One example of Jim Crow etiquette norms in To Kill A Mockingbird is that a black male could not offer his hand or any other part of his body to a white woman. If he did, he would be accused of rape. Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella Ewell because Mr.Ewell saw him touch his daughter. Since nobody wants to go around the Ewells and the Ewells do whatever they want, Atticus is fighting for the defendant, but knows that the result will still be the same. Later on in the book, we find out that Mr.Ewell abuses his daughter.
Numerous authors and historians have found inspiration and fascination in the myths, realities, and legacies of the American frontier. Bruce Catton, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War historian, wrote a memoir of his youth in a small town in western Michigan created by religious idealists in the late 1800s. Waiting for the Morning Train is a nostalgic and lyrical depiction of an earlier time period, as well as a reflection on the personal and social changes that Catton experienced growing up around the turn of the twentieth century. In this paper, I will focus on one of Catton's primary themes, the impact of the lumber business on the environment and the economy of Michigan. I'll look at how Catton watched his state's shift from wilderness
Another person who is stereotyped in this novel is Mrs. Dubose, a woman who is also known as “The meanest old woman who ever lived”. Mrs. Dubose is one of the many people who are against Atticus and she is one of the people who call him a “nigger lover”. At the beginning of the novel Mrs. Dubose is depicted as an angry old lady, who is an overall seems to be bitter and has a horrible attitude. In reality Mrs. Dubose is an old woman who is suffering from an addiction that she is trying to break. She knows that she isn’t going to win her battle with addiction but she tries anyways and uses Jem reading to her as a distraction to make it easier for her.
Even if Scout said hi, Mrs Dubose reply back, “Dont u say hey to me, you ugly girl! You say good afternoon, Mrs. Dubose!”(99). This led Jem and Scout to believe that she was just a old mean lady that did nothing but interrogated them and banter about. Moreover Mrs. Dubose statement about his father being, “no better than the niggers and trash he works for” (102) hit Jems nerve or patience. Yet after he came every afternoon after school and saturdays to read to her out loud for two hours” (105), who he realized was just really sick.
In the 1930’s disrespect was a big problem because people didn’t accept others for who they were, when we are really all the same on the inside. In To Kill a Mockingbird disrespect is shown because the story is set in the 1930’s, in a small town called Maycomb. Jem and Scout’s father is defending a black man in court. The black man, Tom, was on trial for being accused of rapping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Disrespect is shown when Francis calls Atticus names because he is defending Tom.
Mrs. Dubose’s unseen patience displays her true intentions to prove that appearances are not always as they seem. “It suddenly came to me that each day we had been staying a little longer at Mrs. Dubose’s, that the alarm clock went off a few minutes later every day, and that she was well into one of her fits by the time it sounded” (Lee 145). After Jem cuts down Mrs. Dubose’s camellia’s for calling Atticus bad names, Mrs. Dubose punishes Jem by having him come and read to her every day for two hours. However, Jem and Scout soon find out that Mrs. Dubose actually extends their time at her house everyday by a couple minutes. While it seems like a harsh punishment, Mrs. Dubose’s true intention of extending the time each day was so that she could fight her addiction a little longer.
Dubose continuously insults Jem and Scout. One day, as Jem and Scout were walking by, she insulted Atticus for taking Tom’s case. Jem made an attempt at defending his father by destroying her camellias (type of plant). Atticus thought his way of handling Mrs. Dubose was unwise, and to try and prevent him from acting like this again, he sent Jem to Mrs. Dubose’s house to read to her. Shortly after Jem ended his reading sessions with her, she unfortunately passed away.
At the end of part 1, we are introduced to Mrs. Dubose. She is a mean old lady that Jem and Scout despise. It appears as though she enjoys antagonizing the children about the trial. In a fit of rage, Jem defaces her flowers and as a punishment, he is forced to read to her. After she passes, Atticus talks to Jem about her and what she did; this leads to a powerful statement: “You know, she was a great lady.’ ’
Mrs.Dubose would heckle Scout and Jem as they walked by her house, so they would be upset when they returned home and Atticus would inquire why. He made the excuse that Mrs.Dubose was “ an old lady and [that] she’s ill”, so Mrs.Dubose did not mean what she said (115). Some people may have difficulty controlling their words. Scout must understand this and control how she acts since they can’t. Scout’s confrontations with Mrs.Dubose build an understanding of others with certain disabilities.
Misbehaving, such as getting into fights or arguments in any setting, is a reason for being disciplined; however, both sides should be acknowledged to end the argument amicably. In To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, Scout, the daughter of Atticus, gets into an argument with Francis, Scout’s cousin. They get into an altercation that was started by Francis because he called Scout’s father, Atticus, a derogatory term that was seen as offensive. This caused Scout to fight Francis, and without hearing Scout’s side of the story, Scout got in trouble for it by being spanked and then locked in a room for her ‘misbehavior’. Scout was not punished fairly because no one heard her side of the story.
“ ‘Not only a Finch waiting on tables but in the courtroom lawing for niggers!’(...)‘your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!’ ” (135) This often irritates Jem and Scout. However, as the story progresses, they learn more about Mrs. Dubose. She is a morphine addict because of her illness but when she was told she had months to live she set a goal for herself
How is the racial problem of the southern states of USA in the 1930s portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird? INTRO In the 1930s the Southern states of America suffered from a strong discrimination and racial hatred towards colored people. They had no rights, no respect and were not allowed to go places white people went. In other words they were segregated from the rest of the society.
The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written in 1960 by Harper Lee in the point of view of a young innocent girl named Scout. One of the main messages that Lee has (need a new word than – indicated or set out) is racism, it plays an important role which strongly impacts many character’s lives unfairly and changes the relationship between two. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows that it is wrong to hurt someone who does no harm to you, for example, black people are innocent but no way did they have as many rights as white people did. Black people lived hard lives because society was judgemental, irrational and most importantly, racist. As Scout and Jem grow older they learn to cope, take responsibility and are introduced to new aspects of life, one of which is racism.
Miss Maudie and Scout sit on her porch because Jem is off doing something else so they talk about life and look at the sky. “Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn’t jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot…” (42). Miss Maudie lets Scout spend time with her so that she does not get sad that Jem and Dill went to play without her. A neighbour, Mrs. Dubose insulted the Finch Family all the time and yet Atticus is still kind to her because “she is sick and old”. Atticus tells Jem “Son, I have no doubt that you’ve been annoyed by your contemporaries about me lawing for niggers, as you say, but to do something like this to a sick old lady is inexcusable” (103-104).
Whenever they would walk past her house, she would shout hateful and insulting comments at them. Atticus told them to not let her comments affect them. One day, Mrs. Dubose made a comment about Atticus defending Tom Robinson. The comment was hateful and racist toward Atticus and Tom. Jem was angered by her comment and fueled by rage, cut down all of Mrs. Dubose 's camellia bushes.
