To Kill A Mockingbird Fear Analysis

Fear is the depravity of man—not merely that thing feared, but the act of fear itself. “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” Nonetheless, the conquering of fear lies not in doing away with it completely, but by overcoming it. Fear must become a reminder of the possibilities, but never a hindrance. Furthermore, fear’s degradation is not caused by itself, but by man’s twisting of fear. Few men are still in awe of God, instead they fear each other—different races, ethnicities, and the capabilities of those around them. The world today is so far into fear that few people can say they always feel safe. This is not the outcome of crime or more “evil” people in the world, but of fear. If every death, murder, war, thievery, and crime, along with hunger, thirst, isolation, depression, and dissatisfaction was no longer dreaded, then all consequences of fear cease.

In this literary masterpiece, fear weaves itself through the hearts and minds of the inhabitants of Maycomb, Alabama. Racism, sexism, ageism all abound as Maycomb struggles through a court trial. The trial is white man v. black man, suspected child abuse v. suspected rape, truth v. lies, hatred v. kindness. Despite obvious innocence, Mr. Robinson, the black man, is convicted of rape and sentenced to prison. The case for Mr. Robinson leans heavily for his innocence, but fear sends him six feet under. The white man, Mr. Ewell, becomes victorious in trial, but loses any inch of respect he had. Mr. Robinson’s defense, Atticus Finch, demonstrates Mr. Ewell’s instability and volatility, but racism still left Mr. Robinson in the dust. Fear caused this injustice—fear of Mr. Robinson, fear of Mr. Ewell, and fear of