ipl-logo

Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

450 Words2 Pages

We always seem to have an image or stereotype of certain people around us. Even though sometimes what we think of people is not always correct.The book, To Kill A Mockingbird has multiple examples of this, in the events that happen throughout the story, whether it's the main characters or not. There are many characters throughout this book that experience this, but one example I will be using right now is Mr.Dolphus Raymond. The town knew him as someone that was just drunk, and they thought of him as a bad person. This is an important character that deals with these events because later on we find out what the people in town said was actually not true, happened when we read the way he acts with Dill and Scout. There are a few reasons why he makes people think badly of him. …show more content…

Another example we have is Boo Radley, the people that think of him as crazy and are all scared to go near the house. In chapter 1 of the book, Jem says “I hope you’ve got it through your head that he’ll kill us each and every one”. So it shows even the kids were scared/taught to be scared of going near that house or the radleys.Later on they find out that he is not like the stories they told about him at all.He proves it when he stops and saves the kids. Next is Mr.B.B. Underwood. Although he only shows up in one chapter of the book, he is still a good example of

Show More
Related
672 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee one of the essential questions is: how do our own personal stereotypes help shape how we experience the world. The stereotypes in this novel had affected the people of Maycomb’s thought process. Stereotyping is the process of generalizing people and broadly categorizing them based on narrow minded observations of characteristics that they have. Most people are stereotyped due to their race, gender, age, unknown identity, or social class.

Read More
592 Words | 3 Pages

Stereotyping is a general idea that someone uses to view someone before they actually get to know them. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, Jem, and Dill stereotype people until Scout’s father tells her to stop stereotyping. Harper Lee suggests that in order to fully understand someone, you must learn to see the world from their point of view. Mrs. Dubose is an example of Harper Lee’s idea because at first she acts mean towards the Finch family which cause Jem to destroy her camellia flowers. When Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells the kids that the reason she was so mean was because she had a morphine addiction.

Read More
275 Words | 2 Pages

In the southern gothic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the many incidences of social prejudice and limited expectations can lead to societies’ blindness of reality. In society, social prejudice not only goes along with limited expectations of people, but it is a main factor in stereotypes. In society, stereotypes often lead to closed mindedness and blindness to reality. In To Kill A Mockingbird, society tends to stereotype many of the citizens in Maycomb, one being Arthur (Boo) Radley. “Old Mrs. Radley died that winter, but her death caused hardly a ripple- the neighborhood seldom saw her, except when she watered her cannas.

Read More
279 Words | 2 Pages

The novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, tells the wonderful story of a special relationship between the two characters, George and Lennie. The relationship between George and Lennie is brotherly. After George and Lennie met with their new boss who was already unsure of them, started to question why George spoke for Lennie. George reassuringly told the boss, “I ain’t saying he’s bright. He ain’t.

Read More
413 Words | 2 Pages

There were many characters in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird that were victims of stereotyping. Some of these characters include Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. Scout is often stereotyped by her Aunt Alexandra, and by her neighbor, Mrs. Dubose for not being ladylike. Usually, Scout is wearing overalls, and is outside throughout the day with her brother Jem, and her friend Dill, instead of following the expectation for a lady and wearing dresses, and doing housework. Scout is aware of the stereotype that is held against her.

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of a small town named Maycomb Located in Alabama, highlighting the adventures of the finch children and many other people in the small town. The people in this town are very judgemental and of each other and it often leads to people being labeled with stereotypes and people think they know everything about that person however that is not reality. It is not possible to know the reality of a person 's life by placing a stereotype without seeing it through their own eyes and experiencing the things they experience. This happens often throughout the story with many people in the town. People are labeled as many things such a “monster” a “nigger” and many other things that seem to put them in their

Read More
1031 Words | 5 Pages

Some of the stereotypes mentioned in the novel were gender roles and class stereotypes. The main stereotype focused on in the story is racial stereotypes. A stereotype aimed at African Americans during this time was that they were less educated due to their skin color. The limited educational opportunities for black children in their town enforced this stereotype further. Certain characters, like Calpurnia, challenged these stereotypes by being wise and well educated.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

Tom Robinson, an honest hardworking man who just wants to help a neighbor, and Arthur Radley, a shy shut-in who just wants to observe rather than be a part of. Both are not judged for who they are but for what is rumored and said about them. Both are accused of horrendous things, that they did not do, and are convicted of because of the

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

When stereotyped characters are employed successfully in a novel, they can be very beneficial in achieving the author’s purpose. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, the author’s main purpose is to convey the societal norms of racism, ignorance depending on class, how innocence can be destroyed due to prejudice, and even sexism in the 1930s. Rhetorical devices can be used to create a connection to the reader and improve the flow of paragraphs. Harper Lee uses metaphor, ethos, logos, and the stereotyped characters of Tom Robinson, Scout Finch, Atticus Finch and the jury to help portray the societal normalities of the 1930s town of Maycomb, Alabama.

Read More
1196 Words | 5 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is an amazing and heartwarming story. The book is set in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Two siblings, Scout and Jem Finch, live a laid back and simple life. Most of the neighbors near the Finches are nice and helpful, except for one person, Boo Radley. He is confined inside his house.

Read More
765 Words | 4 Pages

Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and Dolphus Raymond could not be more different, yet in a way, they are all seen as the same. To people of Maycomb, they were all seen as unorthodox eccentrics. People who were different and therefore must live away from society, away from the “normal” townspeople. Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the people of Maycomb weren’t prejudiced against them? If that were the case, they may have been able to live in harmony with the rest of society.

Read More
645 Words | 3 Pages

In the book ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee, the concept of fear is presented and based on stereotypes. Maycomb County lives are mainly based upon stereotypes and fiction stories. Besides, being scared of Boo Radley was all because of what the children have heard from others about the Radley’s past and present. Furthermore, fear is what we find in books because people will believe everything they see and read about.

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

Jem, Scout, and Dill always stereotype Boo Radley without knowing him or knowing his real story. To explain this example I say people always stereotype people without knowing the person. When a person is walking down the street another person will be stereotyping him or her for religion or race. Another example is when they put Tom Robinson in jail for rapping a white women, but he was innocent. The court won't hear his side they think he is lying because Tom is black.

Read More
182 Words | 1 Pages

To kill a Mocking Bird is a book that shows you problems seen through the eyes of a little girl. One of these problems is racial prejudice. That is what caused the Great Migration. The Great Migration was when all the freed black slaves moved to the north.

Read More
720 Words | 3 Pages

The stereotyping of black people in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is blatant, from how they spoke to how they were always considered criminals. Racial stereotyping of minorities continues today in entertainment, which can influence how they are seen in real life. Robert Ito’s report for The New York Times, “You Love 'The Simpsons'? Then Let's Talk About Apu,” sheds light on the use of racist stereotypes in a popular television show. Stephanie Merry’s article for The Washington Post, “'They Wanted Apu': Kal Penn Shares Demoralizing Memories from His Early Career,” shows the racist stereotypes an Indian actor faced when searching for roles.

Read More

More about Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Open Document