Discrimination has plagued mankind for thousands of years. During the time of Jesus, the Jews in Judea and Galilee hated the Samaritans. To travel from the southern region up to the north, a Jew would walk all the way around Samaria instead of cutting across. But often when someone hears the word “racism” he or she immediately thinks of the history between “whites” and “blacks” in the South. In the well-known novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this tension exists in the small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Many events in this book illustrate racism, specifically the trial of Tom Robinson, Lula’s contempt for Jem and Scout, and the significant mention of Hitler’s treatment of the Jewish people in Germany. Tom Robinson’s trial stands out as an obvious example of racism. The townspeople find fault in Tom not because he committed a crime, but because his skin is a few shades darker than theirs. Atticus rightly says, “‘To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white’” (231). The jury names Tom guilty of an offense he didn’t do. All the evidence proclaims Tom an innocent man, but man's false assumptions blot out the truth. Prejudice is like a blindfold-it prevents an individual from seeing the light. …show more content…
At one point, Calpurnia brings Jem and Scout to her church, First Purchase A.M.E. A black woman named Lula asks Cal why white children are attending a black church. She believes the white people have no right to socialize with black people. But Calpurnia retorts, “‘It’s the same God, ain’t it?’” (136) Fortunately, the rest of the black community gladly welcomes the Finch children and apologize for Lula’s behavior. Lula’s contemptuous attitude toward Jem and Scout is equally wrong to the town’s attitude toward Tom