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How Does Dubose Present Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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You may be surprised by how some individuals feel angry and offended at others simply because of the pigment of their skin. These individuals let their hatred of those that are different from them control their actions to the point that they bring harm and malice upon these people. This piece of writing showcases that and also addresses how racism in Maycomb is viewed and how the people in Maycomb feel about those with different skin tones as well. There are those individuals that do not intend to be racist but the way that their society is programmed they unintentionally contribute to the racist population. The racism that occurs in To Kill A Mockingbird is very present and normalized. Atticus Finch is an example of an individual …show more content…

Henry Lafayette Dubose shows both how the racism in Maycomb was very present and how it was normalized too. She normalizes racism when she called Atticus a “nigger lover”. Her using this phrase shows that she saw it as shameful to treat coloured folks equally, and she is very comfortable with saying it. Her racism is also clear when she says “Your father's no better than the niggers and trash that he works for!” [Lee 110]. She is showing how present racism is in Maycomb because she thinks that coloured people ranks as “trash” and that she is better than them. Mrs.Dubose says “One in the courthouse lowing for niggers!”[Lee 117]. This quote shows that Mrs.Dubose thinks that it is normal and acceptable that coloured people in Maycomb don’t typically have fair lawyers. Lastly, we can tell that Mrs.Dubose is racist and is not aware of her racist actions. Finally, the racism in To Kill A Mockingbird is very normalized and present. Although by seeing these clear acts of racism, readers are reminded that although it may happen frequently it can prove to be problematic. Also, racism can cloud the minds of others and make them think irrationally, and how people who view their racist actions as normal and acceptable are wrong and close-minded. Therefore, the novel To Kill A Mockingbird teaches us the importance of treating others the way we would like to be

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This shows that people in Maycomb chose to not say certain things with a colored person present because they believe that all colored people like gossiping amongst each other and anything you say in front of them will be known by all of them. This is also another example of how the race of those on around them affect what the characters say and this is a terrible mindset. You shouldn’t make assumptions about people, especially because of their race. A lawyer called Mr. Gilmer asked Tom Robinson during his trial,”Had your eye on her [Mayella] a long time, hadn 't you boy?” “No suh I never looked at her.”

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