Discrimination by definition is “the unjust treatment of different categories of people or things especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.” To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee set in the small southern town of Maycomb in the 1930s. The 1930s were a time of racial inequality, social unrest, and the start of the civil rights movement. It was also a time of the Great Depression which left many families poor and impoverished. The most obvious form of discrimination in the book is racism but there are several other types present in the book including discrimination based on class, gender, and other social stereotypes.
Scout and Jem are cared for by their black housekeeper named Calpurnia. Although she is loved by the children and has the role of the mother figure, she is also discriminated against.
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Aunt Alexandra does not approve of her dress or behavior and attempts to return her to being a girl. Miss Dubose also criticizes how she dresses and says it will cause her to “grow up and wait tables.” This return to being girlish causes Scout to consider running away as she thinks of it like prison. She also does not understand why women cannot serve on a jury. She may be just a child but she understands that women are seen in a lower light than men.
The final stereotype seen in To Kill a Mockingbird is social discrimination like that faced by Boo Radley and his family. The Radleys were an odd and private family and this lead people to criticize and torment them. Boo is a quiet man who never leaves his house and is probably afraid to do so. Just because he is different, he is a victim of social discrimination. In reality, he causes no harm to anyone and in the end saves Scout and Jem from Mr. Ewell. The death is made to look like an accident because putting Boo on trial would be a mess due to the public's opinion of him being an