Gossip Impacts In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

“Anatomy of a Rumor” by psychologist Daniel Goleman, introduces the reader to how rumors work. Typically, rumors dealing with death or disease are the most commonly shared. Goleman successfully uses results from various research projects to explain to the audience that fear and anxiety play a role in why these rumors are spread. The selection is divided into sections and begins with a few outrageous rumors found by psychologist Dr. Allan J. Kimmel.

This is shown in this quote from To Kill Mockingbird, “According to Miss Stephanie Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items for The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove a pair of scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities” (Lee 11-12). There was no evidence that proved this to be true. This false information led the kids and community to think badly about Boo Radley.

One time she said “Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room, and as Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” (Lee 13). A lot of stories began to spread after this story started. More rumors were made.

This explains why rumor statements are generally considered important by rumor discussants” (244). People become more willing to accept rumors when they simplify a situation that they consider threatening; therefore, rumors are equally likely to be believed by anyone that considers a rumor to be an acceptable explanation to a threatening

Why is gossip so damaging and dangerous? Gossip is idle talk about personal affairs of another person, which is why it’s a terrible way to converse. In The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, there had been gossip about an elder lady named Hannah Tupper who lived in a cottage by Blackbird Pond. The people of Wethersfield—the place where the action begins—believed that Hannah was a witch. Three characters from the book each responded differently to this piece of gossip.

She judged Boo Radley because of the rumors she heard. “His father entered the room, as Mr. Radley passed by; Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” This rumor states that Boo stabbed his father with scissors. Scout then learns not to judge a book by its cover. Atticus states “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”

Rumors and gossip are commonly used by young adults or children however, would you be surprised if adults and leaders also joined in? Rumors and gossip are usually about other people’s lives and at times evolve into lies depending on who tells each gossip. Gossip are rarely true or carry the whole truth. During 1901 president Theodore Roosevelt began an anti-corruption campaign in order to clean the government from powerful corrupt leaders. Throughout this campaign rumors and false accusations rose up against honest men.

Boo Radley is a victim of this. Rumors are always being spread, but never known if it is true or not true. Miss Stephanie always had many things to say, but “had more to say about Radleys” since they were rarely seen throughout the day (44). The rumors being said about Boo Radley have always been opinions, since no one knows why Boo Radley does not come out of his house. Boo Radley is not the only victim of this, but also African Americans not only prejudice towards them but injustice was being done towards them.

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout’s initial perspective of Boo Radley is malicious. In the book, Scout starts mentioning rumors about what supposedly Boo would do; an example of what Boo would do was peep inside people's windows. Any type of little crime in their town, named Maycomb, would be Boo's doing. Scout also mentioned how people's animals would be found dead because of Boo and how Boo's pecan tree was poisoned.

Because people believe the rumors about Boo, including the one where Boo stabbed his father with a scissor, leads to bias against him regardless of whether the rumors were true. This bias would lead to an unfair trial causing extreme despair, on the part of Boo Radley when he was just trying to do something right. These rumors are likely false because at the end of the story, we realize Boo is not some terrible monster but is instead a caring person. If Atticus convicts Boo and sends him to jail, Boo would feel forlorn and it would ruin his life when all he was trying to do was protect the children, which is the right thing to do. Boo Radley was trying to protect Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell, which led to Boo Radley killing Bob Ewell.

His father entered the room. As Mr.Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s legs, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.. Boo wasn’t crazy, he was high-strung at times” (11). This quote reveals that people like Stephanie Crawford can easily misinterpret and judge people by only learning the surface of someone but not knowing people deep within and their background. This demonstrates that killing a mockingbird is a sin because it’s destroying innocence.

Most rumors start with some truth, then, as they are passed from one person to another, people change some of the information or the whole story. Many people, today, are manipulated by others into spreading information about individuals

Scout is listening to Miss Stephanie talk about Boo Radley. “Boo was sitting in the living room cutting some items from The Maycomb Tribune to paste in his scrapbook. His father entered the room. As Mr. Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” (Lee, 11) When Boo Radley “[drives] the scissors into his parent’s leg” this indicates that he has intentions of hurting his father or else he would not stab his father that hard.

In the beginning of the book Stephanie Crawford, the town gossiper, justifies that she knows everything about Boo Radley. Scout and Jem are frightened by Boo Radley because of all the stories they have heard. Scout is terrified of the Radley place and calls Boo, a “malevolent phantom.” According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, Boo Radley was sitting in the living room cutting some items from the newspaper and when Mr. Radley had passed by him, Boo drove the scissors into his leg.

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a controversial novel about rumors and innocence, which Lee shows through Arthur “Boo” Radley with his poor image, when he puts a blanket on Scout’s shoulders to keep her warm, and when he gives presents to Jem and Scout and later saves them. For example, Lee shows that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird using Boo’s image and how he is a worthy person with a poor image given to him based on rumors from other people’s opinions, just like a mockingbird, Boo is innocent. Scout states: “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 always bloodstained-if you ate an