To Kill A Mockingbird Prejudice Quotes

In Harper Lee’s opus magnum To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, with the pulitzer prize, a Family Guy parody, and everything in between. the theme of prejudice resonates everywhere in the book, as the author uses it to advance the plot, paint characters, and deliver messages. Lee has prejudice be alternatively the driving force behind the novel, and a fine point with which to add details to characters. In scenes such as the trial, for example, prejudice is felt for the duration of the scene, leading on the scene and evoking emotions in the reader. In Mockingbird, Lee artfully lays down the theme of prejudice in a myriad of ways. She delivers messages, moves the story, and characterizes characters.

In

Even within Lee’s use of prejudice as a tool for characterization, there is a substantial difference in the way she uses it on Scout and Mr Ewell. Lee uses it much a fine brush on Scout, using it to add small details and different shades to her, while it form the backbone of Mr Ewell’s character. In Scout prejudice is expressed through such quotes as “Well Dill, after all he’s just a Negro,” on page 199. In this quote, the reader see that Scout isn’t the angel that is previously thought, and that even though she is far more progressive than many in the town, the racism in Maycomb is incredibly pervasive and oppressive. They can still corrupt Scout’s young mind, even with Atticus’ best attempts to stop it. She is young enough to absorb the hate, but not old enough to resist it. She will still beat up anyone who insults Atticus by calling him a ‘Negro lover’, but this is more a matter of family pride than caring about the substance of the insult. In another quote on page 24, Scout says “He ain’t company Cal, he’s just a Cunningham,” and the reader can see that while Scout may not be as racist as everyone else, she is still as prejudiced as everyone else in the novel. While this belief in stereotypes attenuates as the novel goes on, leaving the reader with a sense of progression amidst the novel. This addition to her morals is due to Atticus, whom Lee characterizes partly through these sessions. However, Lee’s use of prejudice as a tool for characterization doesn't just stop as a fine brush with which to add details. In the case of Bob Ewell, the theme is less one of the colors of his personality than the canvas upon which his personality is painted. Ewells’ point in the novel is as the primary antagonist, whom has forced his daughter to accuse an innocent black man of rape, Tom Robinson; otherwise he would almost have beaten her to death. He