In the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the residents seem to have all been infected by the same disease. Harper Lee, the author of the very famous novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, has used several ways of portraying this idea and is able to convince readers that her characters really do have some sort of ‘illness,’ an illness which affects people’s thoughts on how others should be treated. The novel highlights several issues including racism, childhood, injustice and more as Scout, the protagonist, reflects on her life in Maycomb as a child.
She speaks about the inequalities of African Americans whilst explaining her thoughts about each issue. Though there are several main ideas which can be found throughout the book, this essay focuses on how characters like Francis and Bob Ewell suffer from Maycomb’s ‘Unusual’ disease, whilst Atticus and Miss Maudie oppose their views. Even the young children of Maycomb portray signs of hating on ‘negroes’ and judges Scout and Jem.
For example, Cecil Jacobs, one of the boys from school, shouts to Scout, “‘my folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank! ”’(Lee. 09. 82) which enrages Scout to start a fight. Cecil Jacobs is simply repeating exactly what his parents said about Atticus. This shows that what parents do, has a great influence on what their children think in Maycomb Also, the fact that even young children possess this racial trait is horrific and indeed proves that the town of Maycomb has a completely prejudiced mindset.
In addition, Scout’s own cousin, Francis, states that his “grandma says it’s bad enough [Atticus] lets [them] all run wild, but now he’s turned out a nigger-lover, [they’ll] never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again, he’s ruinin’ the family,” (Lee. 09. 89) Francis’ statement proves that not only do the kids at school look down at Scout and her brother, but even their blood-related cousin. Atticus and his children therefore face prejudice from the entire town and their family which adds more conflict to the already confused mind of Scout’s about Maycomb’s lifestyle.
In addition, people in Maycomb tend to judge and point fingers too soon; all part of the disease apparently. For example, as Scout and Jem settle in the courtroom, they eavesdrop on some onlookers discussing their father and how he “had to take the case whether he wanted to or not” (Lee. 16. 169), but “Atticus aimed to defend [Tom], that’s what [they] didn’t like about it. ” (Lee. 16. 169) Scout, in the midst
of the confusion in the courtroom, understands that simply because Atticus was appointed to defend a ‘negro’ whether or not he wanted to, the town finds it wrong, but, it still didn’t “explain the town’s attitude. ” (Lee. 16. 169) Based on the short conversation between the onlookers, it’s proven that the town jumps to conclusions without firstly hearing Atticus’ explanation, revealing a lack of consideration for blacks as well as foreshadowing the dangers to come for Atticus and his family as the town now looks down on them.
Their attitude, however, is mainly because they hope to see a conviction; to see a black man be imprisoned, ‘where he belongs,’ due to their prior knowledge of black men being evil. However, not all characters portray Maycomb’s ‘unusual’ disease but instead, take note of it and make great efforts in opposing that way of thinking. This includes Miss Maudie, a neighbourhood friend of the children, who states, “It’s morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks; it’s like a Roman carnival.
” (Lee. 16. 165) Miss Maudie, disgusted by the fact that the town views the trial as a ‘thrill in their tired old town,’ attempts to show Scout and Jem that just because an innocent black person is being accused of something, the town feels as though everyone has to witness it and see what happens. Her views on Maycomb’s society verify that the town does not care about Tom Robinson at all; they show no empathy towards his life and whether or not he dies, simply because, he is black.
Lastly, even though Atticus lives in a very prejudice town, like Miss Maudie, he somehow manages to look beyond one’s skin colour and love them for the person inside. In his closing remarks in the courtroom, Atticus calmly explains that Mr. Ewell and his daughter have put so much confidence into the fact that the “gentlemen would go along with them on the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie… and all are basically immoral beings…” even though they are all aware that it is “a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin. ”(Lee.
20. 210-211) Atticus aims to draw attention to the ‘elephant in the room’, that is, the racial discrimination in Maycomb. He implies that everyone went along with the Ewell’s story just because they believed that black people are automatically guilty and capable of all crimes. He goes on to say, “you know the truth: some Negros lie, some Negros are immoral…but this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. ” (Lee. 20. 211) Atticus’ statement highlights his perceptive that humans
should be equally treated but not according to their race. He speaks to the entire courtroom as if it’s Maycomb, he doesn’t only see blacks as the evil ones and he believes in equality and tries his best to alert his neighbours of this ugly disease they have slipped into. His ability to stand before the entire court and identify their bad habit truly makes his character stand out and questions his capability to be so strong compared to the other narrow-minded characters who have ‘fallen ill’ with this disease.
In conclusion, Maycomb’s habitants suffer from not being able to treat people equally, they judge everyone according to their race and the colour of their skin rather than what’s inside, unlike Atticus and Miss Maudie. They seem to be the only two who really understand the human race and the idea of being equal and so tries to teach the children this moral as well. Atticus even mentions that he "hopes and prays that [he] can get Jem and Scout through it without catching Maycomb's usual disease. ”(Lee. 9.
94) therefore demonstrating how serious an issue racism is in Maycomb. Harper Lee has used several characters to portray prejudice which emphasizes how prominent and how much of a big deal it is in Maycomb. However, she includes one outstanding character, Atticus, who opposes the entire town’s opinion, which helps readers further consider how much of an influence this ‘disease’ has on the town. She uses several tools to reveal discrimination yet creates that conflicting character hence underlining the importance of the theme, racism.
