Hypocrisy in “To Kill a Mockingbird”: Unveiling the Dual Nature

Introduction

Hypocrisy is the act of feigning a character or image that has higher moral standards than what is true of the person. Most people in any community are hypocrites. This can be shown through Mrs. Merriweather’s half-functioning sympathy and the unfair verdict of the Tom Robinson case. However, there are a few characters, like Calpurnia and Atticus, who are authentic in character. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that hypocrisy is abundant and only a few people can be true to their morals.

Hypocrisy Amidst Sympathy: The Missionary Circle's Contradictions

Through the women’s sympathy towards the Mrunas in Africa, Lee demonstrates that numerous people do not realize that they are not living up to their morals. When the women bring up poverty in Africa during the missionary circle, the author writes that “Mrs. Merriweather’s large brown eyes always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed” (308). Lee specifically uses the word “oppressed” because she wants to show how Maycomb blacks and the Mrunas, who are both ill-treated, receive very different reactions from the women. The word “considered” relates to the theme of hypocrisy because the members of the missionary circle neglect the prejudiced, who are the Maycomb blacks, in their community but have the heart to sympathize with the Mrunas, whom they have never seen. Right as Mrs. Merriweather’s maid, Mrs. Farris, comes by the missionary circle, she remarks, “‘I tell you there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky…[it] just ruins your day to have one of ‘em in your kitchen’” (310). Lee specifically uses the word “distracting” to describe how her maid affects Mrs. Merriweather because she wants to show that the women have no sympathy for colored people. Furthermore, when Lee writes that the maid “ruins your day,” she demonstrates that Mrs. Merriweather is an example of hypocrisy because she tears up for the Mrunas in Africa but is annoyed by the presence of her maid. Therefore, many women in Maycomb lack authenticity in their words.

Conclusion

In any community, hypocrites are quite easy to find, and only a small amount of people can live true to their morals. In Maycomb, the missionary circle and the white jury show examples of hypocrisy, while Atticus and Calpurnia are the rare instances that follow through with their words. Similarly, although taught from a young age that cheating is not right, many students, especially at higher levels of education, turn to cheating for their own benefit. Authenticity is a challenge for citizens because of the desire of wanting to appear as the best version of themselves.

References

1. "Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee" by Charles J. Shields

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