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Examples Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Bias and Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird
Spending their childhood growing up in a small town in Alabama, Jem and Scout come to know the views of those around them. Many folks in Maycomb, Alabama have very strong views on those of different race and social class. The reader can see the prejudice against different races, the bias that was shown to those of a lower social class, and the prejudice towards the outcasts of Maycomb. Lee does an excellent job of portraying the loss and courage of the characters in the novel and she also shows the reader different themes throughout. Bias and prejudice against race and social class is one of the strongest themes Lee portrays throughout the novel.
Prejudice against different races is clearly shown with the African American character Tom Robinson. Tom’s final verdict at his trial was guilty, but Lee …show more content…

Lee shows this in many ways and one of those ways was with Boo Radley. “Boo Radley was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks, he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained” (16). Even though they had never met or seen Boo, the children have heard many rumours about him from neighbours which shows that they have cast him out of their society. In the first few chapters, Scout is afraid of Boo Radley because of the stories she hears about him. “Every night sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified three fold, every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge, every passing Negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley loose and after us” (74). The quote shows more about the people of Maycomb rather than about Scout. Scout was afraid of Boo Radley and that he would come seeking revenge. Even though Boo is a nice man, she only knows the stories from those around her. Boo Radley was a mystery to the people of Maycomb and was feeling more prejudice than he should

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At first, Scout and her brother, Jem, had feared Boo Radley because of the rumors spread of him like “he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows”(9) or “when people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them”(9). However, Scout and Jem begin to learn more of Boo Radley and his life, they begin to see him as a human when Scout says “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough”(279). This shows that Scout and Jem have come to understand Boo’s perspective and have developed empathy for him.

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And Boo Radley felt that he didn’t fit in or wasn’t like the rest of the people in Maycomb county. Throughout almost the whole book he is misunderstood and judged, but when Scout met him, he was nothing like a scary monster he was. He was just like any other person in Maycomb County. As for Scout, she is really close to her dad, Atticus, and she was kind of a tomboy.

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Throughout the story “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee to lead characters Jem and Scout come to terms with their feelings about Boo Radley. In the novel Boo Radley is a recluse who doesn't leave his house. Throughout the novel Boo leaves Jem, Scout and Dill little presents and making their thoughts grow more fondly of Boo. In the novel as scout grows older, she grows wiser. At the beginning of the book Boo isn't considered a human being to her he’s considered a myth, and she begins to understand Boo’s life.

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Prejudice leads to many consequences. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee shows us how the evils of prejudice impact on the lives of innocent people such as Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch, the most famous lawyer in Maycomb County, is a highly respected and honoured individual in the community who becomes a victim of prejudice. Atticus, a white man is defending Tom Robinson, a black man.

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