour is due to being intoxicated. Scout’s conversation with Dolphus Raymond furthers her comprehension of empathy and leads her to learn that it is important to understand everyone, even those who are seen as sinful by society. Scout is also capable of instructing others to be empathetic, such as Uncle Jack. After being punished by Jack for fighting with Francis, Scout says, “you don’t understand children [...] you never stopped to gimme a chance

Not having control is frustrating. It makes one wonder what you could have done differently to change the outcome. Being an outcast is not as different as you think. Feeling alone is one of the worst things anyone can experience. Not having a support system or someone to talk to can be even harder.

Dolphus Raymond gives the people of Maycomb County an explanation for his actions in exchange to live with his black wife unbothered by racist people. Dolphus Raymond explains to Dill and Scout that “I do say I don’t care if they don’t like it, right enough--but I don’t say the hell with ‘em” (268). Dolphus Raymond wants the people of Maycomb County to have only one reason that they do not accept him. Saying “the hell with ‘em” gives the citizens the reason to say they do not like Dolphus Raymond because of how he treated the people, but because he does not say that, the only reason the citizens see Dolphus Raymond as “an evil man” (267) is through his actions. They blame his actions on the appearance that Dolphus Raymond is a drunkard rather than accept the fact that Dolphus Raymond enjoys the company of black people more than the company of white people.

” Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird " (Lee 78) . One of Harper Lee's strongest themes throughout To Kill a Mockingbird is that the characters are being judged by their appearances rather than who they really are. This misjudgement is shown through damages not only society's eyes, but also their thoughts and actions. In To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee develops the theme that prejudice and misjudgement can be compared to a foggy window where society fails to see past the fog and therefore, also fails to see past the character's appearances. Throughout the novel, Maycomb's community knows to believe that one's appearance plays a much larger role in a person's judgement rather than their reality. This false accusation creates a barrier between the truth and peoples assumptions. As a result, not only does Maycomb fail to understand why others like Mr. Raymond and Boo Radley live the way they do but in the process, also decrease any chance to relate to characters such as Tom Robinson. When Maycomb's society buried their memories of Boo Radley by sending an innocent man to his death sentence and forced another to live in a world of lies where they grew to judge men by their appearance rather than what’s on the inside.

Mr. Raymond pretends to be drinking alcohol, to provide an explanation for why he would marry a black woman and have kids with her. In reality, Jem and Scout later find out that Mr. Raymond loves this woman, and prefers African Americans over white people. This is proven in chapter 20, page 268, where Mr. Raymond states: “Some folks don’t-like the way I live. Now I say the hell with them.” This proves that Mr. Raymond enjoys African Americans more than white people, and uses drinking Coca-Cola as an excuse.

Dolphus Raymond, a man married to a African American and is known in Maycomb as the local drunk. He’s viewed as people back in that day a unworthy man for marrying a slave and having kids with her. Even to Scout, “As Mr. Dolphus Raymond was an evil man I accepted his invitation reluctantly…”(Lee 200). Mr. Raymond in this scenario is offering to share his drink with Scout and Dill and when he does Scout learns a secret about him she found unbelievable. “ You mean all you drink in that sack’s Coca-Cola” (Lee 200)? Then Mr. Raymond admits to why, ‘Some folks don’t-like way I live.. I’ll try to give em’ a reason.. When I come into town I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in clutches of whiskey- that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t himself that’s why he lives the way he does” (Lee 200). Mr. Raymond is a man brave enough to state, back in times where slaves were unworthy, lesser people. “Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee 201). Raymond was just a man that viewed slaves as human beings like himself but was to folks in Maycomb he was regarded to as a untrustworthy, evil

In Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Mayella Ewell, a young woman as well as the daughter of Bob Ewell, lives a life of insolence and isolation in the town of Maycomb. As a Ewell, which they are familiarized as being vulgar, uneducated, and indigent, Mayella is disrespected by the people of Maycomb as well as by her father. During the court case, Atticus shows courtesy towards Mayella by addressing her as a miss and a ma’am, which is not surprising for his values of equality. Mistaking his manners with sarcasm, she replies with, “Won’t answer a word you say as long as you keep mockin’ me” (pg.181). Harper Lee is demonstrating the amount of disregard Mayella faces in her life, so much that courtesy can’t be identified as just that. Mayella finds that Atticus is ridiculing her for what she doesn’t have, respect from others. With a reputation such as Mayella’s, people treat her like an outcast. Her lonely life can be a reason to explain why she always asked for Tom Robinson’s company, she wanted to experience friendship and perhaps love for the first time. Her loneliness was so clear to see, even Scout, who still has their childhood-innocent mind, can see through it. Scout compares Mr.Dolphus Raymond’s “mixed children” to Mayella because they both don’t know where to stand in their social class, “white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her