Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

“How’d you and Mister Jem like to come to church with me tomorrow?” “Really!” “How about it” grinned Calpurnia (pg.156) At Calpurnia’s church the building was paid for from the money earned by slaves who have been freed. Scout saw how poor, the black church was and she was shocked to see that they did not have hymnals and not everyone there could read or write. They also took a collection of money to Tom Robinson’s wife and it was shocking to Scout to learn that he was accused of attacking MayElla.

Despite living in Alabama in the 1930s, Atticus Finch expects his children to treat everyone- regardless of race or class- with respect and dignity. There are many opportunities for Jem and Scout to concede to the Southern stereotypes of the 1930s, but with the guidance of Atticus and their housekeeper, Calpurnia, the children challenge the common stereotypes of the South- with some lessons learned. These stereotypes are based principally on race and social class. Several cases of these stereotypes arise throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. Many racial and social class stereotypes come out during Tom Robinson’s trial as well as during the children’s everyday lives.

Scout has to deal with becoming prejudiced to Walter Cunningham, she does not want him to come for dinner, but Jem still invited him over. Scout is talking to Calpurnia; Walter is in the dining room eating dinner when he pours syrup all over his plate. “‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham—’‘Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!’” (24). This shows how Scout is being taught to treat all people equal no matter what their race, religion, or social class. Scout had been going around calling black people niggers, but Atticus tells here that it is degrading and that she should not say that because she is just acting “common” even if she is not. “Of course I do. Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.” “‘s what everybody at school says.” “From now on it’ll be everybody less one” (75). Although Scout is acting “common” by saying these words, she is being taught by the kids in her school that it is okay to speak like this. Atticus quickly corrects her teaching her that it is wrong to say such things; he is teaching her to be a respectful young lady. Scout is learning to be respectful like her father and all of the people raising her.

Maycomb was in a phase of diversity. In the beginning the story, readers learn about the state of Maycomb. One of the main things that are apparent is the economic classes of Maycomb. In the story, Jem tells the reader about social class when he explains it to his sister Scout, “‘There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes’” (page 226). Maycomb may have been divided because of the trial, but economic class also had to do with it. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee, the story taking place in the 1930s. The economy in the story wasn’t the greatest. This was at the time of the Great Depression. That takes a huge toll on how the story is laid

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is one of the greatest works of American literature. It has been reprinted again and again, and is a staple in almost any writing or history class. There are a number of reasons why it can be argued that this novel is one of the greatest ever written, but perhaps the most compelling reason is that the complex, adult issue of prejudice explored in this novel is relayed to the reader through the eyes of a child.

Holding prejudices inhibits people, and for Scout, the oppression of Mayella Ewell and the black community teach her that all people are prejudiced. Taking her first steps towards understanding, Scout recognizes the ingrained racism of Maycomb when she reflects on her teacher’s (Miss Gates) hypocrisy.(VB) Though Miss Gates condones Hitler for his prejudices towards Jews, she turns around and believes less of the black community right at home. “I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so much, then turn around and be ugly to folks right at home” (331).

To Kill a Mockingbird is a witty and well-written account of the realities of a “tired old town” (4) where there was “nothing to buy and nothing to buy it with” (4). Purposefully, it comes across not merely an innocently portrayed, yet eye-opening, story of a young girl start to grasp the inequalities of her society. Rather, it is accompanied by recollection of the unfortunate pillars of hate of the places Harper Lee matured in. We now perceive this account as an ‘archaic” and “ancient” recount of some historically frowned upon mindsets in an enthralling atmosphere upon which we pin historical quantities of prejudice, racism and most of all, bigotry. The unfortunate reality is that we look at history in a vacuum and ignore the occurrences of our own times. So although we, like Scout’s teachers teaching about the horrible acts of the Holocaust while being outspokenly racist, are able to analyze social inequalities in other places in time or the world yet refuse to open our eyes to the same prejudice, racism and bigotry today. To instance, when reading To Kill a Mockingbird , we often frown upon citizens for judging “folks” based on their family name and race, although, everyday, some member of our current society, such as police officers and employers, do the same thing and no one bats an eye. Alternatively, the issue which we definitely desperately desire to avoid, racism, is explicitly tackled in To Kill a Mockingbird to the point of viral awareness of the problem in

“But now he’s turned out a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruining’ the family, that’s what he’s doing’.” (Lee 110). The power of hatred is one so strong, that it imprisons the Finches and African Americans of Maycomb County. In Alabama of 1920 to 1930, segregation is an established action of the Southerners, it’s a lifestyle. The slurs passed from the mouths of white Southerners and ending with the shooting of a black man, the ways of Maycomb County are ones seen as either shocking or common in today’s eyes. To Kill A Mockingbird is an eminent novel by Harper Lee that illustrates the aspects of discrimination and prejudice, tolerance and courage during a time in America where racial inequality

Maycomb County is a fictional town in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, where a girl named Scout Finch has to face the reality that her town is not as perfect as she thought. In Maycomb, there is a lot of racial segregation, as shown in the trial of Tom Robinson, where the African Americans had to sit on the balcony away from the white people and how they had to go to different churches from white people because of the color of their skin. Their inability to read and write made it hard for them to attend white people's churches since they had limited access to school systems. Tom makes the wrong decision to enter Mayella Ewell's home, knowing there could be consequences, but he wants to help, so he goes in anyway, thinking nothing will happen. Scout learned many lessons of responsibility and compassion toward her town and the people who occupy it, whether white or black.

The racism in Maycomb are not stemmed from misfits of society, but rather from the ordinary people of Maycomb. This is dangerous as it regularizes racism,

“Four Negroes rose and gave us their front row seats” (“To Kill A Mockingbird” Lee 166). This sentence from the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” gives an example of how segregation and Jim Crow laws in the south favored white people over black people although they were supposed to be equal in the law. This is shown when the Negroes rise and without question give up their seats for Scout, Jem, and Dill, knowing of the societal expectations for black people. Negroes abided by the social expectations for black people in the south as lower status than white people due to segregation, and knowing of the consequences that come occur if they were to protest it. “The Negroes, having waited for the white people to go upstairs, began to come in” (“To Kill A Mockingbird” Lee 165). Another example of segregation and racism is when the black people only begin to come in after all of the white people have gone upstairs. This example also shows, like the quote above, of how segregation ordinarily favors white people and always serves them first, the blacks being lower in status. Most of this animosity and hostility towards black people consequently stemmed from the slave mindset still being held in the south after the abolishment of slavery, during which blacks were seen as animals not fit for society.

A lot of racism occurs in “First Purchase” church. Mainly because Calpurnia brought which children into a black church. “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to n----r church” (Lee, 158). Lula uses the word n----r which is very offensive if used in 2018. “‘They’s my comp’ny’ said Calpurnia. Again I thought her voice was strange: she was talking like the rest of them”(Lee, 158). The way Calpurnia speaks when Jem and Scout are in “First Purchase” church is different from how she speaks in the Finch’s house. Another point why racism affects everything and everyone in Maycomb county is when Miss Gates rants about how much she hates Hitler for discrimination and then she discriminates against blacks. “Coming out of the courthouse that night, Miss Gates was...talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson. They were gettin’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us”(Lee 311). Miss Gates spends her time preaching/ranting about how Hitler is such a bad person for killing thousands of Jews. She also teaches the class about democracy and then goes around being racist. The Tom Robinson trial is full of racism including the accusation itself. “She tempted a negro”(Lee 272). Mayella Ewell accused Tom of rape because Tom was a daily reminder of what she did, “She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black

When Calpurnia took the children to her church on a Sunday morning a black woman with no respect toward the children said “You Ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here – they got their church, we got ours.” (Pg. 119). This shows that the black people don’t want to be with them and it would be considered wrong of Cal to take them. The discrimination is shown towards both races in that chapter, because later on Jem and Scout question Cal on her church, and why she speaks differently. The children may be innocent, but they’re questions show us that they don’t know much information on who she really is outside of the

Maycomb was small and nice with a folk town feel, from the best angle of course, look at another and you see a large racial divide, and abusive families living by a dump. How someone looks at Maycomb depends on what you believe of the people, as they are the content of all that makes up the town and its spirit. Other than these things happening from habit of the town, completely insular Maycomb seemed, with towns absent in sight for many miles. Boring and tired Maycomb was, nothing exciting at all happens and if there is something out of the ordinary, people usually are really excited or scared.

It is very evident that Maycomb is a small town in which there is much racism, and social status greatly determines what kind of life you will lead. The different types of social inequality are an important theme in the novel, and Harper Lee