To Kill A Mockingbird Racism Quotes

“Your father’s no better than the nigger and trash he works for” yelled Mrs. Dubose to Jem and Scout as they walked back to their home (Lee 135). This quote demonstrates racism present in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. The movie To Kill A Mockingbird presents two radically different interpretations of the storyline. The movie downplays racism that is being portrayed by scenes in the book. The film does this by omitting Calpurnia’s church, Tom Robinson getting shot 17 times, and a political cartoon of Atticus. The omission of Calpurnia’s church from the movie softens the racist attitude portrayed in the novel. As Lula questioned Calpurnia’s idea of bringing Jem and Scout to the African American church, Lula said “You

In an act of desperation, Tom Robinson tried to escape prison. Climbing over a fence he got “seventeen bullet holes in him” (Lee 315). Tom Robinson was shot by prison guards not once, but seventeen times. The guards did not care if one shot would stop him from escaping the prison, but they wanted to kill him. Their action illustrates the extremely racist attitude towards African Americans at the time. To the guards, Tom Robinson did not have rights, but was just another black man. As stated by Atticus “Depends on how you look at it,” he said. “What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em? He was not Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner” (Lee 315). Atticus recognizes the mindset of the prison guards. Their racist attitude is emphasized by them thinking he is just another black man in a prison. This mindset allowed them to slaughter Tom instead of potentially wounding him so he would not escape. The movie downplays this event by mentioning Tom “was trying to run away and they shot him” (Mulligan To Kill a Mockingbird). The movie claims Tom is only shot to prevent him from escaping. Unfortunately, this “shot” proved to be deadly. According to the movie, Tom is not given unique treatment because he is African American. He is treated like any other prisoner would have been, eliminating any hint of racism. By eliminating Tom Robinson being shot seventeen times, the film fails to

One morning, The Montgomery Advertiser published a political cartoon of Atticus. The cartoon “showed Atticus barefoot and in short pants, chained to a desk” (Lee 155). Atticus is a target of an attack by the local newspaper. The artist thinks Atticus is no better than African Americans by depicting Atticus as one. Atticus’ dedication to his work is also mocked by the artist. The artist shows that Atticus “was diligently writing on a slate while some frivolously-looking girls yelled,”Yoo-Hoo!” at him” (Lee 155) Atticus is shown as someone who would rather work, for an African American, than spend time with girls. Thereby offending Atticus by his willingness and determination to work hard. Atticus is a reputable and honorable man. As Scout questions Atticus’ thoughts, Scout asks “You aren’t really a nigger-lover, then, are you?” “I certainly am. I do my best to love everyone… It’s never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is” (Lee 144-145). Atticus explains to Scout that he tries to love everyone. In spite of all the hate Atticus is receiving, he never drops down to the level of the poor in spirit. The artist does not acknowledge Atticus’ rejection of bigotry. Despite all of his redeeming qualities, Atticus is again ridiculed. The elimination of the political cartoon mitigates the racist attitude present in the