Examples Of Identity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Identity To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961 and the Quill Award for Audio in 2007. The power of the book is created by its unreal imagery of how identity is morphed by society and the immense impact that identity has on everyone’s lives. These identity-shaping social factors include race, gender, and social class. Race is the final social force that impacts identity in the book. The book is about prejudice and racism itself, and the characters are strongly judged by their race as well As the story progresses, the reality of racism becomes more clear to Scout. The examples she encounters become increasingly stark and impact more people in Maycomb, leading up to the death of Tom Robinson. However, The treatment of Jem and Scout at First Purchase African M.E

Near the middle of the novel, in Chapter Twelve, Atticus leaves the kids with Calpurnia for two weeks due to the state legislature being called into an emergency session. That Saturday, Calpurnia explains to Jem and Scout that she will take the two to church with her the following Sunday. That Sunday, the children are confused as to why Calpurnia makes them bathe and dress formally. Jem curiously says, “It’s like we were goin’ to Mardi Gras… What’s all this for, Cal?” (Lee 118). Calpurnia responds,"I don’t want anybody sayin’ I don’t look after my children.” (Lee 118). This reveals that Calpurnia is expected by her peers to be a responsible parent figure for the white children; as they are a reflection of Calpurnia. When Calpurnia, Jem, and Scout arrive at the church, they are confronted by a character named Lula, a parishioner. Lula then asks Calpurnia why she would even think to bring white children to an African American church. Calpurnia then explains that they are her company, Lula quickly becomes irritated and states, “[y]ou ain’t got no