Claudia Woods
\n4.9.19
\nDr. Foss
\nDisability and Literature <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harper Lee\u2019s To Kill a Mockingbird is famously known for making people uncomfortable. Lee tackles societies many failures from an intersectional perspective. Specifically, Lee explores disability, gender, and race. Arthur \u201cBoo\u201d Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell all experience discrimination because of their marginalized identities. Tom Robinson becomes disabled, is wrongfully accused, is tragically killed because he is a Black man; Mayella is sexually and physically abused because she is a woman; and Arthur \u201cBoo\u201d Radley is isolated and ostracized from society because he is disabled. All characters are betrayed by their community. Additionally, the significance of this novel being told from the perspective of an impressionable 7 year old girl, Scout and her brother, Jem and the emotional and physical mark the injustices they witness, leave on them, is an important aspect of To Kill a Mockingbird. In To Kill a Mockingbird, \u201cBoo\u201d Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell, hold marginalized identities which disable them. Harper is suggesting that those who hold marginalized identities likely are disabled because of the environment they live in and the treatment they receive from others. \n\u201cBoo\u201d Radley is the primary character that came to mind when discussing disability in Dr. Foss\u2019s Disability and Literature course. This may be because Scout presents him as being the most \u201cobviously\u201d disabled. In her perspective, he is a mysterious, non-verbal, disengaging recluse. Jem describes Boo to jem, \u201cBoo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that\u2019s why his hands were bloodstained\u2014if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time\u201d (Lee 47). However, as readers we see little by little, that Boo is actually quite good natured. Throughout the novel, Boo leaves the children little gifts and notes in a tree, he places a blanket over Scout during the fire, he returns Jem\u2019s pants, and at the end of the novel he saves the children from Bob Ewell\u2019s violent attack. Jem recalls \u201cWhen I went back, they were folded across the fence...like they were expectin' me\u201d (Lee 96). Although Boo does not engage with society like able bodied people would, he communicates with his friends from afar. It is unclear exactly how Boo is intellectually disabled, but it is possible that he may have Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as other disabilities. Boo clearly feels most comfortable and safe in his own home, away from others. He never leaves his home, except when he can venture out invisibly. It is also implied that Boo was physically and emotionally abused by his father, explaining his fear of other people. Boo may not engage with people in a typical way; however, he nevertheless shows his humanity through his small acts of kindness. Towards the end of the novel, Atticus tells Scout and Jem not to shoot the mockingbirds. \u201cRemember it\u2019s a sin to kill a mockingbird. That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. \u2018Your father\u2019s right,\u2019 she said. \u2018Mockingbirds don\u2019t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a sin to kill a mockingbird\u201d (126). This line introduces the novel\u2019s title and is a key theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. Boo Radley for example, is an example of a mockingbird in this context. Boo does not (intentionally) harm anyone, rather, he selflessly embraces Scout and Jem when they are ostracized by the rest of the town. Despite being hurt by his own family, Boo still gives unconditional love to the Finch\u2019s, while the rest of the town gives up on them. Boo nevertheless, still manages to do what he is able, when it comes to caring for his friends. I believe this quote applies not only to Boo but to Jem and Scout as well. <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nJem and Scout are both innocent characters, easily impressionable by their surroundings. They grow up in a racist, sexist, ableist town, and manage to maintain their acceptance and openness because of Atticus\u2019s values. Their witnessing of Tom Robinson\u2019s unjust sentence and murder, Mayella\u2019s sexual and physical abuse by her father, Boo\u2019s ostracisation, and their own social rejection and hatred from the town, emotionally and physically scars them. Jem confides in Scout, \u201cIf there\u2019s just one kind of folks, why can\u2019t they get along with each other? If they\u2019re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? Scout, I think I\u2019m beginning to understand something. I think I\u2019m beginning to understand why Boo Radley\u2019s stayed shut up in the house all this time . . . it\u2019s because he wants to stay inside\u201d (Lee 187). Jem changes after seeing the case, he leaves feeling angry, hurt, and let down by the racist values of his town. He also becomes physically disabled when Bob Ewell attacks him out of feeling spite for Atticus. Claudia Johnson states in her article, \u201cThe Importance of to Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d \u201cJem survives the attack but carries a permanent scar, a symbol of the disabling power of hatred and injustice. Scout says that as a result of the attack, \u2018Jem\u2019s left arm is slightly shorter than his right.\u2019 In this way, Jem shares a bond with Tom Robinson, for Robinson\u2019s left arm is shorter than his right.\u201d Although, Jem is born and grows up as an able bodied individual, it is the toxic, hateful climate of his own town that gives him this new disabled identity. Nevertheless, the novel ends with Atticus manipulating the death of Bob Ewell in a way that will protect Boo Radley. Jem, of course, agrees even if it means that he will be at fault for Bob Ewell\u2019s death. Atticus consistently teaches the children that doing the right thing always trumps being accepting by others.\u201cThe novel suggests that it is a moral imperative to act in accordance with one\u2019s own conscience, even if it means social ostracism\u201d (Jill May). Even after, Jem bears the psychological, emotional, and physical consequences of standing of realizing his own race\u2019s privileges, prejudices, and violently discriminatory acts, he still chooses ostracism and takes responsibility for Boo\u2019s protection, if it means protecting someone less privileged than himself. Possibly one of the most notable aspects of To Kill a Mockingbird is Lee\u2019s portrayal of race.
\nHarper unapologetically, represents the racism Black people faced in a predominantly White, racist town in the 1930\u2019s, primarily through Tom Robinson\u2019s court case. To Kill a Mockingbird could not be more unfiltered when accounting the unjust atrocities the Black characters experienced; whether it was Alexandria Hancock\u2019s consistent racism towards Calpurnia, the town\u2019s regular use of the N word, or most notably, Tom Robinson\u2019s false rape accusation, conviction, and violent death. \u201cThe novel also reflects the reality of racism in segregated towns in the 1930\u2019s. Blacks are commonly referred to as \u2018niggers\u2019 and are considered below the law. Many members of the White society feel justified in inflicting their own form of justice on Blacks\u201d (May, Jill). Tom Robinson, a young, Black man, like Jem, came into the world able-bodied and left the world disabled. As a poor, marginalized, child he had no option to survive, except to do dangerous work that left him with a handicap. As was revealed, in the court case by Atticus, his left arm was significantly shorter than his right arm after an accident. \u201cHe looked oddly off balance, but it was not from the way he was standing. His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him\u201d (Lee 248). Tom Robinson got used to this disability and still managed to find work and support his family made In the end it was societies treatment towards him because of the color of his skin that was most disabling to him. Throughout the case, Atticus made it very clear that Tom Robinson did not sexually or physically abuse Mayella Ewell as she claimed. More and more, he proved that there was no physical way that Tom could have assaulted her. There was also no logic to the narrative of her story. It is very strongly revealed that Bob Ewell sexually and physically abused her, not Tom. However, because Tom is a Black man, and Bob Ewell is White, Tom is wrongfully convicted and not Bob. There is a noticeable pattern in To Kill A Mockingbird, the intersecting of various identities plays a critical role in the formation of these characters roles and treatment in society. One interesting example of this intersection of these identities is Mayella Ewell.
\nMayella Ewell is a complicated character as she is both the victim and victimizer, the oppressed and the oppressor. As the oldest daughter of nearly a dozen siblings, in the notably poor Ewell family, she is essentially the mother and caregiver in her family. INSERT QUOTE Mayella is isolated from the rest of the town; however, Tom Robinson passes by her \u201chouse\u201d every day. Out of loneliness, she begins requesting help of Tom Robinson. Finally, after several interactions, she makes a pass at him. Tom Robinson respectfully, refuses; however, they are caught by Bob Ewell. Bob Ewell reacts by raping and beating his daughter. My interpretation of the situation is that Bob Ewell forces Mayella to accuse Tom Robinson of rape and battering when he sees the two of them together as punishment. I am in no way justifying Mayella\u2019s actions, that she agreed to wrongfully accuse a Black man of rape. I do see; however, that she did not have any power or choice in her relationship with her father. Like Tom she has limited choices, limited pathways that she can take in order to survive. Her survival, her access to food, to housing, to people, rests on her family, specifically her father. In order to maintain her survival and connection to family, she assumes the role of servant. The only way that she could keep that connection, is by acquiescing to the demands of her father, in this case accusing an innocent, Black man of rape. Although, it is made clear throughout the case that Bob Ewell was in fact the abuser, Mayella nor Tom Robinson receive justice, Tom Robinson is convicted and Bob Ewell remains free, which inevitably means Mayella will continue to be raped and battered. Additionally, Mayella cannot seem to understand Atticus\u2019s sensitivity towards her. \u201cAtticus raised his head. \u2018Do you want to tell us what happened?\u2019 But she did not hear the compassion in his invitation\u201d (166). Instead, she responds defensively and believes him to have conflicting intentions. This shows just how negatively she is being treated at home. Mayella\u2019s identity as a woman disables her, contrastly, her identity as a White person, empowers her.
\nLee did not want to write a novel with typical characters. Instead, Lee writes an honest story that criticizes the status quo of society, revealing how marginalized people experience life in a town that only acknowledges and accepts white, male, able bodied people. Lee goes even further and suggests that the indifferent, hateful values of the town are physically and emotionally disabling to the young generations, reflecting a need that these values need to be changed to create a brighter, more loving future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citations <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson, Claudia Durst. \u201cThe Importance of to Kill a Mockingbird.\u201d Children\u2019s Literature Review, edited by Jelena Krstovic, vol. 169, Gale, 2012. Literature Criticism Online, http:\/\/link.galegroup.com\/apps\/doc\/QBWATH243301480\/LCO?u=viva_mwc&sid=LCO&xid=7ea711be. Accessed 8 Apr. 2019. Originally published in To Kill a Mockingbird: Threatening Boundaries, Twayne Publishers, 1994, pp. 13-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May, Jill. \u201cIn Defense of to Kill a Mockingbird.\u201d Children\u2019s Literature Review, edited by Jelena Krstovic, vol. 169, Gale, 2012. Literature Criticism Online, http:\/\/link.galegroup.com\/apps\/doc\/OELDZU886764873\/LCO?u=viva_mwc&sid=LCO&xid=485f97c0. Accessed 8 Apr. 2019. Originally published in Censored Books: Critical Viewpoints, edited by Nicholas J. Karolides, et al., The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1993, pp. 476-484.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York :Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Word count: 2,081 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pledge. Claudia Woods. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Claudia Woods 4.9.19 Dr. Foss Disability and Literature Jem and Scout are both innocent characters, easily impressionable by their surroundings. They grow up in a racist, sexist, ableist town, and manage to maintain their acceptance and openness because of Atticus\u2019s values. Their witnessing of Tom Robinson\u2019s unjust sentence and murder, Mayella\u2019s sexual and physical abuse … Continue reading “Major Paper\/Project: [Harper Lee][To Kill a Mockingbird] Claudia Woods”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papJgd-lu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1332"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1333,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332\/revisions\/1333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.chris-foss.net\/dislit19\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}