Examples Of Delusions In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. To Kill a Mockingbird is set during the Great Depression in Maycomb County, Alabama and is centered on a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the novel, Scout grows and witnesses the destruction of innocence through the trial and unjust conviction of Tom Robinson, an African-American man, his death, and how it affects her family. One of the major themes in To Kill A Mockingbird is the intentional delusions of people to avoid accepting a harsh truth in relation to race. This message is shown through the racist attitudes of the citizens of Maycomb County and is still prevalent today. The message of people’s delusions of race and refusal to

This message is best shown through the life of Tom Robinson, an African-American man who is unjustly convicted of raping a Caucasian woman, Mayella Ewell, and killed while trying to escape a jail. The delusions of the citizens of Maycomb are first shown when Tom Robinson is convicted of raping Mayella Ewell. After Atticus makes his case, it is obvious that Tom Robinson is innocent and that Bob Ewell is to blame. Despite this, the jury, deluded by their racism, convict Tom Robinson and sentence him to death. In doing this, they show that they would rather lie to themselves than admit to the painful truth that an African-American man is innocent and not a fault. The delusions of the citizens are shown again after Tom Robinson is shot and killed while trying to escape from the prison where he is being held. After he is shot, the people of Maycomb believe that his death was inevitable. They continue to see him as inferior and less than human because he is not just like them.

Lee’s message can constantly be seen in the media especially when racism in America is denied. It is demonstrated in the article, “The New Threat: ‘Racism Without Racists’” by John Blake. In the article, Blake discusses ingrained racial bias and the differing views of Caucasians and everyone regarding race. The main topic of the article is racial bias and how it allows Caucasians to deny racism because they have never experienced it. According to the article, racial bias is a part of all people. Because it can go unnoticed, it has to potential to be more destructive and harder to eliminate than traditional bias. Instances of racial bias support Lee’s message because by letting bias blind them, people can deny racism and ignore the facts and statistics that point to racism being an issue. This is similar the citizens of Maycomb’s bias against African-Americans that allows them to characterize African-Americans as all the same. Harper Lee’s message of delusions blinding humans to the truth regarding race is also illustrated in the article, “The New Racism” by Jamelle Bouie. This article explains the issue of Caucasians blaming African-American culture for the recent police shootings and labeling the victims of such instances of police brutality as “thugs”. In the article, Bouie focuses on the blaming of victims for the crimes committed against them and the biases that cause people