Life is a constant battle between right and wrong, and what comes in between is fear. It is either constantly limiting people, resulting in some cowardice acts by the jury and Aunt Alexandra, or it is motivating them to do the honorable thing like Atticus and Jem. A single fear can greatly impact not only one’s life but an entire community and this is seen through the weakness or bravery of many of the characters in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, demonstrating that our reputations are built on the way we handle our fears.

To begin with, fears are meant to be overcome, but Harper Lee shows us a number of characters, like the jury and Alexandra, that succumbed to them instead, and in turn, they influenced many of Maycomb's townspeople to do the same. After being presented with bullet-proof evidence and Tom Robinson's convincing testimony, the unlawful jury took Mayella's side in the verdict because they were afraid of being labelled as "nigger-lovers". This idea was repeated by Atticus in chapter 23 when he advises Jem, "So far, nothing in your life has interfered with your reasoning process. Those are twelve reasonable men in everyday life, Tom's jury, but you saw something come between them and reason." (233) While Jem has never feared equality between races, the jury has because in the eyes of Maycomb, they would be betraying the white race. To avoid the endless knocks at their doors by white people questioning their loyalty, they decide to uphold the ridiculous assumption that all blacks are liars by declaring Tom guilty. This effects the entire town because a quick decision to hurt an innocent rather than face a fear will not only prove cowardliness, but also encourage racism within the community, demonstrating how easily a single reaction can determine someone's entire reputation. Always worrying about what others think of you is another fear left