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Racism And Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird leads the reader through the deep south. As the main character, Scout progresses throughout the story she comes across many cases of racism and prejudice within her small town of Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930’s. Throughout the novel, Scout progresses from being an innocent child unaware of the racism within her town. As her eyes open, she learns about the town's discrimination against people of color. During the beginning of the novel, Scout is an innocent child unaware of the racism and prejudice within her small town. As Jem was exploring with his air-rifle to find a rabbit or squirrel he comes across a dog that has rabies and everyone calls it a “mad dog”. After all the commotion Atticus kills …show more content…

While at Mrs. Debose's house, Scout asks what a n-word-lover is. Directly after that Atticus asks if people were calling Scout this, she denied this and Atticus says, “n*****-lover is one of those terms that don’t mean anything-like snot-nose. It's hard to explain-ignorant trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring N****es over and above themselves. It slipped into usage like ourselves, when they want a common ugly label somebody’” (Lee, 112). This is one of Scout's first times encountering the n-word. After Atticus explains the meaning and usage of the word she learns that it is not good to speak that type of language. Furthermore she starts to develop an understanding of how racism and prejudice affects those of …show more content…

As the court hearing was taking place, the jury convicts Tom Robbison guilty, then Atticus leaves the room. Scout thinks, “I looked around. They were standing. All around us in the balcony on the opposite wall, the N****es were getting to their feet. Reverend Sykes’ voice was as distant as Judge Taylor's: ‘Miss Jean Loise, stand up. Your father’s passin’” (Lee, 215). As they stood up, they were showing their respect towards Atticus and his dedication to show Tom Robinson's innocence. Scout notices this and realizes the importance of his efforts towards this case, and comprehends that the jury, judge, and witnesses are falsely accusing Tom Robbison. Scout encounters many different cases of racism and prejudice, her understanding of racism is deeper after all of these different instances within the

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This affects Scout because she feels it’s an insult being said about her father. One of the most important parts of the story and racism is the Tom Robinson trial. In the story Scout asks, “Why do you defend n******s?” Atticus responds saying he has to or he wouldn’t feel like a good person. This affects Tom Robinson because even Atticus’s kids question why Tom Robinson deserves to be defended.

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“Are you a nigger-lover?” “I certainly am. I do my best to love everyone … I’m hard put, sometimes-baby, it’s never an insult to be called what someone thinks is a bad name.” This is just one of the APL; Atticus Power Lines, that take your breath away in Harper Lee’s prodigious novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, in this novel Jem and Scout are growing up in a time where people are tremendously racist.

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Additionally, from other people’s perspective, Atticus has lost, his innocence because of him defending a Negro. However, it is not true because Atticus is a lawyer and he is doing his job without criticizing him. This incident made Scout ask Atticus that if it is right to defend a Negro. By this, Scout is able to gain the ability to look from new perspectives on how the world works in very early age compared to her brother, Jem and other children. Secondly, Jem is not completely disillusion until a guilty verdict is returned to Tom Robinson at the end of his trial.

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Near the middle of the novel, at their house, Scout is talking to Atticus about what was said at school today. ‘“what exactly is a nigger-lover?’ Atticus’s face was grave. ‘Has somebody been calling you that?’ ‘No sir, Mrs. Dubose calls you that.

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The main characters Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Bob Ewell face moments that deal with racism all told from the perspective of a six year old girl, Scout. The intended purpose of expressing racial relations in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,”

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She even questions his judgement, “‘Atticus, you must be wrong…’// ‘How's that?’// ‘Well, most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong…’” (Lee, C11). This shows how the pressure of society influences Scout’s mindset to the point where she almost sides against her dad for his unprejudiced

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Think back to when you were little kid around 7 or so and you had no worries about life or anything. All you would think about is candy and toys and nothing about the world of adults. No worries of the weather or what the grown ups would talk about. Scout’s childhood innocence takes a turn from her care free days to the real world of racism and bad people. In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout witnesses the trial of Tom Robinson and how racism is taught to her unknowingly from it.

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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that show the life of a southern state od Alabama during the “black racism” time period, where majority of the people had the mentality that (quote) with the exception of a few. To chosen to portray it from the eyes of Scout Finch, from a child’s point of view. Living in Maycomb, in the midst of a conservative society of the 1930’s and 20’s Southern America Scout Finch is an extra ordinary child.

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People of the town including children refer to black people as “Niggers”, and raised to think of black people as lower class individuals. “To Kill A Mockingbird” has a strong message towards racism, this is learned from Scout & Jem as they mature throughout the novel and are constantly being exposed to demeaning segregation in Maycomb County. In giving Scout a lesson about racism, Atticus also does the same for the readers of the novel. This happens when Scout asks Atticus what the term ‘Nigger-lover” meant, after being insulted several of times and not knowing if it is an offensive word or not, but had a slight feeling it was when Atticus was being called at. A quote from the novel: "nigger-lover is

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Atticus is talking to scout and tells her that " nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything.... Ignorant, trashy people use

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"She was white, and she tempted a N****. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man" Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that examines racism and discrimination in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. We get to walk through the struggles of scout finch as she winds her way around her stubborn town where many are stuck in the past. Through the story of many characters in the book, readers are able to gain insight into the history of racism in Maycomb and its effect on those living in the community In the small town of Maycomb, Alabama people are very tightly knit together and are expected to act and look or talk in a very certain way.

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Though he does not realize Scout is there, Atticus shows Scout that she can fight against injustice at the end of Tom Robinson's court case with his speech. He talks about the fact that Tom Robinson is innocent, but because he is a colored man putting his word against a white man, he will probably lose. He tells people to believe Tom anyway because he is innocent. It is a powerful speech, that teaches Scout to stand up for Injustice. In his speech, Atticus makes the statement “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white.

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This marks the point in which Scout begins to resist using “nigger” and getting into fights with the children who call her a “nigger-lover,” because she

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As Scout questions Atticus’ thoughts , Scout asks “You aren’t really a nigger-lover, then, are you?” “I certainly am. I do my best to love everyone… It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name.

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766 Words | 4 Pages

At school, Scout nearly starts a fight with a classmate named Cecil Jacobs after he declares that her “daddy defends niggers” (Lee, 74). Scout being too young to fully understand this statement automatically denies it. Atticus, who has been asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman has received many controversial remarks on his take of the case. Although Scout does not initiate the fight with Cecil, her “fists [a]re clenched and [she is] ready to let [them] fly” (Lee, 74). This depicts another one of Scout’s un-ladylike reactions because the ladylike response would be to simply ignore the boy and to remain prim and proper.

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