In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee one of the essential questions is: how do our own personal stereotypes help shape how we experience the world. The stereotypes in this novel had affected the people of Maycomb’s thought process. Stereotyping is the process of generalizing people and broadly categorizing them based on narrow minded observations of characteristics that they have. Most people are stereotyped due to their race, gender, age, unknown identity, or social class.
This affects Scout because she feels it’s an insult being said about her father. One of the most important parts of the story and racism is the Tom Robinson trial. In the story Scout asks, “Why do you defend n******s?” Atticus responds saying he has to or he wouldn’t feel like a good person. This affects Tom Robinson because even Atticus’s kids question why Tom Robinson deserves to be defended.
Atticus... what exactly is a ni**er lover”(Lee 112). From her age and the way she asked the question, it is clear that she had no malicious intentions behind the question and was merely a curious child. Another instance of Scout’s naivety is when she broke up the group of men in front of the prison about to lynch Tom Robinson. Scout, not knowing what the men were planning, openly calls out one particular man, shaming the entire crowd back. “The men were all looking at me, some had their mouths half-open.”
Stereotyping is a general idea that someone uses to view someone before they actually get to know them. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, Jem, and Dill stereotype people until Scout’s father tells her to stop stereotyping. Harper Lee suggests that in order to fully understand someone, you must learn to see the world from their point of view. Mrs. Dubose is an example of Harper Lee’s idea because at first she acts mean towards the Finch family which cause Jem to destroy her camellia flowers. When Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells the kids that the reason she was so mean was because she had a morphine addiction.
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
Scout is a tomboy and she usually solves her problems with her fists. Atticus is one of the only people that accept Scout for who she is. The rest of her family is constantly trying to make her act more like a lady and this is enforced greatly when her
We always seem to have an image or stereotype of certain people around us. Even though sometimes what we think of people is not always correct. The book, To Kill A Mockingbird has multiple examples of this, in the events that happen throughout the story, whether it's the main characters or not. There are many characters throughout this book that experience this, but one example I will be using right now is Mr.Dolphus Raymond. The town knew him as someone that was just drunk, and they thought of him as a bad person.
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
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an amazing and heartwarming story. The book is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Two siblings, Scout and Jem Finch, live a laid back and simple life. Most of the neighbors near the Finches are nice and helpful, except for one person, Boo Radley. He is confined inside his house.
Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Dolphus Raymond could not be more different, yet in a way, they are all seen as the same. To people of Maycomb, they were all seen as unorthodox eccentrics. People who were different and therefore must live away from society, away from the “normal” townspeople. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the people of Maycomb weren’t prejudiced against them? If that were the case, they may have been able to live in harmony with the rest of society.
Scout grows quite a bit over the course of the book; her views on herself, others, and the world around her come to change dramatically. As scout is getting into fights at school with almost everyone who does her wrong, Atticus forces her to stop and be more ‘ladylike’. This turns out to be a bit of a struggle, especially when Atticus takes on the Tom Robinson case and people start to call him a n***er lover. Scout’s quote emphasizes this point, “‘You can just take that back, boy!’
In the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, the concept of fear is presented and based on stereotypes. Maycomb County lives are mainly based upon stereotypes and fiction stories. Besides, being scared of Boo Radley was all because of what the children have heard from others about the Radley’s past and present. Furthermore, fear is what we find in books because people will believe everything they see and read about.
When Scout comes home frustrated from school, she complains about her new teacher Miss. Caroline, who made an abrupt comment about Scout knowing how to read. Wanting to stop attending school, Scout seeks solace from her father, his response being: “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” (Lee 39). Atticus treats all people with dignity and respect, as he continues to fight for equality. By treating everyone the same regardless of their background, and keeping his calm attitude, Scout and Jem learn to give characters a chance before making up an idea on who they are.
Without listening to Scout’s side of the story uncle Jack tells Scout that he never wants to see her and that he hopes she dies. Scout doesn’t take this well and tries to go to her dad for comfort, but her dad said that she already had it coming for her. Later, Scout and uncle Jack sit down and talk about the incident earlier, Scout explains that uncle Jack doesn’t get children and that he should listen to both sides of the story, before jumping to conclusions. When Scout explains her side of the story, he tells uncle Jack that Francis called Atticus a n****r
“I had become accustomed to hearing insults aimed at Atticus. But this was the first one coming from an adult. Except for her remarks about Atticus, Mrs. Dubose’s attack was only routine” (Lee 136) Scout had heard many insults about her father from kids. Hearing rude comments about her father must have affected her.
