Theme Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Unsurprisingly, contemporary society has advanced enormously since the times of civil rights era strife especially in terms of racial, gender, and socio-economic struggle. The advancement of our society as a whole would perhaps not have occurred as soon as it did without the assistance of influential literature, such as To Kill a Mockingbird. The many themes of this book focus heavily around the social issues of the time - including but not limited to the problems mentioned previously. Using the shocking quotes and clear demonizations of major and minor character’s perceptions of race, gender, and class issues, To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the need to refute prejudice in all instances and that, in fact, it is necessary to prevent racism.

This is illustrated well by possibly the strongest piece of evidence in the novel. Even before entering the scene of Tom Robinson’s trial, it appears very clear it is all motivated by race. Atticus, the lawyer of Tom Robinson, seems utterly motivated to fight for the freedom of him, despite his African heritage and, as he says, the fact they “were licked a hundred years before we started” (101). Furthermore, he claims that it “is no reason for us not to try to win,” reciting quite an inspirational quote indeed. It also further buttresses the main idea: the book seeks, in most instances, to support the refutation of prejudice, not only in law, but in our own lives. This idea of personal relationships being important to racial prejudice is clear through the transformation of Scout and Jem. When the two are playing outside after a snow day, they attempt to build a snowman, but end up making what ends up to be more of a mudman. This mudman appears to resemble an African American, someone that society ought to reject, it seems. Scout recognizes what they are doing, in fact, and says “Jem, I ain’t ever heard of a n----r snowman.” When they do end up correcting this “mistake”, by packing snow on the mudman, they find it resembles a much more crude character- Mr. Avery, a man who appears only to pee extensively in his yard, whittle, and scold children. He is a very distasteful man indeed, and one which clearly present to the reader that, to Scout and Jem, any black man is less preferable than even the most revolting of white men. However, the development of Jem as a character is astoundingly obvious. Near the end of Tom Robinson's trial, Scout and Jem both start to listen to the result of what each person decided for their verdict. Of