Prejudice: an opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Prejudices can kill, especially when there is power involved. Harper Lee composed one of the most famous to exist, To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book that discusses difficult subjects like racism, rape, and murder. The main event in the book is when Atticus is representing Tom Robinson, a black man, that is accused of raping the daughter of Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is convicted by a white man, Bob Ewell, that has made the claim that Tom Robinson has raped his daughter. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many obstructive prejudices that divide the community of Maycomb such as sexism, racism, and classism.
Sexism is a prejudice in To
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Aunt Alexandra compares the Cunninghams, more specifically Walter Cunningham to Jem. She said that no matter how well-dressed or how put together Walter Cunningham looks he’ll never look as good or be like Jem. The hierarchy of maycomb is unmistakably clear, there are 4 levels of social classes based on skin color and job status/profession, the finches are in the highest social class of maycomb while the finches are in the social class below. Aunt Alexandra is a rude woman who thinks she is better than everyone, “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks” (Lee 255). This is very classist of Aunt Alexandra by teaching the children the hierarchy of Maycomb. The rich whites: The Finches and Miss Maudie, the humble, poor white people: the Cunninghams, the trashy white people: The Ewells, and the colored, or black people. This divides the community by teaching and passing on the isolating groups that is applied to the families of maycomb. Classism is recognized in Maycomb as just what differentiates the families, but what is not seen or taken seriously is Scout trying to beat up Walter Cunningham for her embarrasment that she faces when she is caught talking in school and she blames it on walter. This is a huge issue and should be recognized as one because she is doing what she sees her family, Aunt Alexandra more specifically, doing, blaming and accusing the lower social class for mistakes that have been made. Classism is a major issue in To Kill a Mockingbird that isn’t addressed as