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Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

1242 Words5 Pages
Imagine being accused of a crime you did not commit simply because your skin was darker than others. Social injustice - a situation in which unfair practices and treatments occur - still proves to be an issue to this day. Whether it be discrimination against a person due to their race, sexual orientation, or gender, social injustice continues to be a very prevalent matter in today’s society. Scout, the narrator of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, exhibits what life is like for a naive girl maturing in the racist town of Maycomb, Alabama. Through Scout’s eyes and Harper Lee’s voice, multiple cases of social injustice, primarily racism, are exhibited via excellent use of irony, symbolism, and humor. Irony - the use of phrases that contradict one another - is evident throughout most of the book. In chapter thirteen, Aunt Alexandra (the elitist and stubborn sister of Atticus) unexpectedly comes to live at the Finch residence, as she claims “it would be best” for Jean Louise “Scout” Finch (the curious, tom-boyish narrator) “to have some feminine influence” in her life (Lee 170). Upon learning that Scout would like to visit Calpurnia’s (the strict yet nurturing maid of the Finch residence) house in chapter fourteen, Aunt Alexandra’s discrete racism is introduced as she is extremely opposed to the idea. Later in the chapter, Scout overhears Aunt Alexandra discussing with Atticus (Scout’s detached father) how he’s “got to do something about her,” her being Calpurnia.
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