Fear in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Fear is an important force in the novel because it is the cause of most people's actions. The main theme of the book is the result of fear, as in the case of Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Ignorance breeds fear, which in turn breeds prejudice. Fear is contagious and every character in the book is influenced by the fear of others. So, people in the southern city are always afraid. Lee is able to explore fear in the novel more effectively by seeing how individual characters are affected by it. In particular, Mayella Ewell is very influenced and manipulated, as evidenced by the fact that she accuses Tom. The reasoning behind the Tom Robinson case trial is that Mayella Ewell is afraid of being "persecuted by [them] means as unfit to live with." Mayella is forced to put an innocent man in prison because she wants to hide "the evidence of her crime" and save herself from another punishment. She has reason to be afraid, as Atticus implies that she has been "savagely beaten" by Bob Ewell. Therefore, she not only fears being expelled from society, but also fears being physically abused. This fear was passed on to her by her father, Bob Ewell, who considers himself a "respectable white man." He signs the warrant because he fears losing the community's respect if they find out his daughter has "kissed a black man." He also fears losing his reputation and so vents his anger on his daughter by abusing her. This anger is the result of his prejudice. He was angry at his daughter for kissing a black man because he "hates and despises black people." ...... middle of paper ...... strong strength in the book as each character is affected individually. It is rarely directly referenced throughout the novel, yet it is such a powerful force behind so many actions. Lee explores emotion in many forms, and Scout ultimately proves that although she has discovered that people can be evil in unfathomable ways, she still maintains her faith in mankind and can face anything with courage. Unlike Dill, he discovers that the real world follows patterns, and once known, the world of fantasy and books is the only place where true fear can exist. From the beginning of the novel, where Scout is afraid of Boo, of school, and of things she doesn't understand, Scout has learned to understand that fear is not necessary. In this way all of Maycomb County fears something irrational, fears, fears.