Nelson Mandela once said, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion.” Harper Lee’s views that come across in her work, To Kill a Mockingbird, seem to parallel this statement. To Kill a Mockingbird was published by Lee in 1960 during the Civil Rights Movement. The book speaks out against the evils of racism in a time and place where chauvinism was very common. Lee uses a young character, Scout Finch, to convey her beliefs about society. This book communicates the theme that children are not born prejudice, but instead, their views are shaped by the world around them. Lee uses Francis Hancock as a contrast to Scout to show the effect of how a person is raised on their character . Scout comes off as barely racist at all when compared to her cousin, Francis. Francis speaks terribly about black people and Atticus which, in turn, drives Scout to punch him. Francis’s negative opinions of black people may have been formed due to his family’s many racist, classist and sexist views. In comparison, Scout was raised by Atticus, a very just man who taught her to look at people from different perspectives. These two characters’ entirely distinct upbringings are very present in their personalities. In her book, Lee sets these two characters up as almost foils of each …show more content…
Scout changes her opinions multiple times throughout the book making her seem very uncertain. When she hears people at school speaking rudely about Atticus and calling him awful names, Scout immediately assumes that the words she hears must have negative connotations. She goes home and expresses her feelings to Atticus. Her opinions change when Atticus consoles her and teaches her that wanting to help a black man is not a bad thing. This realization greatly affects her character and outlook on many