Many people are unfairly judged, whether that be on first impressions, or how someone thinks someone should be based on stereotypes. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee we are shown that people are often wrongly discriminated against for their personal beliefs, outward appearance, or ideas through the Tom Robinson court case, the characterization of Boo Radley, and The Ewell family. Throughout the novel, Tom Robinson’s court case plays a crucial role in the development of the theme. Tom Robinson was a black man who had a disability that made it unlikely for him to be able to overcome anyone easily.
There were many characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that were victims of stereotyping. Some of these characters include Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. Scout is often stereotyped by her Aunt Alexandra, and by her neighbor, Mrs. Dubose for not being ladylike. Usually, Scout is wearing overalls, and is outside throughout the day with her brother Jem, and her friend Dill, instead of following the expectation for a lady and wearing dresses, and doing housework. Scout is aware of the stereotype that is held against her.
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird has a recurring theme of prejudice. Throughout the novel the narrator Scout Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley and colored people are faced with prejudice. Prejudice is an assumption about someone based solely on what they believe is true or on what they were told or taught. Scout experiences prejudice because of her age, Boo because he is seldom seen and colored people because of the color of their skin.
The Prejudice of Maycomb Prejudice is an unreasonable opinion formed without enough prior knowledge to be fair and completely accurate. This happens in How To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and it takes place during the 1930´s in Maycomb, Alabama. Prejudice is shown by the jury when Atticus gives more than enough information for Tom Robinson to be proven innocent. But the jury shows prejudice when it comes to blacks. Gender prejudice is shown when they won´t let women be a part of the jury.
The levelers of court have a sense of power that gives citizens a feeling of intimidation. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, gives us the feeling of unfairness and how people are treated by the way they look. In court people are treated unfairly and not all men are created equal. Throughout time there have been cases where people were accused of crime because of how they look. In the 1930s the case with the Scottsboro Boys was a case some say was unfair.
Racial prejudice is a theme that is evidently portrayed throughout this novel in many ways. Let's start from the beginning, racism has always been around in Maycomb County, which was pretty common around that time. It became more prominent later in the story when the Tom Robinson case came around. The white people of Maycomb were against Atticus and called him many names because of his choice to defend a black man in a court case against a white girl. In the ruling of this case, the judges were definitely racist as they deemed Tom Robinson guilty, because Atticus provided numerous pieces of evidence to prove that Tom was innocent.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view-”... “-- until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). Maycomb is an old town, a tired old town. When the weather is rainy the streets turn into red slop, grass grows on the sidewalks, and the courthouse sagged in square. In Maycomb lived Jem and Scout.
Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.
“Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…” (Lee 179). This quote from Reverend Sykes in To Kill a Mockingbird is a sort of summary of how and why Tom Robinson was wrongly convicted guilty. It also gives a lot of insight on race relations in this time period. Unfortunately, racism has yet to leave society.
Especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Tom Robinson Atticus Finch, and Jem Finch convey Harper Lee's message in To Kill a Mockingbird that discrimination can affect anyone lead to unfair society and harm those who are innocent which are formed by the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. This theme is conveyed through these 3
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee argues that Scout’s community of Maycomb, Alabama is not all good that there is discrimination, unfairness, and even evil because of the time period which was during the depression. “To kill a mockingbird” is to destroy innocence. In the novel Jem, Tom Robinson, Dill, Boo Radley, Mr. Raymond can be identified as mockingbirds, innocent people who have been injured or destroyed through contact with evil. In the novel there are three young kids that are protected and has never truly experienced the evil of the world. In their neighborhood they get to know their community more and start to realize and see the good in people and the evil.
Harper Lee depicts how racism will never cease to exist through the use of minor characters as shown by how family beliefs do not coincide on ethical dilemmas, young children are obliged to follow society’s mentality, and having it present amongst all races Racism will never end due to contradictions amongst family members on ethical dilemmas, despite having similar upbringings represented in the novel through the Finch family. With such contempt, Aunt Alexandra mentioned that “[they] don’t need [Calpurnia] ...” now that she moved in, after finding that the kids need a positive and feminine influence in their lives, notably Scout. However, Atticus stresses that “Cal’s lights are pretty good” in polite disapproval. Although the two siblings have spent considerable time together growing up, it is evident that their attitudes contradict on moralities when dealing with social justice issues like racism. Aunt Alexandra can be identified as a narrow-minded and obstinate person who is blinded by her own beliefs to see the wrong and bias in her mentality, along with many others today.
What if you were discriminated just because of your skin color? In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it was a very racist time black people were hated and discriminated. White people would always say the word “nigger” which was a racist term for black people. Even children would say “nigger” as if it was a common word and was no big deal. To Kill A Mockingbird evils of racisms because African American were hated was not treated fairly.
In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.
“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” This is a quote from Atticus Finch, a courageous and wise character from Harper Lee 's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. The story is told through the perspective of a young girl, Jean Louise ¨Scout¨ Finch. She lives with her older brother, Jeremy, and widowed father and prominent lawyer, Atticus, in Maycomb, Alabama during the time of the Great Depression. Throughout the novel, the children experience the injustice and prejudice of society through a tough case that their father was appointed to and are taught to respect and tolerate all people, despite their differences.