Examples Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Stereotypes help form the society in which we live. They affect the outcome of our courts, of how people are treated and what one can and cannot do. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch was likely trying to stop his children from judging people based off of stereotypes or what society expects, specifically the stereotypes of Arthur Radley whom they believed to be some sort of monster because he doesn't bend to society's opinions of socializing. Atticus’ attempts are displayed when he quotes “you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.” Through the use of Scout’s childlike views and imagery, Harper Lee shows readers that it can be misleading to believe in stereotypes. Through this book Lee encourages

She must express her individuality in her beliefs about all people being equal. During the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus proclaims "You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white.” In this trial they are stereotyping black men with things such as not being able to be trusted around women, which is the basis of the trial. Scout, the protagonist who is designed to come across as innocent, youthful and virtuous, does not fully understand the prejudice against people of color or why they cannot be trusted around women. Scout appears to be the age where she can understand a person’s actions based off of what they really are, not what they are supposed to be. Through Scout’s passion for Tom’s plea for not guilty, the reader can infer that the stereotype of black men being immoral is simply false, yet throughout the book she must learn how to individually hold true to this belief and be respectful to those who don't agree. Scout’s innocence is what allows the reader to depict the message of the novel. The actions of Tom Robinson were inferred based off of stereotypes believed by the jury, even though Scout knew better, these stereotypes ended up costing Tom his

In the beginning of the book they claim, ““Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that's why his hands were bloodstained—if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten, his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” By the end of the book, when Scout actually met Arthur she described his stature by stating that“...His face was as white as his hands, but for a shadow on his jutting chin. His cheeks were thin to hollowness; his mouth was wide; they were shallow, almost delicate indentations at his temples, and his gray eyes were so colorless I thought he was blind....” this vivid change in Arthur’s, or Boo’s, description was simply do to the shift in believing in stereotypes versus believing the truth about their shy neighbor. In Scout’s first description, Arthur is described as threatening, frightening and brutal, but in the description of him not based off of stereotypes he seems calm, caring, and physically weak or worn out. This stereotype is flatly contradicted. This contradiction expresses individuality because if a man keeps to himself like Boo had, but with different morals, he may act like