To Kill A Mockingbird Sociological Analysis

In every battle, there are two fronts. In every equation, there are two sides. In every story, there are two biases. Since the early 1900s, there have been two sides; and “us and them” ideology. In modern times we try to expel these positions, however, there are always two sides to everything; even humans. Social injustices in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee created an “us and them” ideology during the 1930s, when Lee wrote the novel with the Civil Rights Movement, and still persist during the 21st century.

Starting off with the novel, racism and stereotypes led to social injustices in the commonplace, but in court primarily. In the article “Defense of To Kill a Mockingbird” by Jill May, the Scottsboro trials resulted in social

In John Dollard’s short history Caste and Class in the Southern Town, Dollard discusses the different “classes” in the 1930s, which are very similar to the caste in Maycomb. Dollard stated, “Caste and class distinctions are ways of dividing people according to the behavior expected of them in society” (Dollard 61). These sorts of assumptions created by society have led to an unequivocal system of classifying persons during high times of racism, specifically in the 1930s. As Dollard described it, “Caste has replaced slavery as a means of maintaining the essence of the old status order in the South” the 20th century’s slavery, was more or less simply; minority ethnic groups, being enslaved by their own stereotypes, instead of a physical master (Dollard 62). These caste systems, are just as prominent in Lee’s novel and are shown throughout the town of Maycomb. In the Maycomb caste system, white elites are seen at the top, which includes families like the Finches. The middle class would be expressed by the Cunninghams; not in a mountain of debt, but not extremely fortunate. The lowest of the white groups, nicknamed “white trash” would be a family like the Ewells; extremely poor and can barely afford common goods. The lowest of the low would be blacks in the novel. They are similar to the “untouchables,” which were usually slaves in Indian times,

In the news article “Why are people still racist? What science says about America’s race problem” by William Wan and Sarah Kaplan, white people attended a protest in Charlottesville, Virginia for white supremacy. In the article, “Young white subjects responded just as strongly as older white ones with anxiety and uncertainty, expressing more negative explicit and implicit racial bias in tests” (Wan and Kaplan). The results from the reactions to America’s shift into a “majority-minority country” (Wan and Kaplan) show that America may not be as open-minded as it’s led on to be. These are especially surprising in the younger generations. The protestors were also seen with known statements during the civil rights movement. According to the text, “He pointed to the slogans shouted by participants in the Charlottesville rally: “You will not replace us” and “White Lives Matter” (Wan and Kaplan). The statements made during the protest were made specifically to target black groups, because of the parody of the “Black Lives Matter” protest. Racist protests such as these, aren’t very frequent, but makes America look pathetic and senseless with the reinforcement of the “us and them” ideology. In the 21st century, racism is still some factor in America and acts as a social injustice