To Kill A Mockingbird Racism Quotes

Seth Secrest

Nik Ellison

English 9 Honors

20 April 2023

The Issue of Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird

Racism was clearly prevalent in the early 1900’s and impacted every situation. This effect grew increasingly worse, especially if you were black. Harper Lee effectively demonstrates this ideology of racism among the predominantly white community during this time period. A prime example of this is Tom Robinson’s case in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom’s case represents this kind of racism in the way that he is wrongly convicted though innocent, the mob trying to kill Tom Robinson in jail, and the general attitude towards black people at this

Tom Robinson was convicted of the charge of rape, even though pounds of evidence were stacked

A whole group of people showed up to end his life, even before he was convicted. “Atticus tried to stifle a smile but didn’t make it. ‘No, we don’t have mobs and that nonsense in Maycomb. I’ve never heard of a gang in Maycomb’” (Lee 154). This quote by Atticus when talking to Scout about racism shows that Atticus did not believe that racism was a critical deal in Maycomb at this time, however as the story unfolds, we can see that this is not the case and the residents of Maycomb do actually have racism in their hearts. "Atticus stood up and walked to the end of the porch. When he was in line with the Radley Place he stopped and turned. The men below us were silently waiting. ‘Go home,’ he said, and as he spoke the lights went out behind him"(Lee 167). This quote from the novel describes the scene of when the mob arrives, and displays the courage and bravery of Atticus Finch for standing up to the harmful group. This scene clearly shows the prejudice lingering in Maycomb, Alabama at this

“Cry about the simple hell people give other people—without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too” (Lee 254). This quote by Atticus Finch clearly presents the idea that the residents of Maycomb dislike black people in general. "Scout," said Atticus, "n*****-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring N*****s over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody" (Lee 113). In this scene, Scout explains to Atticus that a fellow classmate of hers was calling her dad this derogatory name. This was because everyone knew that Tom Robinson was Atticus’s client. This is an active demonstration of prejudice taking place in many people's lives in Maycomb, and is even influencing kids. The overall attitude towards the black people of Maycomb supports the fact that racism impacted each and every single person's life during this