as many people today use the word “work.” It

seems as though people either didn’t think, or didn’t care, about how demeaning “nigger” was. Eventually,

some African-Americans came to accept this word. They became so used to hearing it, they heeded it no

attention. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, however, had a different way of thinking. Although Atticus was

Caucasian, he realized that the “N-word” (as commonly referred to in the recent!

trial of Orenthal James Simpson) was wrong to say. He instructed his children not to use that word either.

This courtesy did not catch on. People continued to refer to African-Americans as “niggers” and called

anyone who was kind to “niggers” a “nigger-lover.” Scout realized this, and as she grew older, she came to

realize how wrong the use of the “N-word” actually was. She assumed, as a child, that because everyone

else used it, that it was perfectly fine for her to use. As she matured, she began to understand why this was

a wrong term, and she learned how wrong it was to use that word. This was only one of the things Scout

learned as she grew and matured.

Jean Louise, Scout, was also subjected to more evil than racism. Robert Ewell, a violent alcoholic,

attempted to murder Scout and Jem in a violent drunken rage. Mr. Ewell appeared in many places

throughout the book, and it was his daughter, Mayella Ewell, that pressed false charges against Tom

Robinson for the offense of rape and battery. Almost every time Bob is mentioned, he is either violent or

severely drunken. He used the welfare checks that he received, not to purchase food for the family, but to

buy booze for himself to consume. This, in itself, shows us the evil that drug dependency can inflict not

only on one person, but all people that the alcoholic comes into contact with. If anything, Scout Learned the

dangers of not only the effect that alcohol can have on someone, but the effect that it can have on that

person’s family as well.

Another evil present today, as well as in the 1930’s, is one that we don’t often think of, gossip.

Many people are hurt or improperly represented by other’s words and actions. Situations are often

exaggerated to make a story more interesting or for a person to give people something to fill their boring

lives with. Arthur (Boo) Radley was a victim of such evil. Scout’s head was filled with gossip about Boo,

who ironically, at the end of the novel, ends up saving her life. She is fed ideas that are illustrated in this

series of dialogue between her and Miss Maudie: “. . . do you think Boo Radley is still alive?”

“His name’s Arthur and he’s still alive.”

“Maybe he died and they stuffed him up in the chimney.”

“Where did you get such a notion?”

“That’s what Jem said he thought they did” (Lee 43).

Arthur was misrepresented by people who didn’t understand the situation that he was in. He was kept inside

his house, and seemed to be denied access to the outside world, but he was very much alive. Without him

being alive, Scout and Jem would most likely be dead at the hands of Bob Ewell. It is ironic that the man

who was marred by insults and speculations was the hero of the story. The lesson Scout learned from this

was that she should never judge a man or woman until she has walked around in their shoes.

All through To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout is subjected to various evils, yet she seems to gain

experience and knowledge from each situation. This exposure furthered her understanding of life and the

trials she will come to. This story of Scout’s learning can also apply to what we, as readers, can learn and

appreciate from Harper Lee’s work. Although some of the language is “unacceptable” to some people, if

you look past the derogatory terms, the literature really speaks to you not only as a reader, but as a person

as well.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. 1960. New York: Warner Books, 1982.

Tripp, Rhoda Thomas. The International Thesaurus of Quotations. New York: Harper and Row,

1970.