Essay On Mentality In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” society shapes and influences Scout and makes her see the reality of social hierarchy and discrimination in society. For instance, in the text it states, “If there’s just one kind of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other? (Lee 304). Literally speaking, this quote tells us that despite everyone being the same, there is still hate towards others, and discrimination is still present in their society. This quote may suggest and show how Scout is influenced by society and changed into someone more mature, and can now see the disparities and understand the discriminations shown in her society. Another example states, “There’s four kinds of folks in the world, there’s

There are countless people who judge others by their image or the words whispered by friends. This has been true since people have begun interacting with one another. Indeed, people feel the need to categorize everything and everyone leading to stereotyping and bias based upon appearances. In today’s society, there are many incidents involving racial and gender inequality demonstrating that little has changed since the 1960s. In this novel, Scout Finch, a young girl, recounts her life as she observes social concerns including racism and prejudice. When her father Atticus, a criminal attorney, agrees to defend an innocent black man, Scout comes to realize that not everything is as perfect as it seems. Appropriately, Scout and her brother Jem learn not to judge others as a result of interactions with three characters that they encounter throughout their childhood. Boo Radley, known as the town’s ‘evil monster’, Mrs. Dubose, an elderly, ill-tempered woman who lives near the Finches and Tom Robinson, an African-American man being accused of raping a white woman that is being defended by their father, all teach the children that character is not a reflection of one’s outwards appearance. As such, through knowing these people and their circumstances, Scout and Jem’s sense of social justice and fairness matures. It is through their eyes that Harper Lee, in To Kill a Mockingbird, demonstrates the immorality of judging others without consideration of who they are and what

He implies if one does not follow their conscience will, they will live overwhelmed by guilt. Here, the moral of human beings is threatened by the recurring subject of racism, as well as discrimination issues. Jem is an epitome of a corrupted person as he justifies that Atticus is wrong because everyone else thinks so. Nevertheless, he finds himself after the testimony is given. When it comes time for the trial, Jem follows it closely. Having grown up in the home of a lawyer, Jem understands the workings of the courtroom, besides its racial bias. Once the judge goes over the evidence, Jem becomes increasingly confident that Atticus won but his belief that Tom is innocent contrasts with what actually occurs: Tom is found guilty. While looking at Jem, Scout sees how his “shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them.” By comparing Jem’s reaction to a “stab,” Lee not only shows Jem receiving blows of devastation over the case and feeling physically attacked but also points to the broader attack on things that Jem thought were once true. This is something that causes him great emotional pain as he has a hard time coming to terms with general unfairness. Jem has counted on the strength of bigotry but in

Prejudice is one of the world’s greatest struggles. It does not only hold society back, but is harmful to the people who do good .In Harper Lee’s book To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem live through and witness prejudice and racism in the small town of Maycomb. They see someone wrongly accused of a crime because of his race. Scout and Jem also witness and take part in prejudice against a man no one knows anything about. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee uses characterization to show the negative effects of prejudice and racism.

Discrimination based on race is a huge part of this story, particularly based on skin color. Tom Robinson is the main point of this type of discrimination as he was a black man who had been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus explains to Jem how the jury was unfair by saying "There's something

The author, Harper Lee, said “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view”. The citizens in To Kill A Mockingbird do not follow that quote. Some of the characters are very judgmental to those they don't know and make assumptions about them.Harper Lee uses the character Jem to prove to us the power of integrity,courage, and being true to yourself will help you in a racist town.

Atticus teaches the children how to not only recognize this problem of prejudice, but also how to defeat it. When a mob of men try to lynch Tom Robinson at the jailhouse and Atticus protects Tom, Scout innocently involves herself in the situation and as a result forces Mr. Cunningham to put himself in Atticus’s shoes. In his moment of realization, he disbands the mob, which saves Tom’s life. Atticus later explains to his children that “A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know - doesn’t say much for them, does it?” (Lee 179). Atticus says this in order to give his children a better understanding of the events of the previous night. He also wants the children to understand that all chains have a weak link, and finding that weak link in Mr. Cunningham

In the story “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the main character Scout realizes the town she lives in is full of bias and prejudice toward negros. Scout, the only daughter of lawyer Atticus Finch, is faced with the activism that follows this prejudice when her father decides to defend a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law. She is constantly harassed and tormented by the residence of their small town, Maycom. What Lee is trying to show through these events is that people are always going to have prejudices, and sometimes these prejudices come from the people you least expect it form. In the story, neighbors, friends, and family all show their prejudices about the defendant Tom Robinson to Scout, who finally realize the world isn’t perfect but is, in fact, full of flaws and prejudices.

In books, many characters go through moral development. The book To Kill A Mockingbird shows many examples of characters that go through this development and characters that help others develop. While there are many different characters in the book, the focus is on the development of Jem and Scout Finch with the help of Atticus and Calpurnia. The kids are introduced when they are young and over the span of the book, the adults teach and help them, making them have a different understanding of the world only two years later. With the guidance of Atticus and Cal, Jem and Scout go through a big moral change.

Discrimination and stereotypes are still involved in today's ever-growing society. People are judged by their race, gender, and, wealth; people are expected to act a certain way because of these things. In To Kill A Mockingbird it tells the readers about a small town, Maycomb, that faces many challenges because of how individuals are judged and treated. If someone were African American he/she would thought to be less of a person and were treated as if they were trash. If someone were to be a woman they were thought to be weak, emotional, and dramatic. If someone were poor he/she were thought to be dirty, rude and were treated like trash. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses stereotypes related to racism, gender, and wealth to teach her audience about how individuals were treated during the Great Depression.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about group mentality and reveals how people lack independent thought, and thus are susceptible to influence by others. Group mentality occurs when people behave like those around them and adhere to the same views as them. This concept is as relevant in the contemporary world as it is at the time of Lee’s novel. Lee presents the theme of group mentality through the characters and their dialogue.

Another life lesson that Jem and Scout learn about throughout the story is of the categorization of people in Maycomb, which ties in with the prejudice. They notice that most of the people in Maycomb value their ancestry and background very much, especially to see who settled down in the area first and had more distinguished and important ancestors. They also notice how the people of Maycomb are always judging one another and saying that a person acts a certain way because of his background, ancestry, or race. On pg. 226 Jem says, “There's four kinds of folks in the world. There's the ordinary folks like us and the neighbors, there's the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.”The quote above is the way Jem believes that people are divided in Maycomb County. This shows how the environment around Jem and Scout is affecting them and how they are starting to see and understand people and their actions.

“No change can come if those who are impacted the most by discrimination are not willing to stand up for themselves” -Zainab Salbi. Discrimination is a powerful issue with far reaching consequences. Discrimination is a worldwide problem that society still struggles with today. In Harper Lee’s historical fictional novel, To Kill a Mocking Bird, discrimination is evident as different people experience various forms of it. The story is set in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930’s and is told from the viewpoint of Scout, a young girl who is a tomboy.

Human dominance is a mindset where humans find it impossible that any other species could be as intricate and intelligent as them. It creates a feeling of obligation to take control of a situation that may be entirely the fault of humans. Moreover, this mindset results in the mistreating of other species and the world. This mindset distinctly creates obstacles for several species and will inevitably lead to their destruction. In particularly, this mindset affects how we treat animals and take over their lives.

Society characterizes people depending on their appearance and social status. The pressure from society makes people believe they should hate people based on their skin color. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee it shows a little girl developing in deciding if she should follow society or be different. In other words the novel argues that you shouldn’t judge people based on what society labels them.