A Calamity of Souls

The novel emphasizes the importance of fighting back against bullies. The term “bully” is first used when Jack remembers being a child and how bullies picked on him due to his sister’s developmental disabilities. Despite Jack’s fear, his mother convinced him that he needed to stand up to the bullies to get them to stop, otherwise they would “own” him. Jack ultimately punched one in the face, leading to reprieve from their abuse.

The idea of bullying recurs after Lucy’s death. Again, the novel emphasizes that one does not back down from bullies. As Jack meets with his mother in the hospital, he is on the verge of leaving the case to protect his family. However, his mother instructs him that the best way to deal with a bully is to “punch those people right in the damn face” (264). This marks a change in Hilly’s character; she succeeds at Overcoming Personal Bias by demanding that Jack remain on the case in an effort to combat the “bullies” that are trying to perpetuate racism.

DuBose evokes Hilly’s lesson on bullies later in the novel as she talks with Battle. DuBose calls the people above Battle “bullies” and tells him that, if he lets them control him, they win. She states: “A wise woman once told [her] that if you let the bully win he never goes away” (286). DuBose’s use of the phrase “wise woman” shows that she has accepted Hilly, putting aside her earlier belief that Hilly was “a typical racist” (150). DuBose looks past her initial impression and see the similarities in their situations.