“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.” - Friedrich Nietzsche. Society used to be corrupt and still is corrupt. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird goes into depth about what these times were like in some towns. A majority of the protagonists in To Kill a Mockingbird live in a town known as Maycomb. This society is easily shown to be racist and corrupted. However, the protagonists are taught to look past what society thinks is wrong, and what is actually wrong. Corruption, prejudice, and stereotypes are used commonly as examples. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the character of Atticus to convey that corruption will only pass on to those who give into it. …show more content…
Scout wonders why Atticus is going along with something that society did not agree with, defending a negro who has been claimed to commit a crime, but he responds with saying it was the right thing to do and that the society was corrupt. “If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?” “For a number of reasons, the main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.”(100) This adds to the kind of character Atticus is, he is bold for being the one to stand up for what is right in a corrupt society. Atticus is shown to have a strong belief in equallity, while everyone else is judged merely for the color of their skin. This gives to how Atticus is able to resist corruption, not showing prejudice to those who didn’t do anything to deserve