The Prejudice Community of Maycomb The book “To kill a Mockingbird” is based in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama during the great depression. Some of the main characters are Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell, Atticus Finch, and many more. Tom Robinson is a black male who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell who is Bob Ewell's daughter. Atticus Finch is the lawyer defending Tom and has to put up a battle against the Ewells and the jury to try and defend this man.
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.
Prejudice is preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. According to Oxford Dictionary. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird prejudice is one of the main topics. This is demonstrated in the trial and The kids tresspancence into the Radley yard & Lulas reaction to Calpernia bringing Jem & Scout to the Jim Crow church.
Tom Robinson, a black man with a crippled left hand, is an outcast in society due to the color of his skin. When accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a traumatized white girl, the town views him as an abomination to society. As Tom’s defense lawyer, Atticus Finch calls out the town on their racial judgments as he states, “...confident that you gentlemen would go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings…” (Lee 232). A majority of the white community believes that Tom is a monster due to the color of his skin, therefore, when he is accused of raping Mayella, this intensifies.
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee has many powerful characters that have been greatly affected by the prejudice system back in the 1930s. Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley are all characters from this novel who have had biased accusations made against them. Tom Robinson, a twenty-five year old black man with a family of his own, was falsely accused of raping nineteen year old Mayella Ewell. Dolphus Raymond is a white man who is married to a black woman and is profoundly judged for his decisions. Boo Radley is a very mysterious character in this book, he has a very parochial outlook on things as he has hardly ever left his home.
One of the key themes of the novel is the idea of prejudice. Throughout the book, we see how people are judged based on their race or social status, rather than on their character. This is particularly evident in the case of Tom Robinson, who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. Despite the overwhelming evidence in his favor, he is still found guilty because of the color of his skin. This is a powerful reminder of the ways that prejudice can affect people's lives.
Prejudice meaning adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge of the facts, was a huge factor in the novel, '' To Kill A Mockingbird'' by Harper Lee. There were three types of prejudice throughout the book, they are the racism prejudice, gender prejudice and the social classes prejudice. Also prejudice was pretty common thing in the middle 1900's, so be glad you weren't raised then. There are handfuls of examples throughout the book, some of them being very discreet. ''
Prejudice is an opinion formed without knowing the facts, by ignoring them. She uses people like the Cunninghams, Ewells, Aunt Alexandra and Tom Robinson to develop her argument. The first part is about when it is the first day of school and the first grade has a new teacher Miss Caroline. Another section is when Aunt Alexandra wants to get rid of Calpurnia for some things she has done and when Tom Robinson is put on trial for an incident that did not happen the way Bob Ewell portrayed it.
Louise Champagne Mrs. Lindsay Language Arts 4 March 2023 Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice is a preconceived opinion that is not based on actual experience. It can drastically affect people’s everyday life. Prejudice also plays a strong role in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee shows prejudice throughout her novel in many ways.
Despite overwhelming evidence of Tom's innocence, including the compelling testimony of Atticus Finch, Scout's father and the defense attorney, Tom is convicted based solely on his race. This starkly illuminates the deeply ingrained racial bias and prejudice that prevailed in the justice system of that time, where black individuals were automatically presumed guilty solely based on the color of their skin. Tom's tragic fate underscores the harsh reality of racial discrimination, where African Americans were denied basic rights and treated as inferior to white people merely due to their race.
Zeke Vanguardia Mrs. O’Hagan Language Arts 2 05 June 2023 Innocence of Mockingbirds Prejudice and stereotypes are of human nature; though, they are commonly rooted through misguidance and rumors. In Harper Lee’s golden classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch is exposed to various forms of prejudice and stereotypes in her adolescent years. The novel takes place in 1930s Maycomb, Alabama–a town that was told to be rampant with prejudice and stereotypes known as “Maycomb’s Disease.” Told through Scout’s perspective, the classic recalls eye-opening events of Scout’s youth, such as the heavy tension between families and Tom Robinson’s trial. Another essential account occurs when Scout and her brother, Jem, had received air rifles
A Fading Preconception Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the town of Maycomb prejudices Tom Robinson for his skin tone and previous experiences with negro men and women. To Kill a Mockingbird took place during The Great Depression. People were losing their jobs and beloved families. Tom Robinson, a negro man in To Kill a Mockingbird, had to deal with the entire town of Maycomb against him during the Great Depression. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee shows how the town of Maycomb goes against a black man in the south during times of prejudice and racism.
Social prejudice is shown throughout Harper Lee’s award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee powerfully analyses the theme social prejudice, and its effect on people. Such as how the Social prejudice is discrimination based on your status in society. An example of social prejudice would be the Radley family, which consists of Boo Radley, Nathan Radley and Arthur Radley. As they haven’t been out of their house in years people are lead to believe the rumours.
Prejudice is an opinion with no real reason or experience that supports it. Prejudice can come in many different forms and many are shown in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s when racism and sexism was everywhere and the idea of prejudice fueled many of these broader topics. Oftentimes racist and sexist ideas are passed down by other people's opinions, so what one person is told may allow them to create their own similar opinion, this is also how prejudice is spread. People are not born prejudiced but rather learn prejudiced ideas as they grow, however there are ways to avoid prejudice and to remain indifferent towards prejudiced opinions.
Prejudice Brings Inequality Imagine that you are a framed black man sitting in the middle of a courtroom full of people that are mostly against you. The man that’s defending you, Atticus Finch, has just handed the floor to Mr. Gilmer, the man that’s defending the person that has framed you. You’re scared, nervous, and you have no idea what to do. You know that Mr. Gilmer is going to cut up the little dignity that you have. This is how Tom Robinson feels during the trial scene of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.