Ignorance, Fear, And Tradition In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Seth Esler
Honors English
Mrs. Jaeger
1/13/23
What Ignorance, Fear, and Tradition can Cause To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is a thriller novel that takes place in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. The main character of the book, Scout is a unique one-of-a-kind. During her time all the women back then acted ladylike, but not Scout. She was an adventurous girl that liked taking risks in life. Living with her father, Atticus, and her older brother Jem. Her father is a lawyer in the book, and in the 1930s, to be one that has relations with a black person was very unusual and “wrong”. Atticus took on the weight of defending a black man named Tom who was accused of committing sexual assault against a white woman. In the trial,

Fear is can cause so much conflict in life that is not necessary. One good example of fear of change is that Atticus is trying to make a baby step to stop segregation in Alabama. But the people of his town have the fear of change and don’t know what will the effect be. Atticus is talking to Scout about what is going to happen because of this trial, Attcus states, “I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn't help that man” (139). What he means when he is talking to Scout, is that defending this man is the right thing to do, even if others call him a Nigga lover. Secondly, Jem and Scout are talking about kids that are born half white, and half black. And they are not excited because they have half of their African blood in them, Jem says, “They’re real dad…Colored folks won’t have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won't have ‘em because they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere” (215). The fear of the color of their skin is what causes these in-betweens to be not loved or wanted. Lastly, white people back then and still now think that they are better (have more value) than blacks. “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life” (295). Just because these people have half and half-blood types, they shouldn’t be looked upon as worthless because of their skin color. But because of

Passing tradition down isn’t a bad thing, unless what they are passing down. One example is how Francis gets his racist statements from the influence of his grandma, who is very racist/sexist toward others. Francis says, “I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger lover beside, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family” (110). Francis says those mean words to Scout because he has been influenced by his older family members to hate people that are black. Secondly, Attics knows what Maycoumb is doing to the people who are black, and he doesn’t want to follow their ways. Here Atticus is talking to a family member Jack about what he needs to do about the trial. Atticus says, “Do you think I could face my children otherwise? You know what’s going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease” (117). Maycomb's usual disease he is talking about is the hate that they have towards the people that are different from them. Like Boo, Tom, and others that don’t look “normal”. Lastly, just like Francis, kids are the most easily influenced people around, and Jem is one of them. He heard someone say how can you have so much hate toward others? Jem says, “I heard [Miss Gates] say its time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves,