Fear, anxiety, terror, horror and alarm are all synonyms of the word fear, while narrow-mindedness and prejudice are synonyms of prejudice. In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, fear is shown as illogical or logical, depending on what point of view it comes from and how people react to it. So “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself” or is the real world a place full of fear? According to Lee, the answer is both. The comparison between Jem and Scout's fear of Boo Radley and Bob Ewell, Boo's fear of the outside world, and Mayella's fear of her father's will are used to illustrate this point. Lee uses the theme of fear and the lack of fear is used to highlight the problems and prejudices in Maycomb and in the characters' lives. To Kill A Mockingbird is told from the point of view of young Scout Finch, the daughter of a Maycomb lawyer. County, Alabama in the 1930s. It includes the various adventures of Scout, her older brother Jem, and their friend Dill, such as their obsession with Boo Radley. The trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, is the crux of the story. Atticus, Scout and Jem's father, takes on the impossible task of defending Tom Robinson, the man accused of the crime, but loses due to the jury's racism and prejudice. Over the course of the book, Maycomb's many problems are revealed and Scout and Jem grow up. Fear through children's eyes: Something that should be scary won't scare them, while something else can scare them to death. Children's fears are also easily changed and influenced by people and problems. Jem and Scout's fears, and lack thereof, are the perfect example of this. Jem, Scout, and Dill create this "monster next door" based on what adults have told them about...... middle of paper ...... ombination and that we shouldn't be afraid of something because of prejudice or ignorance. Using Jem and Scout's fear of Boo Radley and their lack of fear of Bob Ewell, Lee shows that children are very impressionable and adult prejudice can cause fears of things that don't deserve it, like Boo. Maycomb County is a town full of judgment, gossip, and fear of the unknown. Bob Ewell was a crook with bad intentions and was not feared at all, while Boo Radley was an innocent hermit due to the judgment of the city. As Jem eloquently said, "I think I'm starting to understand why Boo Radley's been stuck in the house all this time... it's because he wants to stay in." (227) The reason things were the way they were in Maycomb is because fears and prejudices are passed down from generation to generation. Works Cited To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee