How Does Miss Maudie Use Gender Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, she illustrates many intriguing themes. Readers get to visualize social class in regards to the Ewells and Cunninghams, and southern hospitality in regards to when Aunt Alexandra takes in Dill. That women like Miss Maudie could not sit on a jury showed the theme of gender bias. However, only one theme stood out in this book: racism. People seemed to not understand that African Americans mattered too. Throughout the book, the theme of racism appears when Tom Robinson is put on trial, in the way Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, and the way Dolphus Raymond gets shunned by his own race. Racism in the early 1900’s was brutal. The entire court case surrounding the Ewells and Tom Robinson portrays a vivid example of life for African American people in those times. White people saw themselves as above African Americans, no matter the circumstance. If an African American person did anything to a white person, the white people felt that they could treat the African American as if they were nothing but an animal. Scout said she “did not understand the subtlety of Tom’s predicament: he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long.” (260-261) Because of the color of his skin, Tom Robinson unfairly got blamed for something he didn’t do, and later lost

Alexandra felt that because Cal had a different skin color, she would influence the children. During a conversation with Atticus, Alexandra said “… you’ve got to do something about her.” (182) This example demonstrates how white people felt they were better than African Americans. Some saw that because of the color of skin, African Americans did not have the right to associate with white people, as Aunt Alexandra referenced. Although Alexandra softened to Cal in the end, it must have hurt to know Alexandra did not accepted her because of her skin