One may ask the question "What roles do illusion and reality play in the perception of ourselves and others?". Illusion and reality both play a role in the definition of our perception. Illusion is the stereotype, the racist idea, while reality is the truth that one sees when he/she looks closely and tries to understand. This may be seen in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Once, during Jem, Dill, and Scout's investigation of Boo Radley, or Mr. Arthur Radley, another time, during the whole jury's verdict against clearly innocent Tom Robinson, and yet again, in the illusion that Dolphus Raymond is always drunk and that is why he is in the situation that he is in.
An example of when one looks closely, and goes past the shell of illusion and sees reality is in Boo Radley's case. Jem and Scout think that he is crazy or extremely evil, because of the stories they hear about him. One can see in the following quote the story of Boo Radley when he was a juvenile : "According to neighbourhood legend, when the younger Radley boy was in his teens he became aquainted with some of the Cunninghams [...] and they formed the nearest thing to a gang ever seen in Maycomb. [...]" (Lee 15-16). …
