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The Role Of Perception In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is an inspiring read that displays how others point of view can change the perspective of others. Throughout the book, many of the characters perception of other characters can change the aspect of a persona. For example, Arthur Radley, also known as Boo, is perceived as a very mean person. Also, Tom Robinson is accused of being a rapist. Finally, the town’s people perceive many characters such as Dolphus Raymond, for being an alcoholic. The power of perception has changed the way many of the characters in the book view others represented in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Perception is a way of understanding or interpreting something; your impression or thought regarding something or someone …show more content…

For example, Mr. Dolpus Raymond is perceived as a drunken person. Jem said, “How c’n you stand to get drunk ‘fore eight in the morning?” (Lee 158). This shows that Jem was implying this comment towards Dolpus since his is the only character that is an intense alcoholic. But in reality Dolpus was only drinking Coca-Cola. After Raymond offered Dill the ‘alcoholic beverage’, “Dill released the straws and grinned. ‘Scout its nothing but Coca-Cola’” (Lee 200). This proves that when everyone believed he was drunk, he was not. As the saying goes, do not judge a book by its cover. Moving on, Atticus is perceived as a very weak person. Both his kids, Jem and Scout, believed that, “Atticus was feeble…[and the kids] felt reflected upon his abilities and manliness.” (Lee 89) This shows that Jem and Scout’s perspective of Atticus is that he was not manly. They later find out that he is not only to be proven more masculine, but also displayed true bravery. In reality, he was known as the best shot in Maycomb County! There was a chapter in the book which shows that Atticus shoots the mad dog. Miss Maudie says, “I saw that One-Shot Finch” (Lee 97)! This shows that Atticus is a totally different person compared to what Scout and Jem pictured. After watching Atticus shoot the gun, the kid’s perspective of Atticus and bravery changes

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it’s something you wouldn’t understand. Atticus is real old, but I wouldn’t care it he couldn’t do anything—I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing . . . Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!’” (130-131).  Although Scout wants to brag to the whole town about Atticus’s skill in shooting, Jem realizes that since Atticus had not told them before, and tries not to bring the subject up, he probably had not wanted them to know about it.

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We shouldn't judge people for their appearance, instead we judge them in their way of being, behavior, and how they treat others. Prejudice is the case in To Kill A Mockingbird, In this novel Scout understand for who Boo radley really is and Tom robinson and Boo Radley being judged. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses character and plot to reveal the theme that we shouldn't judge people for their appearance. Harper lee uses the character Scout and Boo Radley to reveal the theme that we shouldn't judge people by the rumors you might hear about them because they might not be true.

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Atticus not only tells Scout and Jem what real courage is, but shows by defending Tom Robinson. Even though Atticus will probably lose the case, he “sees it though” anyway. Atticus attempts to teach his children the proper way to treat people as well. Atticus says, “cheatin’ a

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Throughout the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the readers can see how Scout changes her view about Boo Radley. Because of their nosiness, Jem, Scout, and Dill try to drag Boo out his house and to the outside world. Their innocent actions combined with Boo’s actions changed the image of Boo, in their minds, from “a malevolent phantom” (10), a person who kills cats and eats squirrels to a neighbor they can trust, who saves them from Bob Ewell. Scout says at the end, “Boo was our neighbor” (373). The readers can see a great change in their relationship.

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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

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Many people say that seeing is believing, but that simply is not true, well at least not according to the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The book constantly contradicts the idea that seeing is believing. Several different characters go against what is believed and observed about them, which in turn surprises other characters. To start off, one of the biggest characters that contradicts what is believed about them is Atticus. He is seen as this polite, simple man, but when a mad dog is spotted in his neighbourhood he is quick to take a rifle and shoot the dog.

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Deception causes quick judgment from others who do not know the whole story. People often have different personalities than what is perceived at first glance. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, examples of deception are everywhere: Mrs. Dubose, a racist elderly lady, Dolphus Raymond, a known town drunk, and Boo Radley, a malevolent phantom. The small Alabama town, Maycomb, depicts these people to be different than who they really are.

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In Harper Lee's, To Kill A Mockingbird, is the story of a small southern town in Alabama during the Great Depression. Harper Lee expresses her disapproval of the mistreatment of human beings and her philosophy through the eyes of the main character Scout. Over the course of several summers she, along with her brother Jem and playmate Dill, are introduced to a world of hatred and unfairness through the injustice of the Tom Robinson trial. Lee shows the unfair trial of an innocent man to demonstrate the prejudiced ways of Maycomb, Alabama during this time, highlighting the racism and violent treatment towards black people all around. Prejudice, described as the “simple hell people give other people without even thinking”(170).

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Jem grows up sheltered from the evil in the world. Once the trial comes around, however, he learns out imperfect the world is through the racism and prejudice, and he struggles to come to terms with this realization. After the trial he tells Miss Maudie, who is their neighbor, how it feels like “bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon… Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world least that’s what they seemed like” (Lee 288). Miss Maudie then tries to comfort Jem, but it still shows that Jem has been changed because his childhood view of Maycomb being perfect has been shattered.

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Atticus is a man who has been through a lot,and has seen a lot of things in his life, but he always tries to do the right thing. Atticus displays his amazing sense of personal integrity when he stays away from guns. Atticus knows that he is the best shot in Maycomb County, but doesn’t shoot because he knows that it isn’t right or fair. “...maybe [Atticus] put his gun down when he realized that God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things” (Lee 130).

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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.

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In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, the character Atticus Finch is different from the other men of Macomb in many ways. One major difference is him displaying positive qualities not seen in Macomb's other men. It can be argued that Atticus represents a new concept of masculinity because of his personal qualities. There two are qualities that strongly support this argument; Atticus is respectful to all people and he does not do the daily tasks that the other men do, although some people argue that his behavior is only because he is under pressure to set an example for his kids. Atticus one of the few respectful characters in To Kill A Mockingbird which sets him apart from the other Maycomb men.

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