Gossip is very prevalent in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In her novel Harper Lee uses gossip in a very interesting way. Throughout the beginning of the novel her character Arthur “Boo” Radley is completely built off of gossip and the opinions of others. Boo Radley hasn’t been seen outside of his house since he was an adolescent because his religious father kept him in there for the crime he did in the past. Therefore the last image the town had of Boo was a bad one, that bad image has led the people in the town to make more stories about him. They say that Boo stabbed his father with scissors once upon time, and that he sneaks out in the middle of the night to do terrible things, yet no one has any proof of these things actually happening. You haven’t met Boo straight out at any point in the story, yet he has been characterized by gossip. Another character in the book sheds light on how these might be rumors, Miss Maudie, because she remembers Boo as quite the opposite of what he is being shown as. Gossip is depicting this character and changing the way people look at him. People are scared that the fruit from his tree is poisoned, that they have to run by his house, when in actuality, the only thing they’re scared of is the gossip that has been spread. To Kill a Mockingbird relates to the movie ‘Doubt’ because they both have gossip in them. In ‘Doubt’ a priest is approached by a woman who has gossiped about another, asking if gossip is a sin. The priest says yes, and shows an example of what gossip is. The woman is told to cut open a pillow on her roof, the feathers then go everywhere, just as gossip goes everywhere and that you could never pick up every feather that has flown away, or every lie that has become, due to the gossip. Gossip not only sets a prejudice against what looks to be an innocent character in To Kill a Mockingbird, gossip also sets prejudice against anyone who is or acts differently. When Atticus, Scout’s father, goes to take on the case of a Negro, Tom Robinson, the town sets him apart for defending someone who is “not like them”. They in a sense look down upon him, because he is doing something out of the ordinary and instead of asking him why, they make things up. Gossip can clearly set people apart, pushing them away from society, family, or living life such as Boo. What rings true in To Kill a Mockingbird, also rings true in real life. We tend to base opinions based off of what others say, whether true or not. As shown, gossip can be distorted, and out of your control. It is without a doubt, that Harper Lee is sending a message about gossip, weaving it into all parts of her book.
