Stereotyping in To Kill a Mockingbird
Which characters in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird experience the most discrimination throughout the story? Many people would say that Tom Robinson is the obvious choice when considering the characters that are most victim to prejudice and stereotyping; however, Scout Finch is repeatedly exposed to preconceptions and biases about her gender. Tom is faced with brutal racism that eventually resulted in his death. While the consequences he suffered due to his race were far more severe than what Scout dealt with, she was still largely susceptible to inequality. Both Scout and Tom were challenged with unreasonable and unfair standards in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.
Tom Robinson was clearly affected by severe racism that profoundly altered his life. Tom was a very kind, reasonable man and only ended up in jail because of his race. The entirety of Maycomb assumed he was guilty before they knew anything about him or the case. “The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box.” This quote said by Atticus on page 220 shows the ignorance and blatant prejudice that the citizens of Maycomb felt towards Tom.
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Her Aunt Alexandra and several other women in the novel repeatedly stressed the importance of Scout living up to the gender roles that were bestowed upon her at birth. They found it unacceptable that she wore overalls and was not interested in hosting parties or getting dressed up. All of Scout’s friends are boys and her preferred activities are considered to be boyish. She initiates fights in the schoolyard frequently, which is obviously seen as unladylike. They even disapprove of her preference to be called Scout as opposed to her more feminine name, Jean