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Chapter 19 To Kill A Mockingbird

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Chapter 19 To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a story that takes place in a town called “Maycomb” in the Southern United States during the early twentieth century; the Great Depression. The narrator of the story, Scout Finch, tells of life in Maycomb County. Up to Chapter 19 in the text, Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, is defending a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape against Mayella Ewell. Due to this, Harper Lee makes it apparent that the story essentially revolves around racism, abuse and apathy. Up to Chapter 19, racism is a major theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. Racism emerges many instances in the novel, although the most relevant is during Tom Robinson’s trial. He is accused of raping Mayella Euwell when asked to break up …show more content…
Besides the example of Mayella Ewell being abused by her father, the other largest example of this is Arthur “Boo” Radley. Many years back, when Arthur was a teenager, he decided with some of his friends to drink alcohol and break the law as he and his friends were underage. When taken to court, Arthur and his friends are given a second chance to go to an alternative school to get an education. The other two friends took the offer, but Arthur wasn’t so lucky. His father, Mr. Radley, stated to the judge that he will never have to worry about Arthur causing any trouble again. Mr. Radley brought Arthur home and although it is not stated, it is known that Arthur was abused. Mr. Radley never let Arthur out of the house again, and many haven’t seen him in years. Actually, some say the only reason they know he is still alive is that no one has been brought out of the Radley household in a body bag yet. Apathy goes hand in hand with this abusive situation. Apathy is a lack of care or concern for a certain topic. The town of Maycomb knew of what was going on in the Radley household, but acted apathetically about it and did not take any course of action to stop the wrong doings of Mr. Radley. Knowing that he is a religious fanatic, they decided not to intervene and let the situation take its own path. Due to this, a young man presumably had no choice rather than to live a life most would deem unfair. This is how apathy and

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