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
a bedroom dresser. Although, Mayella really came onto Tom, hugging him and asking her to kiss him, just when Mr. Ewell appears in the window. He calls her a whore and ultimately threatens to kill her. Although it is not stated, it is known that Mr. Euwell proceeded to abuse Mayella and make her lie about what really happened. It is made even more obvious that Tom Robinson is not guilty when Link Deas, Tom’s white employer, stands up and declares that in eight years of work, he has never had any trouble from Tom. Even a white man admitted to Tom being a nice man adds up to reasons why Tom should be freed from guilt. Along with racism emerge injustice and even more racism, in which the jury of the trial was filled with old, racist men who would love to see nothing more than Tom Robinson put to death just because of his race. Although the reader doesn’t know the results of the trial at the end of chapter 19, one can make a hypothesis that Tom Robinson will be lynched or put in jail for life, on account of who is hearing his case. Also, abuse plays a large role in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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
abuse play into the text.

Harper Lee makes it apparent that her story revolves around racism, abuse, and apathy. This is shown through Tom Robinson’s trial in court vs. the Ewell’s, Boo Radley’s situation at home, and lastly the town of Maycomb’s apathetic acts towards Boo Radley’s home life. These 3 main themes all mold To Kill a Mockingbird into the story of injustice that it is.