Examples Of Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

The Prominence of Discriminations Other Than Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird
“‘There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life.”’ (251). Through the duration of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is a highly prevalent form of discrimination mentioned, whether it be through characters identifying, witnessing, or even experiencing such prejudices. However, racism is not the sole act of inequity to be noted in the story; forms of discrimination, including sexism, classism, and the victimization of preconceived characters are all acknowledged. Although

Dubose and Boo Radley. Characters preconceived in the novel all share the trait of revealing a part of themselves after mistreatment, allowing their natures to seem less negative than first assumed. For example, Mrs. Dubose, whom Jem and Scout often pass by on their journeys to and from the house during the summer, often ridicule the siblings as they walk by, leading to the conception of her being heartless, repulsive, and even racist. Jem eventually reacts to Mrs. Dubose in a rage after constantly listening to her complaints, including her disapproval of Atticus defending Tom Robinson in a case. Jem’s reaction causes him to cut off the tops of Mrs. Dubose’s camellia plants, and in an act of apology, Atticus requires Jem to read to Mrs. Dubose every day for a month; every day, as Scout tags along with Jem, Mrs. Dubose sets an alarm for a time at which Jem can stop reading to her for that day, and as the days go on, the time appears to increase. Eventually, Jem and Scout keep from reading to Mrs. Dubose after the month they were required to visit her; what follows is Mrs. Dubose’s sudden death. Atticus later reveals to the children that Mrs. Dubose was severely ill and used morphine extensively, and that reading to her helped her to break off from her morphine

Through the duration of the novel, Scout shows how she grows from a naive young girl into a more knowledgeable young lady with more insight of those around her, as she comes to find what it means “to kill a mockingbird.” “‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’” (103). As she encounters various forms of discrimination, she soon matures and additionally comes to the true meaning of the phrase, therefore unlocking the entire notion that is meant for the novel. When it is referred to as a sin to kill a mockingbird, the book emits the message that it is not right for one to discriminate against others who have done nothing to harm and who even bring joy to those around them; the message therefore reflects back on the many methods in which characters in To Kill a Mockingbird discriminate others in numerous forms, although one may not know the true intentions of the persecuted characters. “‘Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’”