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Mental Health And Substance Abuse In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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The subject of mental health and substance abuse is a matter that should not be taken lightly. I feel I have the right approach to this topic, due to the injustices I have seen firsthand and even experienced to some degree. This topic is brought to light in discrete moments throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Dolphus Raymond is one of the prime examples of the prejudice people under the influence face. Although Raymond was sober, he led the town to believe that he was addicted to alcohol and he soon became the town “drunkard.” In the courtroom we learn Dolphus is actually not an addict, despite allegations, and that he just pretends to drink all the time so people can blame his actions (having a black woman as a partner which was highly controversial) on …show more content…

I too, was once blindsided by what I had been taught for years, but I was able to overcome my own preconceptions after many years. Another smaller way substance abuse is brought up in TKAM is through Bob Ewell and the abuse his children face. It is very clear that Mr.Ewell struggles mentally as well as with an alcohol use disorder. Instead of utilizing the money he has been given to help keep his family on their feet, he wastes it to feed his addiction. Mayella and the entire family had to put up with a life of abuse and the injustice of living a poor life due to their father’s action, which is something we see happen a lot in modern day society. Many families are torn apart due to the judgment they must face from others. One example of this in modern society comes from personal experience. Thankfully, unlike Mayella, I did not face any abuse, however my family’s dynamic changed drastically once my Uncle’s struggle with addiction began to get out of hand. My mother was never home, always on phone calls, and hiding things from my sister and

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