INNOCENCE IS DESTROYED THROUGH CONTACT WITH EVIL THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Do you agree?
In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the innocence of children, who are unaware of the cruelty of the adult world, is damaged by the discrimination of Maycomb County. The widespread racial prejudice and social injustice violates children, the universal epitome of innocence. Harper Lee thoroughly exposes man’s inhumanity to man and criticises the bigotry of Maycomb County which taints the joy of childhood.
In a town steeped in racial prejudice, the irrationality of adult attitudes to race damages the innocent, happy conscience of children. Jem, who believes Maycomb to be “a cocoon”, loses his innocence as he witnesses the racial injustice of his society. At the start, “Jem [is] jumping in excitement”, unaware of the brutal capacity of his society. Even Atticus does not wish to hurt Jem’s innocence because, instead of uttering the truth that Tom Robinson will inevitably die, he “opens his mouth to answer but shut it and left” Jem. However when Jem realises for himself Maycomb is prejudiced and cruel, ‘his shoulders jerk’, his hands ‘grip the balcony rail” tightly and he cries. This clearly illustrates the dire consequences on a child who is exposed to the evil of racial prejudice. Furthermore, Dill “started crying”, unable to cope with the way Mr Gilmer “called [Tom Robinson] ‘boy’ and sneered at him”. Due to this, Dill feels “sick, plain sick”, demonstrating that children are not accustomed to racial discrimination and to witness it firsthand sickens them. As Dolphus Raymond says “he won’t cry, not when he gets a few years on him” suggesting that only children cry, at the sight of racial intolerance because the adults have had their innocence destroyed through the contact with evil.
