To Kill A Mockingbird Acceptance Analysis

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores the importance of accepting people in which the characters in Maycomb have a lack of acceptance. The theme of acceptance exhibits firstly through empathy, which involves viewing things from people’s perspectives. The social hierarchy in Maycomb is discriminatory to learn the importance of accepting others. Finally, the hypocrisy in people consequently affects the judge making and the ability to accept people.

The theme of acceptance exhibits through empathy, which involves viewing things from people’s perspectives. Without understanding the background, people often misinterpret on the type of the person they are. In the beginning of the novel, Atticus teaches Scout to “climb into [other people's]

The social class differentiates each family's name and creates a reputation that is thought by the town. The Cunninghams have a reputation for being ‘drunk and disorderly’, while in fact, they are “basically good [men].” In Maycomb, the class ranges from “products of several generations’ gentle breeding” such as the Finches, to “run-of-the-mill people” like the Cunninghams and Ewells. The social hierarchy always links back to the family background and whether people “[were] Maycomb County born and bred.” Parents in the class above would warn and tell children “[they] can’t play with [anyone]” “because [that person] is trash.” To elaborate, social classes separate people even if they are from the same place; the poor people would stick with the poor, middle class with middle and upper class with upper. When Walter Jr is invited to the Finches’ house for dinner, two different responses were made; Jem who welcomed him and Scout who did not. In the beginning, Scout does not accept Walter, as “he ain’t company” and “just a Cunningham.” Later on, Calpurnia explains to Scout that “no matter who they are” she cannot act “so high and mighty” even though “[she] might be better’n the Cunninghams.” Walter helps shine a spotlight onto the complex world of white class relations and class superiority in Maycomb. After the Tom Robinson case, the jury’s decision proved an undeniable fact; “when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” This is because a white man is more superior to a black man, including in Maycomb’s social hierarchy. No matter how lower class the white man is, they will always be above a black man. In Maycomb, a reason of the absence of the importance of acceptance is the social