Ethical Issues In To Kill A Mockingbird

Daniel Yang

4/14/23

P. 2

Mrs. Garcia

Blind Eye

Doing the ethical thing is almost always the best choice; however, there are some situations where the best choice is doing the right thing, not necessarily the good thing. An example of this event taking place is in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a story about two siblings named Scout and Jem growing up together and both have many adventures with many intriguing events. The main ‘villain’ in the story from Scout and Jem’s perspective is a man named Arthur Radley. More information would be given about him in the next paragraph. Atticus Finch, Scout and Jem’s father, should accept Heck's story about not convicting Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley for the murder of Bob Ewell because Ewell

People in Maycomb dislike the Radleys even though Boo cares a lot about Scout and Jem. Arthur Radley, otherwise known as “Boo” is an important character in the story of To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo is often viewed as a menace to society in Maycomb County. People often steer clear of the Radleys, which leads to Scout and Jem being afraid of him. One example of Boo having a bad reputation is the incorrect rumors about Boo spread by the people of Maycomb County. 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. Atticus recognized that Boo's actions were done to protect the children, making him a

Earlier in the story, in chapter 10, when Atticus gave Scout and Jem their air rifles, he told them they could shoot any bird they can hit, but not the mockingbirds. Later, on page 119, Miss Maudie said, “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs...” Miss Maudie is essentially saying that mockingbirds don’t do anything but good. Boo is similar to a mockingbird; one example is that Boo has done nothing wrong or terrorized anyone in Maycomb. People assume he is a bad person and monster because people do not see him often and because he stays inside all day. A second example of Boo being a mockingbird is when he neatly folded up Jem’s pants when he got his pants caught in the fence and had to leave them there. When Jem came back for it, it was as if it was waiting for him because Boo folded them for Jem. Another example is during the fire at Miss Maudie’s house. When Scout stood outside in the cold watching the fire, Boo wrapped a blanket around her so she wouldn’t get cold. He also gave the children gifts and presents for them in the tree entirely for free. Boo does nothing but good, just like a mockingbird. The last example of Boo Radley being a mockingbird is when he protected the children against Bob Ewell who was trying to kill