How Does Lee Use Segregation In To Kill A Mockingbird

934 Words4 Pages

In Harper Lee's book "To Kill a Mockingbird," racism and segregation are themes that are influenced by the society in which Lee lived. Jim Crow laws were a common example of segregation; they forbade inter-racial marriage and required black and white customers to be separated in establishments and public areas. An instance of this would be “"The most common types of laws forbade intermarriage and ordered business owners and public institutions to keep their black and white clientele separated." (#2-Jim Crow laws)” This lack of communication between black and white individuals was enforced in places like Monroeville, Alabama, Lee's hometown, probably having an impact on how she views racial discrimination going forward. Lee may have witnessed …show more content…

According to Scout on page 259 of chapter 23, “"No everybody's gotta learn, nobody's born knowiin'. That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. Nothing's wrong with him, though. Naw Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks. "(Pg 259) She stands up for Walter Cunningham, acknowledging that his life circumstances, rather than his family's financial problems, define his worth. This situation shows Scout's views on equality. At the end of the book, Scout reflects on the nature of her mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. She thinks to herself, “"Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor, too. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing and made me sad." (Pg 320) Even though these actions are modest, they have a big impact on Scout because they help her see that Boo is a kind and loving person in their lives rather than a villain. Scout's journey is ultimately one of maturation and awareness as she discovers how to embrace kindness and empathy in a racist