Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression, a time of great economic hardship in America. While many problems were happening at the time, one of the most significant and pervasive issues was discrimination and prejudice. In Maycomb, racism and segregation were normalized, and gender bias and classism were also prevalent. Women were expected to act in a certain way, exemplified by Aunt Alexandria's constant nagging of Scout to be more ladylike.
Primarily, Racism is the most prevalent conflict in the novel, set during a time of segregation when black people were treated as inferior to white people. The metaphor of the mockingbird is used to represent the innocence and vulnerability
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Despite Atticus's best efforts to prove his innocence, Tom is convicted. Several quotes from the novel illustrate the pervasive racism in Maycomb, such as when Mr. Raymond acknowledges the harm that white people have caused the black community, saying, "Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too." Pg.229
Conversely Another quote, from Scout, reveals the stereotype and prejudice that were rampant in Maycomb. She tells Mr. Raymond "Atticus says cheatin' a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin' a white man..." Pg.229 as Atticus explains “the evil assumption – that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber.” This assumption is rooted in the false belief that all black people are liars and immoral.
Moreover, as third quote from Mr. Ewells reveals the open racism that was accepted in Maycomb by saying "I seen that black n***** yonder ruttin' on my Mayella." Pg. 231 He uses a derogatory term to refer to Tom Robinson Infront of him inside a courthouse, in front of witnesses, demonstrating the normality of this kind of