Appearance VS. Reality
In the novel To Kill a MockingBird written by Harper Lee there are many events that occur that show the theme of appearance vs Reality. Throughout the story Boo radley is looked at as a monster that hides in his house and scares children. Mrs.Dubose is an old lady who had a morphine addiction and Tom robinson is known for sexualy abuseing a young white woman. There are many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird that are seen differently from whom they truly are in reality, this is because in this era people look at black people differently and don’t treat them as equally than they would look at white man or woman during this time.
Jem states "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 out, and he drooled most of the time." ( 13) . Here Jem is explaining what he thinks boo radley looks like. People in Maycomb picture him as a scary monster because the story everyone
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Tom was accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell. One would expect someone who would do such a thing to have a certain look about him. Although Tom is a rather large man, he has a crippled arm and is very humble and soft-spoken. He always helped out Mayella when she needed it. When he goes to Court the jury says You're a mighty good fellow, it seems—did all this for not one penny?" we find out during his testimony that he feels sorry for Mayella and only stops by to help her because she seems to have no one else to do so. That statement Exhibits that he is just a kind and generous man that was trying to help but instead he got judged and accused for it, more than likely because he was a black man which meant he was thought of as
With Atticus’s unexpected acts of braveness, Boo Radley’s surprising changes in character, and Mrs. Dubose’s true intentions for her actions, Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird shows that things are not always as they seem as the theme
The Pulitzer Prize winning novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee portrays the life of a young girl, Scout, and her family who live together in Maycomb, Alabama circa 1930s. Scout lives next to some fascinating people that have legends and myths made about them because of their back story. One of them being Boo Radley. Boo was locked away in his house by his parents for most of his life after committing crimes that put him away for good. After the news got out about his vanishing into the Radley house forever many stories were made up about him.
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” (Lee 13). Jem describes Boo as if he’s a blood-hungry monster. This shows that since his father has locked him away and treated him like a monster.
The three kids were chatting and Dill wondered what Boo looks like so Jem describes Boo as “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… There was an long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most or the time.” (Lee,16) This is the result of what happens when rumors are spread, people are misjudged and sometimes avoided like how Boo is shown throughout the book until the end. Boo Radley is wrongfully judged and admonished when it is just that not many people are circumspect.
Why do so many people feel the need to judge others based on how they look? Judging others gives people a sense of honor because demeaning others can create a sense of security and identity. If one concludes who a person is merely on what they look like they will miss what is important, what their morals are, and what their intentions are. It takes an individual who has read the novel To Kill A Mockingbird to understand because it is a perfect example of treating others with respect and not determining who others are based on what they look like. Many characters in Lee’s
That’s one part I didn’t like about the book. The stereotypes of the black families of Maycomb. As soon as Bob Ewell turned Tom Robinson in for “raping” his daughter the whole white community believed it because he was black. He was a kind, loving father and husband. But no one bothered to get to know the real him or see past the color of his skin to really know that.
Have you ever thought your parents weren't cool? We all have, so does Jem and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. No, this isn't an essay on why you should think your parents aren't cool it's to take a cool satisfy sip of Jem Finch's life as a young boy in a racist society. In addition we will crawl around and Jem’s skin to get the just of Jem's life and other aspects of it. Boo!
Literature can be analyzed with many different critical lenses. While analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, one may use a critical lens to recognize the different ideas throughout the novel. Harper Lee’s novel demonstrates her perspective on intolerance and discrimination within the early twentieth century. Firstly, intolerance of people who are different is very prevalent within the novel.
Throughout the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the mockingbird theme primarily denotes innocence. One of the first symbols of a mockingbird that is seen in the novel is the character Dolphus Raymond. Furthermore, the whole Tom Robinson case also has a clear representation of the guiltless theme. Lastly, as started to be noticed by other characters in the novel, Boo Radley is a mockingbird.
To kill a mockingbird report “Appearances can be deceiving” This cliché term teaches us that your appearance doesn't determine your potential that lies underneath. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird harper lee uses characterization and symbolism to show the reader that appearances are not always what they seem , and if you reveal what's underneath you realize that the world is more complex than you think. Many characters in the novel have deceived appearances . one of them is Mrs. dubose ,
Not all the Same Equality is a term that is defined as “the state of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability” (Dictionary.com). In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, equality dictates how several characters are portrayed in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, at a time of racism, hate, and prejudice. Because of these topics being such an everyday obstacle for characters like Walter Cunningham Jr. and Burris Ewell, two students at the school, Boo Radley, a scared neighbor that saves a life, and Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly convicted of a crime, the idea of equality has a different effect on each character’s life.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of a small town named Maycomb Located in Alabama, highlighting the adventures of the finch children and many other people in the small town. The people in this town are very judgemental and of each other and it often leads to people being labeled with stereotypes and people think they know everything about that person however that is not reality. It is not possible to know the reality of a person 's life by placing a stereotype without seeing it through their own eyes and experiencing the things they experience. This happens often throughout the story with many people in the town. People are labeled as many things such a “monster” a “nigger” and many other things that seem to put them in their
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.” Little do they know that Boo Radley will play a huge part in their survival at the end of the book when the crazy Bob Ewell Attacks them and Boo Radley protected them, something that Jem and scout would’ve never imagined, But something that the reader could foreshadow. Due to Boo’s acts of kindness like when he returned Jem’s pants sowed after he got them caught on the barb wire fence while he was snooping and around and also the gifts he left in the knot of the tree that helped him build a deeper sentimental relationship with Jem and Scout even if the kids did not know it. Boo had built such a relationship with them that he had done something extremely courageous and protects Jem and scout from Bob
In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee shows that we shouldn’t be too quick to judge another person’s character based on outward appearance and the stories and rumors we have heard. The character Boo Radley is a perfect example of why we shouldn’t be hasty to judge. On the outside, Boo looks like a scary neighbor that lives just a few houses away. “.....he had sickly white hands that had never seen the sun. His face was as white as his hands…..”
Such as, “Boo bit off his mothers’ fingers one night when he couldn’t find any cats or squirrels to eat,” (Chapter 4) Or the rumour of him eating cats “he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch,” (Chapter 1) This led people to believe that Boo Radley was indeed a “monster” and a malevolent person. Harper Lee aims for readers to understand that through the language devices, social prejudice is being shown. Language devices such as the metaphor used to describe Mr Radley, “he was a thin, leathery man with coloured eyes, so colourless, they did not reflect light,” (Chapter 1) This leads the reader to believe that the Radley place is a dark, confined and scary place that not even an animal would dare to go too.