Write about 'the simple hell people give other people' in the classic novel, set in the 1930's by Harper lee, 'To Kill A Mocking Bird'.

Write about ‘the simple hell people give other people’

The classic novel, set in the 1930’s by Harper lee, ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ exemplifies the pleasantness of isolation from humanity because of the nastiness of the human race. The stubborn, prejudice views of the Maycomb citizens’ towards the Negro population and inhabitants who do not abide by normal, behavioral standards, defined by society induces the reality that being different means being psychologically tortured and speculated by those who consider themselves normal. Being different is described as a curse, and the effect this curse has on individual citizens in Maycomb County is horrendously heartbreaking. Harper Lee addresses her depiction of prejudice not only through the case of Tom Robinson, but also through Boo Radly, tomboy Scout, ‘alcoholic’ Adolphus Raymond and the various classes. Thus, Harper Lee addresses racial discrimination and the prejudice endured by those who dare to be different to convey ‘the simple hell people give other people’.

The novel begins by focusing on Boo Radly, a victim of prejudice. Although Boo ‘was heard from and seen by several people’, Scout and Jem never seen Boo mainly due to his domineering father’s response to Boo’s profane charges on ‘disorderly conduct’, ‘disturbing the peace’, and ‘assault and battery’. Therefore the terrified opinon the children have on Boo is formed by the gossip and chitchat of other people. The superstitions about ghosts and monsters from storybooks also feed on their fears about Boo:

‘Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I never seen him. People said he went out at the night when the moon was down….’

Scout’s exaggerated comparison of Boo Radly to a phantom indicates that he is not human. The recognition of this information at this early stage in the novel verifies Boo’s position in society. The inappropriate use of the world ‘malevolent’ conveys that Scout senses that Boo is wicked and nasty. Incidents, which occur in the night, tend to be of evil nature; as a result Scout’s clever reference to the presence of the moon contributes to the suspense of the incident and emphasizes on Boo’s vice character. The repetition of the phase ‘People said’ underline that the unreliable citizens in Maycomb, like Miss Stephanie, contribute to the children’s interpretation on Boo. Children generally see adults as figures of authority and accept their word as truth, hence Scout and Jem accept their interpretation of Boo Radly. Jem goes on, after Miss Stephanie’s account of Boo’s presence at her window, describing Boo as a person who dines ‘on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were blood-stained’. Jem’s comment confirms that Boo is referred to as an outsider of society as he does not follow normal, behavioral standards, set by Maycomb citizens. Although Jem exaggereates on Boo’s dining habits, it is not his fault, as he has never met Boo Radly. Initially, Scout and Jem think of Boo as a wicked person mainly because of the rumors, but Boo slowly but surely emerges as an exceptionally different person. The first indication of Boo Radley’s innocence was during the fire in Miss Maudie’s house:

‘Thank who?’ I asked.
‘Boo Radly. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put the blanket around you.’
My stomach turned to water and I nearly threw up when Jem held out the blanket and crept toward me. 'He sneaked out of the house-turn 'round-sneaked up, an' went like this!’

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Surprised Scout could not believe that a cruel, monstrous man, like Boo Radley would cover her up in a blanket. It was also at this point that Jem realized Boo was a good man; that Boo ‘had ain’t ever harmed (him)’. Atticus told the children to ‘keep this and the blanket to ourselves’; maybe because of the actuality that other children might not believe Jem and Scout, or that it will bring about public exposure of Boo Radley. The murder of Mr. Ewell, in expense of Scout and Jem’s life by the ironically heroic Boo Radly could also jeopardize Boo’s isolation and privacy from society. By violating his privacy, Scout concluded that it would be ‘sort of like shootin´ a mockingbird’. Thereofore, it would be a sin because he would be the subject of intense gossip and be center of attention. Boo prefers to have his doors always shut as it is safe and he is not exposed to the cruelty of the human race. Overall Boo’s innocence was destroyed by all that was evil; the majority of the citizens of Maycomb County. 'Boo' is blamed for unexplained events and "Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work." Although Boo induces people to create stories about him because of the his desire to maintain an aura of secrecy and mystery by means of hiding behind closed doors, the adult citizens of Maycomb have absolutely no right to discriminate against Boo. He is a mockingbird, as it is a sin to harm him, as he has done no wrong. Instead, he displays a great sum of kindness to Atticus’s children, even saving their lives.

Tom Robinson is also a mockingbird, and he receives hell and misery from the racist citizens of Maycomb County:

‘And cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too.’

The acknowledgement that Negroes are human conveys Dolphus Raymond’s acceptance of coloured people and his segregation from the white community. Hence, he accepts Tom Robinson and his plead for innocence. In addition, Dolphus Raymond exemplifies that children utter a loud inarticulate cry of pain and sympathy towards the Negroes, as they ‘can understand it’ and begin life innocent, without racial prejudice. Dolphus Raymond, unlike Boo Radly, faces the problem of discrimination by giving a justified reason for ‘his mixed children’ and his desire to reside with the coloured community; his reason is alcoholism. In addition to his excuse for living the way he is, he has the strength not to ‘care if they don’t like it’. Instead of being emotionally scarred by the speculation of the white community, he is contented and purposefully unchanged by their criticism because he has seen ‘enough of the world’ to realize about human fault and ‘the simple hell people give other people’. The mere prejudice act of taking Tom Robinson’s case to court, without medical evidence further emphasizes Maycomb’s intolerance to Negroes. Even before Tom Robinson’s verdict, Atticus knew that the whites were going to win, nonetheless, he defended Tom, declaring that his case ‘is something that goes to the essence of a man's conscience—Scout, I couldn't go to church and worship God if I didn't try to help that man’. Atticus must follow a moral law that obligates us to guard the innocent and vulnerable. And above all, Atticus Finch risks his status in Maycomb and arouses feelings of dislocation from Maycomb citizens to save a human life. In contrast to Dolphus Raymond’s generalization on the hurt and misery people embed on other people, Atticus represents the human race at its most sincere. He represents all that is good and warm; he is patient, honorable, kind and courageous. Whereas Bob Ewell, the father of the daughter who claimed that she got raped, is different to Atticus, as he believes in racial segregation and lives like an animal. Ewells are seen as the lowest class of the white community, yet they are still believed and respected more than Tom Robinson. Even though Tom Robinson is theoretically more honest and kind than Bob Ewell, he is black. This racist viewpoint, which ignores the inner character of a person, confirms the cruelty and insensitivity of the majority of the white inhabitants in Maycomb. Hence, the colour of one’s skin, rather than one’s intelligence or character, determines one’s status in society. In general, Robinson’s coloured appearance and his status in comparison to Bob Ewell weakens the case and his quest for innocence and justice. These issues have no relevance to the trial, yet they are apparent reasons to the causation of his guiltiness.

Overall, it is a sin to state that Tom Robinson is guilty for the rape of Mayella Ewell, as he done no wrong. On the contrary, he displays a great sum of kindness to Mayella’s situation and ‘feels sorry’ for her. Her noticeable need for help is the reason to his presence in the home of Mayella, hence is the reason to the accusation of rape. If there is no medical evidence to verify that a rape took place, why did Judge accept the request to take this case to court? How did the Jury determine Robinson’s guiltiness on the basis of two white witnesses against a black man? Thus, Tom Robinson’s future is dependent on the unjust people of Maycomb. Those people killed him and imposed hell and misery on his poor soul. Hence proving the theory that humans are cruel. The children accused Boo Radly of being wicked, mainly basing their accusation on their imagination and the suspicions of other people. This unfair interpretation on Boo is unjust, thus further supporting the underlying actuality that humans are brutal.

But there are always exceptions to the trend in cruelty amongst human inhabitants. Dolphus Raymond has yet to discover human kindness amongst white people.