In To Kill a Mockingbird, what was the role of fear in the novel?

In To Kill a Mockingbird, fear is a central theme especially in the way Harper Lee shows race relations in the town of Maycomb.  The white society of Maycomb are holding onto old values of superiority and privilege that they are afraid will be undermined by members of the black community.  Because whites have been in power for so long, they are anxious to keep it that way.  The discriminatory practices and blatant racism...

In To Kill a Mockingbird, fear is a central theme especially in the way Harper Lee shows race relations in the town of Maycomb.  The white society of Maycomb are holding onto old values of superiority and privilege that they are afraid will be undermined by members of the black community.  Because whites have been in power for so long, they are anxious to keep it that way.  The discriminatory practices and blatant racism seen throughout the novel show the fear embedded in their psyches.  Whites in Maycomb do not want to give up the privileges afforded them simply because they are white.  For example, despite Bob Ewell’s status as the lowest example of “white trash”, he and his daughter, Mayella, are still awarded privilege in the courtroom when the jury decides to believe a white man and woman over a black man’s testimony.  There was never a question in the mind of Atticus or the jury if the decision would go for or against Tom Robinson.  Racism and privilege dictated the verdict.

Blacks in the community of Maycomb are also fearful of the racism that exists.  It affects their daily lives where they live, where they work, and how they are treated.  The attempts of the lynch mob to hang Tom Robinson are an example of the unjust treatment blacks received.  Tom Robinson’s “escape attempt” shows the fear he has to go to prison and leave his family unable to survive without him.   During this Jim Crow era of the South, blacks were not given many rights, and they understood that if they didn’t adapt to the social codes of the whites, they would be in grave danger.

Fear is a major theme because of the dynamics of race relations in Maycomb during this time.