Examples Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

The award winning book by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, explores various views on stereotypes and defying the standard. Atticus Finch, the father of Scout Finch and the main protagonist, must go against societal standards and follow his personal morals. He fights against the injustice in Maycomb Alabama, all while teaching his children valuable life lessons along the way. Although this book has many anti-racial themes, the characters in the story have racial beliefs that over-power its anti-racial themes, downplaying the book’s value as a teaching school.

Throughout the book, readers learn that Atticus has to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Since Atticus’s morals cannot allow him to turn down this offer, readers realize

Later in the book, another African American protagonist is revealed to be inferior to white folk. Calpurnia, a supporting character, is the Finch’s African American cook. "It's hard to say," she said. "Suppose you and Scout talked colored-folks' talk at home it'd be out of place, wouldn't it? Now what if I talked white-folks' talk at church, and with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat Moses." "But Cal, you know better," I said."(pg, 143) Calpurnia’s way of speech is far more advanced than the other African American folk in this book. Although Calpurnia’s way of speech is more advanced, she still changes her way of speaking when she’s talking to other people of the same skin color. This action symbolizes how African Americans see themselves as unintelligent, and therefore, are labeled as inferior to outsiders as well. Calpurnia is an intelligent person but because of her skin color, society can’t accept her intelligence and she has to live a “2

Although the characters play a big part in showing the racism of this book, their dialogue and actions also play a big part. ““They don’t belong anywhere, Colored folks won’ have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere”” (Pg.183) ““That’s what I thought,” said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black”” (pg,184) Jem demonstrates his belif that having even the littlest amount of african american blood will display you as an inferior indivual in society. Another action of racism that makes African Americans seem inferior was when Bob ewell wrongly accused Tom Robinson knowing the court would most likely choose his side as he is white. ““I don’t know, but they did. it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it--seems that only children weep””(Pg.243) This quote portrays the assumption that African Americans are responsible for all mistakes even without rationally reasoning the situation. Although the trial was well fought in the end, there was no justice found for Tom. Harper Lee wrote a book that didn’t really lead to anywhere with racism and just opened the mind on how darkening it us although we already knew that before reading this