Analysis Of Kill A Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Mockingbird, White

The book notably opens with an immediate instance of self-delusion: tricking the reader into believing that Maycomb is just an old, ordinary, and quiet town through description of the town’s history, when in reality, it was teeming with prejudice and racism. The reader immediately leans about this sleepy southern town where â€Å"a day was twenty-four hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County† (Lee 6), however the reader slowly begins to realize that there’s more to the town than what meets the eye, as â€Å" it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself† (Lee 6). Up until this point, any first-time reader was probably thinking of a dreary, yet pleasant town where nothing really happened. However, this allusion to Roosevelt’ s fireside chats places this narrative in the 1930’s, and this is the detail that causes the reader to put the two ideas together. Any time before the late 60’s in a southern town does not bode well on the topic of acceptance, especially the issue of racism. This skepticism is later confirmed through Mr. Radley using a racial slur to accuse a black man for trespassing on his territory. Overall, the beginning of the book is a great example of self-delusion in order t... ... middle of paper ... ...tside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict: Jem was suddenly furious. He leaped off the bed, grabbed me by the collar and shook me. â€Å"I never wanta hear about that courthouse again, ever, ever, you hear me? You hear me? Don’t you ever say one word to me about it again, you hear? Now go on!† (Lee 331). In the face of bigotry, Jem initially refused to accept reality. He refused to admit that, even though Maycomb was the town he grew up in, even though it was where he called home, he was completely surrounded by injustice. Jem deluded himself rather than accepting the fact that the world is a lot harsher, crueler and just more unfair than he thought. It’s a common theme across the book that people can’t accept the truth and choose to ignore it. And although the book takes place in the 1930’s, this self-deception is still present.