Universal Truths In To Kill A Mockingbird

In William Faulkner’s Nobel Prize speech, he addresses the universal truths in literature that include love, pity, honor, pride, compassion, sacrifice, courage, and hope. These truths serve as themes in literature, and are used to convey the idea of the Other in society. The Other is considered to be different from the rest of society, and treated as lesser than most. Pieces of literature that use these truths help society convey the idea of the Other are considered to be better because they give an aspect of Humanity. Some of these pieces include To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that dive into many issues the United States had during the 1930s. The story follows a little girl named Jean Louise Finch also known as “Scout” by her family.

The Radley family is on the Finches' nearby neighbors that don’t contribute to the town and aren’t seen very often, Specifically Arthur Radley which the kids have nicknamed “Boo”. Boo is considered an outcast in the area because no one has seen him recently and there are lots of rumors about him. One night as Jem and Scout are coming home when they are attacked by Bob Ewele, a man who hated Atticus for the trial, Boo appears and deals with Bob. He kills Bob with a knife, and after the incident Sheriff Heck Tate tells Atticus that Bob killed himself by landing on his own knife. Sheriff Tate does this to protect Boo, since Boo didn’t help for recognition. Tate says “I never heard to say that it’s against the law for a citizen to do his utmost to prevent a crime from being committed, which is exactly what he did '' (Lee 276). Boo preventing the crime helped show that he was a normal person and always wanted to do the right thing. He showed courage coming out to save the children from being harmed, and didn’t care about the consequences he could face for killing a man. Also Sheriff Tate showed he cared for Boo by trying to cover up what had happened. He cared for Boo and conveyed the idea of the Other being cared about. Boo’s courageous actions expressed the idea of the Other’s

Atticus took the Tom Robinson case, which prosecuted Tom for the raping of a young white female. Atticus knew that the case would be very difficult to prove he is not guilty but took it anyways. Many people questioned his actions and many disapproved of the example he was setting. But when his children asked, Atticus said “ The main one is, if I don’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem to do something again”(Lee 73). Atticus is taking the trial, because he knows that is the right thing to do no matter the consequences. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t, and his actions show that he is bringing out courage. He realizes the Other in this situation and wants to help society perceive the Other in the same light as he does. He wants this trial to serve as a message to society about the Other. Atticus knew his courage would prove that society would view the Other when accepting the