How Does Lee Present Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Over 150 years ago slavery became illegal in the US but racism still lives on. Harper Lee’s book “To Kill a Mockingbird” shows how the main character Scout get to experience the racism towards African Americans in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout lives with her brother, Jem and father, Atticus. The story is told from Scouts perspective as her older self, how during the years of her childhood takes place starting school and spending the summer. Scout’s father, Atticus is the best lawyer in town and is a much respected man. But when he defends Tom Robinson, a black man, in court by actually believing he’s innocent and did not rape a white woman the family gets a lot of bad predigest from the people in town. During the 1930’s this was unthinkable that a white man like Atticus would defend a black man like Tom Robinson in court. So as the book surrounds itself around this case it shows many examples of hate that this family has to go through and learn about segregation against the African Americans. …show more content…

As they arrive a lady named Lula questions Calpurnia why she brought white people to a colored church by saying, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here - they got their own church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?”(Lee, 125). This example shows how the two races are separated in society. Before colored and white people went to different schools, churches and in general free time places like bars. Just as Lula questions, they aren’t used to surround themselves with each other creating a diversity between the races never really growing up together. It’s like having two different cultures in the same town only experiencing one of them. Later the priest forgives for what Lula said and welcomes the children to the church. But Atticus sister comes and takes them home also thinking that they shouldn’t be in a church with