Doing so showed a strong act of kindness because he didn't want Helen to hear about it after everyone else. Lastly, Atticus shows kindness after Bob Ewell, the main antagonist in the book besides racism itself, spits in his face. Although spitting in Atticus’s face was boorish and disrespectful, Atticus shows benevolence for Bob Ewell by defending him. Rather than saying horrible things about Bob Ewell, he tries to understand his point of view; he acts more superior than Bob will ever be. Not to mention, he is also protecting the Ewell children because he would rather be spat at in the face than
Maycomb County, a place in which innocent children fall under the influence of their parents who are hypocrites that hide behind their facades, making it the only “normal” they have come to know. Two men, who may seem the exact opposite, really have similarities. On one side, we see Atticus Finch, an extremely wise man by nature who has solid principles and a clear sense of morality. However, we also learn about Bob Ewell, who has an evil and unadmirable nature. Nonetheless, both men may not be so different after all.
Pap is a free man who takes it for granted especially when he takes his anger on African Americans and his own son. He isn’t well educated but this quote by Huck is a hint towards Paps good side. “For what you want, above all things, on a raft, is for everybody to be satisfied, and feel right and kind towards others”. Huck never had that great of an education so how is this coming from his mouth. His dad must’ve told him about these things, since Pap has made many mistakes in life he has a good side to himself.
Atticus was a very patient and understanding man, yet he was very stubborn when he knew what was right. Many times throughout “To Kill a Mockingbird” he demonstrated his ability to stay rational and see others’ points of views. One intense instance he was able to stay rational in was in front of the jailhouse when the group of men came to attempt to kill Tom Robinson, Scout depicted his actions by saying, “We saw Atticus look up from his newspaper. He closed it, folded it deliberately, dropped it in his lap, and pushed his hat to the back of his head” (Lee 201). Scout did not understand at the moment why the men were there, but her father knew full well that if he did not stop them someone would be murdered.
In Gulliver, this manifests through his treatment of the Yahoos, his fellow humans. At the prospect of their genocide Gulliver does not flinch or raise any voice in protest. Instead, Gulliver’s sole concern is for his own welfare and the fact that his master referred to him as “a certain wonderful Yahoo” (291). Furthermore, when laying out a dry list of his preparations for the journey home Gulliver states that used the skins of Yahoo children in the crafting of his sail (301). The passive way he states this, with no care for the murder of a child that must of accompanied this displays how the Houyhnhnms’ rationality leads one to despise those that threaten their way of life to the point of no remorse for the murder of a child.
We can see this with his “son” ikemefuna on page 28, it says, “ Even Okonkwo himself became very fond of the boy -- inwardly of course. Okonkwo never showed any emotion openly, unless it be the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness, the only thing worth demonstrating was strength. He therefore treated Ikemefuna as he treated everybody else--with a heavy hand. But there was no doubt he liked the boy.
Exposing Boo’s heroic actions would bring him to be the center of the public eye and it would truly be the end of his happiness. Mr. Tate knew this and had no reason to hurt Mr. Radley, and even wanted to reward him for his bravery. Overall the actions that happen in To Kill a Mockingbird all have fitting consequences as characterized by: the Bob Ewell situation, Jem breaking his arm and Mr. Heck Tate is protecting Boo Radley. We learn that the destruction of innocence has its own punishments. The karma that was written in by Harper Lee is a subtle warning to America and the rest of the world that if they continue in their racist, cruel ways there will be a fitting
“mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy” (Lee 93). One of the examples of good vs evil in this story is Tom Robinson’s court case with Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is a black man named who is accused for a crime of raping and beating Mayella Ewell even though he just helped her with household chores. In the book Tom was seen as a bad figure for most of the book even though he was just a caring, harmless person. You can say many mockingbirds die in today’s reality, but it is the innocent that suffer the most often.
They’re hard working boys that was foolish”. By saying they were just foolish, Bill implies that they should be forgiven, or should be treated easier. He disregards the fact that a man attacked and permanently hurt a woman. From this scene alone, the audience becomes aware that Little Bill is a morally stilted character, with little regard for people that aren’t like him. This is further proven when he beats Ned Logan, a black man, to death.
Language is powerful, and can even mean the difference between life and death. This proves to be true in Tobias Wolff’s short story “Bullet in the Brain,” in which he makes a point about criticism and language. The main character is Anders. His profession as a book critic is essential to the story because he deals with language every day. He even ridicules bank robbers who point a gun at him because their language is stereotypical.