Examples Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Raman Gupta

Mr. Seike

Literature and Writing Period 6

30 November 2014

TKAM Essay In "To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee shows the stereotypes created by the different people in Maycomb County, and the views on these stereotypes of a young girl. The young girl, Scout, doesn't understand why people are discriminated against each other, and refers to Atticus, her father. The stereotypes portrayed in the novel are about race, social, religion, and sex. These stereotypes define the people of Maycomb, because of how much these opinions on different people, affect others. Throughout the novel Scout learns more and more about the racism in Maycomb and how most of the people of Maycomb are not as good as he thinks. Scout first encounters racism

In the social ladder, the Finches are very well respected, and is considered to be at the top, then the rest are the neighbors and farmers of the Finches, below them are the poor Cunninghams, and lastly the Ewells. But unknown to Scout there are a group of people in Maycomb below the Ewells and those are the negroes. The negroes are considered to be worse than the Ewells to most of Maycomb, as seen during the trial. Scout also doesn’t know about how the Cunningham’s poorness affects them, so he wonders when Aunt Alexandra tells her not to talk to the Cunninghams. "'But I want to play with Walter, Aunty, why can’t I?' 'I’ll tell you why...Because—he—is—trash, that’s why you can’t play with him.'" Scout not understanding why the Cunningham’s are trash gets mad at Aunt Alexandra because she doesn’t know who Walter Cunningham truly is underneath his family's poorness. Since the negroes at the bottom of the social ladder in Maycomb are treated so bad, families such as the Finches are very well respected, especially Atticus. Except, Atticus does not disrespect those who are below him in the social ladder. Maycomb County's stereotypes on people who are very poor are terrible, especially to the Cunninghams and the negroes, but are good for the Finches.

Maudie Atkinson is the Finch's neighbor who doesn't go to church, but gardens her flowers instead. Many people hate her for not going to church, and do terrible things to her. "'Foot-washers believe anything that’s pleasure is a sin. Did you know some of ‘em came out of the woods one Saturday and passed by this place and told me me and my flowers were going to hell.'" Baptists threaten Maudie Atkinson, for not going to church and took the punishment. Maudie's house was burned down with her flowers, on a snowy morning. Atticus also believes that religion is important to himself, and he believes that taking the case would be moral and ethical. "'This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.'" Atticus also mentions God's name in his closing statement, which shows how badly he wants Tom Robinson to be acquitted. "'I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty.'" Religion is very important to Maycomb County; therefore, those who don't go to church are