In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that prejudice divides communities and that persecution of innocent people is evil; furthermore; these two minor themes reinforce the major thematic idea that a simple assumption can divide people. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for supposedly raped Mayella Ewell, the racism in Maycomb surfaces and creates conflict. In the novel, a stranger says, “You know what we want,” ‘another man said.’ “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.”(172). Some drunken men want to harm Tom Robinson for the wrong that he did. Atticus knows that these men want to harm Tom so he purposely sits outside the jailhouse to prevent any more conflict. Racism is still a very big thing in our country even after 70 years …show more content…
People need to start thinking before speaking. In addition, Scouts hears her teacher makes a racist comment about african americans, a clean act of hypocrisy even Scout can tell is immoral. For example, when Scout and Jem are walking down the courthouse, she hears, “Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was--she was goin' down the steps in front of us, you musta not see her--she was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home--"( ). When she hears this, Scout does not understand why her decent teacher seems to disapprove persecution when she actually is promoting it. Lastly, when the people blindly accept the Ewell’s claim that Tom Robinson committed this crime merely because he is black, the results are all divisive. In the novel, the jury says, “Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty…” ‘I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate