Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the black community is portrayed as kind well-spoken individuals that are just trying to live their own lives. This is an accurate representation of suppressed African Americans in the Depression-era South. Lee suggests that the black community is unfairly targeted with racial abuse and prejudice that extends into the school system, law enforcement, the justice system, and even everyday lives. She also suggests that usually, people are inherently good. Atticus is used to relay this to Jem when he is in the hospital after he was attacked. The gray ghost in the story was symbolic of Boo Radley who turns out to be friendly and somewhat of a guardian angel throughout the novel. He also suggests that people

The current statistics show that African Americans are much more likely to be incarcerated and killed by police than any other race. The data shows that 1 in 15 black men over the age of 18 are incarcerated whereas 1 in 106 white men are behind bars. This is not because black men are more violent and ill-tempered than white men, it is because of the systematic racism that is entrenched in our society to this day. Lee does a good job of using Tom Robinson to portray the injustice that minorities face in the courts. Robinson was convicted of a crime that he obviously did not commit. The evidence showed that Tom couldn't have beaten her because the attacker led with his right hand, a hand that Tom can not use. “Quote about beating girl” (Lee #)The prosecution is lazy in their testimony because they believe that a white jury will never find a black man guilty even if he clearly did not do the crime. A belief that turned out to be true This divide and prejudice is just as relevant in To Kill A Mockingbird as it is in the world we live in today. Lee sets a scene where the black community is almost completely segregated from the white which is not a part of our society but the idea of the divide is still

She also suggests that people are ostracized for reasons ranging from race, gender, and social status. Boo Radley shows the idea of prejudice that can stem from misunderstanding and misjudgment. Dolphus Raymond is used to show that someone can be isolated and deemed a social pariah simply for associating with the “wrong people.” Lee uses the trial and wrongful conviction of Tom Robinson to show the injustice and wrongdoing that people of the black community face. Finally, The Grey Ghosts shows that things are not always how they seem and that people are usually good “They usually are Jem” (Lee #). The issues of inequality and social injustice were rarely brought up by white authors and politicians during this time and Harper Lee was a pioneer in bringing these injustices and suggestions for the treatment of minorities to