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Examples Of Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

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There were many characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that were victims of stereotyping. Some of these characters include Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. Scout is often stereotyped by her Aunt Alexandra, and by her neighbor, Mrs. Dubose for not being ladylike. Usually, Scout is wearing overalls, and is outside throughout the day with her brother Jem, and her friend Dill, instead of following the expectation for a lady and wearing dresses, and doing housework. Scout is aware of the stereotype that is held against her. Throughout the novel, she tries her best to overcome this stereotype by acting more ladylike, especially in front of her Aunt Alexandra. Scout still remains a tomboy mentally, but physically, she tries her best to act like a lady. …show more content…

Atticus Finch is also a victim of stereotyping. After agreeing to defend a negro man, Tom Robinson, in a certain court case, people started to accuse him of being a “negro lover.” Many people in Maycomb believe that since Atticus agreed to help Tom, that he must love all blacks. Not only a stereotype is being held against him, but also a lot of hate is also piling up on him because of his decision to defend Tom. Almost all whites despise blacks in Maycomb, and since Atticus is white, he is also expected to despise blacks. Atticus does break through the stereotype and does show individuality and character by agreeing to help Tom, without caring about other people’s opinions of his decision. Tom Robinson was also stereotyped in the novel. Much of the evidence in the case showed that he was innocent, yet he still lost the case because of the stereotypes being held against him. He did not have a good chance, mainly because he was

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The main character in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Atticus Finch, a middle aged man living in Maycomb Alabama. Even though he is a southerner he isn’t racist and he believes that everyone should be treated equal, Atticus teaches his children empathy and not to discriminate against other people, he does his by telling them “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Even though Atticus treats everyone as equals he gets affected by the town and their prejudice way of thinking. Because Atticus accepts Tom Robinsons case he gets called a “nigger lover” and him and his children get treated differently by the town.

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In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”

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Stereotyping is represented in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird through historical allusion. Tom Robinson, who was an innocent crippled handed and kind, was falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Consequently, he was put into trial. This trial, which alludes to Scottsboro trial, portrays white man’s stereotypical view of black man at that time.

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Throughout Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," Atticus Finch serves as a model of tolerance. He consistently demonstrates his conviction that others should be treated with empathy and understanding. One of the most prominent examples of Atticus' tolerance is his defense of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Despite the community's intense racism and prejudice, Atticus maintains his belief in Tom's innocence and fights for his rights in court. This shows his tolerance and acceptance of people of different races and his refusal to be swayed by the prejudices of others.

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Her form of success may be prejudiced to how she succeeds, yet she still shows hope through her conversations, opinions, and tones. Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to grow up and become a great person; even if her definition of “great” is a lot different from Scout’s. Just like Miss Maudie, Scout has a different agenda than most women of Maycomb and hopefully as she matures she will be able to escape the prejudice just as well. This can be tied back to another theme that is exemplified in To Kill A Mockingbird. Although one side of a person may be the only one exhibited, every person has a good and bad side, and aunt Alexandra’s is inevitably one to be

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of a small town named Maycomb Located in Alabama, highlighting the adventures of the finch children and many other people in the small town. The people in this town are very judgemental and of each other and it often leads to people being labeled with stereotypes and people think they know everything about that person however that is not reality. It is not possible to know the reality of a person 's life by placing a stereotype without seeing it through their own eyes and experiencing the things they experience. This happens often throughout the story with many people in the town. People are labeled as many things such a “monster” a “nigger” and many other things that seem to put them in their

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Atticus Finch becomes a victim of prejudice when he helps defend a innocent black man in court; Tom Robinson. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are prejudged; do to the fact that prejudice is so inclusive, the people who help the "mockingbirds", like Atticus,easily become victims of prejudice. Many of the people who live in Maycomb gossip and spread rumors about Boo Radley because he chooses to always stay in his domicile, while Tom Robinson is stereotyped by

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Atticus tells Scout “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” (p. 39). because he wants her to know that to understand the things Miss Caroline does, Scout must try and look at it from their perspective. Scout does this when she remarks, “She had learned not to hand something to a Cunningham, for one thing, but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it as an honest mistake on her part.” (p. 40). Atticus is attempting to make Scout realize Miss Caroline won’t know everything about Maycomb in a day.

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In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has completely different views from the rest of Maycomb, who are heavily influenced by rumors and racism. He takes on a huge role in defending a black man, Tom Robinson, and faces many issues from other people by doing so. Atticus knows his client,

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Around 1865 segregation was created and based on the color or your skin you had a different social class to everyone else. July 2, 1964 is when all segregation laws and rules were put in place, but yet though some people don’t judge you based on skin color, they can judge you based on gender, the way you identify yourself and the things you do. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it was made in the years when segregation was still legal and based on the events that happened in the book, some of those events sometimes happen to this day like people being treated differently just because of the color of their skin, people being stereotyped, and people getting violent with you based on how you present yourself. For starters, people

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Scout Finch has received much praise for how she breaks the gender roles placed upon her, but while doing this she falls into the overplayed tomboy stereotype. Later in the novel Alexandra visits with one of her prime goals making Scout into a lady, “ We decided that it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys-”(Lee, 107) As with most tomboys Scout is told she will grow out of it when she gets older, and that she will become a girly girl to impress the boys around her. She is also told that the reason she acts this way is because she didn’t have a ‘real’ mother, and that to make her father's life easier she should be act like a girl, “I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life.

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761 Words | 4 Pages

Prejudice beliefs Southern trees bear strange fruit Blood on the leaves and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. (Billie Holiday and Abel Meeropol, 1937) Strange Fruit, written while lynching occurred, nauseates me as Billie Holiday and Abel Meeropol show the everyday horror living in the south. The poem prompts the realization of lynching that existed in our society.

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This prejudice and racism lead to Tom Robinson’s death and it can be shown through the quotation of Atticus finch when he talks about the unjust values in the

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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.

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Lee uses the mockingbird as a symbol of purity, innocence and harmlessness. Tom Robinson is a black male “Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused... of rapin‘ his girl” (Mayella Ewell a young white girl) “an’ had him arrested an‘ put in jail—” Though all evidence points to her father, Robert Ewell Tom is convicted. In this situation, Tom is the mockingbird; shot down even though he has done no harm to anyone. Harper continues to address this theme when scout wears pants instead of dresses. She is an independent girl that doesn’t follow the social norms of wearing dresses and playing with dolls (Despite her aunt 's protest).

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