Racial Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless piece of classic literature that captures the essence of 1930s America in the South from the viewpoint of a young girl. The setting, Maycomb, is a stereotypical southern town where the few stores and buildings are in the center while the houses and farms are further spread out. White citizens are closer to the center, while black citizens are on the outskirts. If they go into town, it is primarily to work, where they are inadequately paid. Another reason is legal concerns, such as a court case, which is the story’s focal point. The case regards Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a young woman despite the evidence favoring his innocence. Altogether, the black citizens of Maycomb undergo numerous disparities in some manner, especially in comparison to the white characters. With that, TKAM thus highlights the systemic racism in modern society, as seen through the segregation, unequal pay of black workers, and unjust criminal system that targets people of color. Firstly, Mockingbird portrays racial separation that

Notably, black workers receive less money than white ones. To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates this by showing Miss Meriweather, a highly religious woman, paying her maid, Sophy, less than she deserves since she is black. On page 226, Miss Meriweather explains, “. . . she needs her dollar and a quarter every week she can get”. Despite knowing that Sophy deserves more, Miss Meriweather chooses to give her less than that since she is black, therefore, not paid much as a white person. Similarly, a statistic in 2019 says that the average black worker received 24.4% less per hour in comparison to a white worker (Wilson and Darity), thus showing how skin color is the reason for unequal pay. Consequently, racial discrimination in the workforce affects the unjust income of black