To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: The Character Of Anvil

Much of Anvil’s initial characterization paints him as the devilish or overly malevolent boy. From our first picture of him, as a “. . . hateful creature that belonged in [a tree]. . .” we are asked to consider him in the terms of hatred (Clayton 31). Upon first read, it is easy to view Anvil as the Satan-figure; he is the tempting serpent hiding in the tree and thus we view him as the more mischievous of the young boys. However, when one fully considers the phrase “hateful creature”, it becomes apparent that Clayton does not reveal if Anvil is the one filled with hate, or if, he in fact is the one hated. (The resolution of the story reveals him as the latter). The next description of this young boy again presents him as thief or as an intruder upon both the English land, and in

. . [Now] there perched Anvil, callously munching one of my thirteen apples and stowing the rest inside his ragged shirt until it bulged out in ugly lumps. I knew the apples pressed cold against his hatefully belly and to me the coldness was a sickening evil” (Clayton 32). Tucker’s hatred for Anvil seems quite well-reasoned. His father has given him an apple tree; Anvil has usurped his possession and is now mercilessly devouring the fruits of his tree. Referencing Adam’s fall, Clayton depicts Anvil as Satan, poised in the tree, greedily munching the apples. Yet instead of Tucker fulfilling his role as Adam and merely experimenting with a taste of the apple, he wishes to reclaim the entire tree and eventually, slay the tempter himself. Yet, much of Tucker’s narration gives away this illogical contempt of his companion. His description of the apples under Anvil’s shirt as “[bulging] out in ugly lumps” and his estimation of them resting against Anvil’s “hatefully belly”, further underscore his inability to view this other boy objectively. Tucker is so overwhelmed with anger and more notably, possessiveness that his description is colored with rather heavy-handed value determining