Essay on To Kill A Mockingbird

October 14,
2015
Jordan Khan
555 words

The town of Maycomb is full of prejudice. Many townsfolk are

rejected for their differences. Loneliness is an important theme in
the novel To Kill A Mockingbird shown through three characters:
Arthur Boo Radley, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson. There is also
a fourth minor character, Dolphus Raymond who doesnt even
care what others think of him and he pretends to be an alcoholic.
Boo Radley is a major character that strongly represents the
theme of loneliness in the novel. Arthurs actions in the past were
somewhat violent: When the younger Radley boy was in his
teens he became acquainted with some of the Cunninghams from
Old Sarum, an enormous and confusing tribe domiciled in the
northern part of the county, and they formed the nearest thing to
a gang ever seen in Maycomb. (12) Boo drove the scissors into
his parents leg (13) this led to many townsfolk misinterpreting
him as a monster. After the incidents, he stayed inside his house
all day for the next few decades to avoid those who fear him.
Eventually Boo is able to cope with this when he sees that Jem,
Scout, and Dill are interested in him. He leaves them gifts, and
when they are threatened by Bob Ewell, he saves their lives.
Mayella Ewell is another important character that isnt able to fit
in with the rest of Maycomb: As Tom Robinson gave his
testimony, it came to me that Mayella Ewell must have been the
loneliest person in the world. (256) her father has a bad
reputation with the people of Maycomb, and he physically
punishes Mayella. The townsfolk must not want anything to do
with her because of her father. The Negroes especially wouldnt
accept her because she was white. Her method of dealing with
this was to take advantage of Tom Robinsons generosity to work

in order to have his company: Tom Robinson was probably the

only person who was ever decent to her (257) unfortunately this
didnt end well for Tom or Mayella.
The effect of loneliness is also illustrated through Tom Robinson.
Tom represents how many of the black people in Maycomb are
treated, and how they feel. The prejudice of the town makes Tom
feel out of place: Theres something in our world that makes men
lose their heads---they couldnt be fair if they tried. In our courts,
when its a white mans word against a black mans, the white
man always wins. Theyre ugly, but those are the facts of life.
(295) this eventually results in his death too. He tried coping with
this by working for people such as Mayella Ewell because it was
one of the only ways that he could be in contact with white
people.
Loneliness is a prominent theme in the story, which often ties
into the prejudice in Maycomb. Three important characters must
deal with this in the novel: Arthur Radley, Mayella Ewell, and Tom
Robinson. Boo because of his past and false rumours of the town.
Mayella because of her fathers actions and reputation. Tom
because of the colour of his skin. Tom turns up dead, leaving no
one for Mayella to love. Things only end well for Boo who reveals
his true colours after saving Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell.