Examples Of Mob Mentality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee is famous for writing the American classic To Kill a Mockingbird, a book about racism during the Great Depression and how it affects young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and the entire town of Maycomb, Alabama. It is not difficult to realize how several historical incidents could have influenced the writing of her book. These are the Jim Crow laws, mob mentality, and the Scottsboro trials. To start, the Jim Crow laws are sets of rigid anti- Black laws that are meant to make Whites feel superior and engrain fear in African Americans. They were part of a radical caste system, leaving African Americans at the bottom (Pilgrim 1). Many people see these laws as a way of life; consequently most of the country sees them as second-class

Although, there are other types of mob mentalities, such as herd behavior and herd mentality. A paper created by S.E. Smith describes herd behavior as the conscious decision that an action must be worthwhile if everyone is doing the specific action. In a famous photograph many people appear next to two African American boys who have been lynched and hang dead over their heads. Although, the people under them are not concerned with the fact that they are dead and appear to be enjoying their handiwork that left these two boys dead (Beitler). Likewise, people, and animals, tend to do what others are doing around them (Smith). Observers started noticing these behaviors in animals long before they discovered that these behaviors are also very evident in humans. It was not until the 20th century that observers started realizing this about humans. Additionally, herd mentality is a more conscious behavior influenced by peer pressure, a need of acceptance, and a desire for belonging and people who struggle with being themselves and are therefore more susceptible to obtain this way of thinking and behaving (Smith). This form of mob mentality causes people to behave summarily to what others in the group are doing. The article

The Scottsboro trials are a set of very famous trials, which lead directly after a group of African American boys got off a train with two white women. During the train ride the group of African American men gets in a fight with some White men and the white men end up getting thrown off the train. These White men would later testify against the African American men. It soon became evident that the two women might be in trouble with the law and so the group of nine African American boys became their scapegoat (Johnson). They accuse the men of raping them on the train. Throughout the trial new evidence against the two women’s claims started to appear and one of the women even says that it did not happen and that they had lied(Johnson). Eight of the nine are sentenced to death and the ninth is declared mistrial for his young age (Johnson). This is very similar to the book To Kill a Mockingbird, for countless reasons. Both of the situations are in the 1930’s during the Great Depression a time of large amounts of racism. Both of these trials revolve around racism and prejudice, and without it the trial would have been just another ordinary they are right and they are wrong. Even though the answer was not hard to see because of the object of racism the trails made making the right decision increasingly difficult (Johnson). They both take place in the heart of