Defeating racism, tribalism, intolerance, and all forms of discrimination will liberate us all- victim and perpetrator alike." -Ban Ki-moon. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many characters who are victims of all kinds of discrimination. The novel took place in the 1930's where this was a major part of towns across the country. Three characters in the book who are discriminated against are Arthur "Boo" Radley, Tom Robinson, and Scout. Boo Radley was often a victim of discrimination. There were rumors all over the town about how he's a crazy man and to avoid him if you ever see him. The citizens of Maycomb don't even want to go near Boo's house, think about him, or even care to see if he's even alive. They seem to pretend that he's just a myth, and doesn't even exist. Of course, this makes Boo melancholy and not social. He always stays inside his house because that's the only place he feels safe. If he were to go out, people would run away and hide from him. But behind the walls he's set up, Boo is actually a caring person who likes to protect others. …show more content…
Scout had never grown up with a mother, for her mom died when she was just a toddler. Her best friend is her older brother Jem, so most of her characteristics are based of of him. She can't stand wearing dresses, making her hair look nice, and being a lady. She'd much rather wear her overalls and go out on adventures with Jem and Dill. However, all the ladies of Maycomb, including her aunt ,want her to be someone she isn't. This causes her to worry about who she's supposed to be, and what her purpose is. A lot of them look down on her too, because she doesn't want to be a proper girl. Even Jem excludes her, saying "are you scared because you're a girl?" It seems like the only person who accepts Scout for herself is Atticus, her
Throughout the story we see the changes in her personality and how she talks to other people, rather saying whatever is on her mind, she thinks it through and says what is polite and respectful. In the first part of the book, Scout was just your average girl, who likes to fight and read. But, spending a lot of time with her father, Atticus, and her family’s maid, Calpurnia, she learned how to act polite in front of others. “Atticus greeted Walter and began a discussion about crops neither Jem or I could follow” (24). This shows us how Atticus set good examples about how to treated everyone equally and how he made an effort to comfort all.
Scout had been raised in a masculine environment, with her father Atticus and her brother Jem, after her mother passed away. During the first chapters of the book, many negative comments were made about acting or being a girl from Jem. Jem would say comments such as, “ ’Scout I’m tellin’ you for the last time, shut your trap or go home-I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl everyday!’ “. Comments like this were made throughout the beginning of the book, making it seem that acting feminine was inferior to masculinity. This environment contradicted what many believed a little girl should dress and act like.
As the people of the town never saw Boo leave his house they thought that he was bad. Boo had no chance to stand up for himself because he always stayed inside. Through dialogue he is characterized by what the people of Maycomb County say about him, which caused misjudgement. (add quote) Through the character of Boo we are taught that just because one acts different and lives a different life that they are not always scary and bad. After Scout meets Boo at the end of the book she realizes that he is not a complete monster with “jagged teeth” and “eats squirrels” (pg 14) he is a peaceful and good man. It is easy to misjudge
Today, many people are faced with different forms of discrimination and prejudice. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch as her family, friends, and herself as they endure and encounter different types of prejudice such as getting ridiculed for being a tomboy, racism, and reverse racism.
Scout and Jem aren’t necessarily the ideal girl and boy in this time. They were raised differently than most girls and boys of their generation. Scout, growing up with her older brother, acts like a tomboy. She wears overalls, plays with “boy” things, and behaves just like her brother. Her dad (Atticus) doesn’t see a problem with how she acts, but their neighborhood and family members do. She gets told to “act like a lady” constantly, even by her brother. Whereas her brother, Jem, doesn’t get told to behave much differently other than to be a gentlemen. As time goes by and the kids get older, Jem slowly starts to mature and Scout doesn’t like it. In chapter 12 paragraph 7, the book states “‘Baby,’ said Calpurnia, ‘I just can’t help it if Mister
Many people have experienced racism or prejudice at least once in their lives, but they are not aware of the different ways it could take place. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates how racism and prejudice presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. This is shown in the characters Tom Robinson, Walter Cunningham Jr, and Scout, who are all victims of prejudice or racism. These characters are subjected to all kinds of prejudice and from all kinds of people, sometimes so much it would change their lives.
In the beginning of the novel, Boo Radley had prejudice laid upon him. The town’s discrimination towards him was excessive. He was seen as the, “boogie-man,” of Maycomb County by several characters, including Jem and Scout. Firstly, although Boo was never seen, rumours were passed from parents to their children that he was an ugly monster. The children were told he ate any animals he could get his hands on, and he looked through women’s windows deep into the night. Secondly, the finch children, Jem and Scout, as for their neighbour, Dill, are perfect examples of how children in Maycomb viewed Boo Radley. Scout, being 6 years old at the time, believed that, “every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge, every passing Negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley after us; Insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley’s insane fingers picking the wine to pieces.” (Lee 55) Through the theme of prejudice, this identifies how the children demonize Boo. This is justified without reason, understanding that they have never seen, met, or talked to
Scout is only a young child, therefore she has a hard time understanding discrimination. However, as an adult, she reflects on how unfair and pointless the affair is. For example, Scout had just begun the first grade, and she was being taught by Miss Caroline. New to teaching and to Maycomb, she was not quite sure what she was doing. She gets angry at Scout for knowing how to read and write, and tries to force her to reform to the norm of the first grade curriculum, even though she’s actually much farther ahead. Later that day, she complains to Jem- “If I didn’t have to stay I’d leave Jem, that damn lady says Atticus’s been teaching me to read and for him to stop it.” (Lee 23). Scout comments on how if she didn’t have to get an education, she
Not much has changed in almost a century. Minorities are still being treated poorly. Harper Lee shows this many times throughout To Kill a Mockingbird. In her novel Lee portrays racial prejudice by showing the relationship between whites and blacks.
Discrimination: a noun that is defined as, “the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex”. There are many types of discrimination in To Kill a Mockingbird. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that is taken place during the Great Depression . Scout is the main character and her father Atticus is defending a man named Tom Robinson, who is a Negro. There are three main topics that are discriminated in To Kill a Mockingbird. The three main topics that are discriminated are socioeconomics, gender, and most importantly, racism.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the novel shows that there is prejudice in society. Prejudice is shown from a child’s point-of-view to show how a child’s mind works on how that person thinks or feels about something or someone. Prejudice is when something is against someone for something. In this novel, Scout is like a child who likes to be prejudice towards people.
Scout isn’t the common young girl in Maycomb, as she is uninterested in the stereotypical “girly” activities. Jem frequently insults Scout by calling her a girl and telling her to stop acting like one, as if being or acting like a girl were an insult. Evidently, people were born with the idea that being like a girl is a bad, no matter what the girl does; even if a girl acts “like a girl.” Due to the fact that Aunt Alexandra does not believe Scout acts like how a proper girl should act, she moves in with Atticus and his family to change Scout into a “proper lady.” Alexandra’s first issue was that she did not believe females should wear overalls, so she was fanatical to completely changing Scout’s attire from the her so-called tomboy ways to more girly styles. Furiated, Scout claimed that she couldn’t do anything in dresses and Alexandra responded telling her that she shouldn’t do things that require anything other than a dress. By reason of Aunt Alexandra’s actions, Scout learns that she should fight back for what she believes in. Scout declared that she wanted to grow up to be a lady and that she could achieve that without affirming gender
Discrimination is prevalent in the story “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the most obvious being the excessive amount of racism (Lee). Racism is the easiest to see but there are more forms of discrimination (Lee). Boo Radley is ostracized from the community when truly nobody really knows him (Lee). People discriminate Scout for being a tomboy not a lady (Lee). The last one that no one ever thinks about is how reverse racism is seen when people threaten Atticus for defending Tom Robinson in court (Lee). Discrimination in any form is a controversial topic but everyone knows that it is not right to discriminate against people.
First, throughout the course of the novel, Scout refuses to act like ladylike and she is unwilling to let go of masculinity. This decision is influenced by the usual company of Jem, her elder brother, and Dill. Since, she spends most of her time with Jem and Dill, she has developed an interest in activities that don’t usually involve ladies. Throughout her life, Scout looks up to her brother because she has no on else, this causes her to follow in his footsteps. In addition, Jem and Dill begin to avoid her because they feel she is acting like a lady. This statement encourages her to become more like them, so she can be a part of their group. From her surroundings, Scout develops a ‘tom-boyish’ attitude towards the things around her. The effect of Scout’s
Another thing that Scout does not experience in the movie is learning to become a proper lady. This is a big part of her childhood as she grows up, and completely changes the way she is. In the book, Scout is faced with constant problems of being different from what is expected by many. She acts too much like a tomboy instead of a lady. In the book, her brother, Jem, used to her boyish ways, declares "[Scout] you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day![23]”. However, Atticus does not care about her behavior. Her aunt, however, does and sets really rules on her to try to make her more like a