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Libby Terrell
Ms. Akers
HON English 10
6 September 2016
Not in my town, I thought. I thought that Charlottesville was too good for racism until
my vision was stained with flashing white cloaks and my mind was bombarded by striking
headlines reading, 1 Killed and 19 Injured During Charlottesville White Supremacist Rally.
Like Scout in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, I was naive to think that racism was
anywhere but everywhere. Two major themes in To Kill a Mockingbird that, after almost 90
years, are still relevant today are to treat everyone equally and never to judge a book by its cover.
Atticus, Scout and Jems father, believes that every person is equal- men, women, and
children of every color. Many people would consider him a hero, but he is no hero. Atticus is
simply a human who is empathetic, fair, and open-minded, while normal white citizens of
Maycomb are racist, entitled dogs. While these racists consider negroes to be aggressive sub-
humans with no thought for the future (322), it is clear to an unbiased outsider, like young
Scout, that the true enemies are racists themselves. In contrast to Maycombs portrayal of
negroes, it is people like Tom and Calpurnia who are the kindest and most forgiving. It was Tom
who felt sorry for Mayella, the girl who accused him of rape. It was Tom who took the 17 deadly
blows of Bob Ewells crimes: assaulting his own daughter and attempting to kill Scout and Jem.
It is people who share Toms skin color that face prejudice every day, not only in Maycomb in
the 1930s, but today in Charlottesville. To uphold Atticuss belief of equality, he chooses to
defend Tom Robinson against both the court and a mob of lynchers. Because of this, Bob Ewell
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later approache[s] him, curse[s] him, [spits] on him, and threaten[s] to kill him (291), and Mrs.
Dubose calls him a nigger-lover as an insult. After Scout angrily reports this to him, Atticus
states, Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that dont mean anything ignorant, trashy
people use it when they think somebodys favoring negroes above themselves I love everyone
equally (144). This also shows Atticuss openness with his children. He does not deny them
information; he treats them like adults. He even lets them call him Atticus, something that
seems ludicrous to other members of the community. Aunt Alexandra is as surprised by this as
she is by how Atticus treats Calpurnia. After Alexandra tries to convince Atticus to fire Cal, he
declares, Alexandra, Calpurnias not leaving this house until she wants to. You may think
otherwise, but I couldnt have gotten along without her all these years. Shes a faithful member
of this family and youll simply have to accept things the way they are (182). Atticus feels so
strongly about equality that he is willing to face the wrath of most every white citizen in
Maycomb.
Another recurring theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is not to judge a book by its cover.
Harper Lee portrays this quite literally when Scout summarizes a childrens book, called The
Grey Ghost, to Atticus; she explains, An they chased [the grey ghost] n never could catch
him cause they didnt know what he looked like, an Atticus, when they finally saw him, why he
hadnt done any of those things Atticus, he was real nice (376). Scouts childhood has its own
Grey Ghost: Boo Radley. Without ever having seen him, Scout; Jem; and Dill assume that
Boo [is] about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dine[s] on raw squirrels and
any cats he [can] catch, thats why his hands [are] bloodstained- if you [eat] an animal raw, you
[can] never wash the blood off. There [is] a long jagged scar that [runs] across his face; what
teeth he [has] [are] yellow and rotten; his eyes [pop] and he drool[s] most of the time (16).
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However, after leaving Scout and Dill various trinkets in the knob of a tree and later saving their
lives from Bob Ewell, the kids realize that Boo is a good-hearted person who simply lacks social
skills. The readers Grey Ghost is Tom Robinson. Tom is despised by the townspeople simply
because of the amount of pigment in his skin. Thus, the citizens of Maycomb come to a guilty
verdict with their eyes, not their ears. In the town paper, Mr. Underwood argues that Tom was a
dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed (323). Because of quick
judgement, Boo Radley was falsely believed to be a murderous freak and Tom an aggressive
rapist.
Mockingbird should never be overlooked. Any other attitude than Atticuss is unacceptable and
inhumane- as inhumane as plowing a car into a passive crowd, as white supremacist James Alex
Fields did in Charlottesville on July 8th. Equality has come a long way since the 1930s, but
even after the gory events of July 8th we can not back down now.