Fitting into your environment often times is important to many. Feeling welcomed and accepted into an environment is an important part to happiness. The feeling of inferiority contributes to isolation or the feeling or need to challenge society's views on a specific type of stereotype that was placed upon a person. This, unfortunately is not the case for everyone in the small town of Maycomb. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird this idea is displayed with many characters that are coloured, not coloured, man or woman. Throughout the novel Scout, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson are all representations of inferiority.
Often times, Scout is treated very differently than Jem. Since Scout is a girl, she is viewed as a delicate flower- sweet and innocent.
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Boo takes on the persona of almost a mystery to the kids. They have always wondered why he never came out of his home since he was in his teens. Boo made a decision to never come out because he never wanted to. This could have been for many reasons and many flaws about the town. Boo lived in such a town that was deeply rooted with racism and non acceptance towards anything to be considered not normal. His community has already labeled him and made the decision of how he is as a person and he feels the only way to deal with this is to just stay in his house and refuse to talk to people. Boo connected with Scout and Jem through leaving them small gifts under a tree that they would go to check every day. Boo had created such a strong connection with the kids because he views the kids as innocent, kind, and pure. Scout and Jem were too young to understand the racism and other problems that came along with living in Macomb and didn't exactly quite understand why being black or a woman automatically labels you as something. Boo admired their innocence and made a decision to open up to …show more content…
Tom is a single character that exposes how much racism and unfairness a coloured person has to experience every single day. Tom was put on trial for being accused of raping Mayella, Mr. Ewells daughter. Atticus provides sufficient evidence defending Tom Robinson by saying how is left hand was already broken from working at the cotton mill and also explaining how Tom is married and has a family. ADD ATTICUS'S QUOTE IN SPEECH The coloured people in Maycomb are viewed as less than human and are not accepted in their society. The black people could in ways be viewed as mocking birds. They do not harm the white people yet they get shot at anyways. Being coloured in Maycomb is not any easier than being a hunted animal. No matter what a coloured person does they will automatically be accused for doing something wrong. The segregations of coloured and non coloured folks in the town contributes to the feeling of not feeling welcome or fitting
Tom Robinson’s character exemplifies the mockingbird because he is a black man who is denied justice based on racial prejudice. After Mayella Ewell accuses Tom of rape, there is no way for him to be judged fairly because the narrow-minded, white townspeople are unable to get past their prejudices towards blacks. At his trial, Tom’s lawyer, Atticus, argues,
The whole town of Maycomb is racist, which makes Atticus’s job harder trying to defend Tom Robinson against the word of a white man.Tom Robinson’s case is unjust since he is black and the majority of Maycomb revert to the stereotype that all blacks are immoral and criminals. “Quote” shows that it is a situation where little is possible to do when defending a black man because the town of Maycomb is deeply affected by racism they tend to only make decisions based on the race and so immediately think Tom Robinson is guilty, that he did indeed raped Mayella when there was so much evidence to prove otherwise. This is challenging for Atticus, since he has to persuade everyone to pretend there is no stereotype about blacks and that they are human
Atticus is a mockingbird for the Maycomb society. He has the correct attitude towards different races. In Tom Robinson’s case, he provides strong arguments Tom’s accusation and proves that Tom Robinson did not rape and harm Mayella Ewell. Even though Atticus failed to restore Tom back to Tom’s family due to racial discrimination existed commonly in Maycomb in 1930s, Atticus leads the society to take the first small step in the right direction in the battle against racial discrimination, according to the quote stated by Miss Maudie, “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t
Because of what people have heard about Scout, they stereotype that she isn’t ladylike because she acts like a boy and wears overalls. Mrs. Dubose, the Finch’s neighbor, says, “’…what are you doing in those overalls? You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady! You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t change your ways- a Finch waiting on tables at the O.K. Café-hah!’”(Lee 135). In this case, Scout is considered a stereotype, but she changes her ways. Scout is confronted with her own stereotypes in the novel but as she grows and learns, she begins to regret her actions. Scout changes her ways throughout the book in order to get rid of the label people put on her. Even though she is still a tomboy at heart, Scout learns how to control her actions and act more like a lady.
Firstly, Tom Robinson is just one character that is prejudged in the novel. He is accused of raping a white girl named Mayella and it is a problem to the jury that a black man is trying to defend himself in court. Atticus realizes how Tom is being treated unfairly and that it is uncommon for African Americans and white people to associate with each other. During Atticus’s speech, Mayella is accused of lying in her testimony when “she kissed a black man [which is] something that in our society is unspeakable” (Lee 272). The black man who Atticus refers to is Tom. He is ridiculed and judged by several people in the book and he gets all this
But, specifically for women and girls. They didn’t get many rights and freedom as they do today. Also, it was a big deal for a woman or girl to not match society’s standards because it wasn’t common. That leads into how Scout’s representation of a girl is viewed in various ways by others. Back to the day when Alexandra first comes, she starts hammering on Scout, starting with what she said first: “We decided it would be best for you to have some feminine influence. It won’t be many years, Jean Louise, before you become interested in clothes and boys-” (Lee 170). Scout doesn’t like what she said because she simply isn’t interested in what Alexander says she should be. Again, it seems that Alexandra doesn’t like how Scout isn’t fitting into society’s standard for girls. Scout is also convicted of being different from Jem. Jem’s view on Scout is the complete opposite of Alexandra’s, meaning he isn’t used to or wants Scout acting ‘girly’. Jem started to notice change in her when Scout refuses to sneak into the Radley’s property to see inside of the house. “Jem, please-” Jem replies,"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 every day!" (Lee 69). Scout isn’t intending to act differently than she has used to, but she is saying no because she knows it isn’t a smart decision to begin with. Later on after the trial, Jem is
Racism has been a big part of the human race ever since people were born. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the townspeople of Maycomb, Alabama misjudge the African-Americans of their town. They treat them like trash, and some people even think they are just filthy beings. Clearly, then, racism has had many ubiquitous effects on many of Maycomb's citizens.
The matters of isolation and loneliness are delivered over the settings and characters of both “Of mice and men” and “To kill a Mocking Bird”, by inaugurating the microcosm of the society of the “Dirty thirties” in the United States of America after the Great Depression, crowded with outsiders isolated from the public. Steinbeck distributes each character with a weakness that differentiates them from the ‘normal’ and eventually places them in a desolated state. He attempts to deliver the loneliness of the lives of socially handicapped workers and itinerant workers and share them towards their journey to the American Dream, where humans crave contact
In the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, racism and social inequality are two central themes. Many different forms of social inequality coexist in the society depicted in the book, as the people of Maycomb are very rigid in their ways. This is because the book takes place in a time at which there was much racism and social inequality. In Maycomb, firstly there is discrimination between rich and poor white people, who do not often interact with each other. There is also racism against blacks by all white people in society, both rich and poor. Black people are denied basic rights and discriminated against in this town. Lastly, there is racism between the lowest classes of the community: poor white people and
Atticus is appointed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. She is a member of the Ewell family, who is looked down upon by Maycomb society and referred to as "white trash." Atticus knows that Tom has almost no chance because he is black and will be tried by an all white jury. Nevertheless, he wants to help him reveal the truth.
The community has ostracized Boo Radley from the community even though most people don’t know him. “Inside the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows.” (Lee 5). This is how the community saw Boo Radley in the beginning of the book (Lee). This outlook of Boo has made everyone scared to even walk past his family’s house (Lee). At the end of the book Boo helps Scout and Jem out from an attack from Bob Ewell when they were on their way back home (Lee). After that event they look at Boo differently till the end of the story. This type of discrimination happens in today’s society still and in movies everyone has seen such as the “Sandlot”.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the effects of long-term isolation through the character Boo Radley. Isolation, meaning a state in which, one is completely alone. Isolation has been proven to cause different health-related issues such as a heart disease, premature deaths, and many mental issues. In the story To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee displays to readers the effects of long-term isolation and the involvement of people with mental disabilities in society in the 1930's. Nowadays, treatment for people with mental issues would be drastically different from the past in areas of, support and acceptance, drugs therapy, and many other therapies. In the beginning of the 20th century, many mentally incapacitated people had
I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time... it’s because he wants to stay inside.'' This is the first step Jem and Scout take to understand Boo, as Jem realizes that, with all the hate going around in Maycomb, maybe Boo just wants to stay inside, away from society. From now on, the kids become less preoccupied with Boo as their, and the reader’s, perception of him changes. While Boo is still an other, he is no longer a monster and is now more of a mockingbird, an innocent neighbor trying to stay inside, away from the hate Jem and Scout are currently experiencing in
Author, he’s asleep. You couldn’t if he was awake, he wouldn’t let you…’ I found myself explaining” (Lee 372). Scout talks to Boo as if she does everyday, this is because she does not want Boo to feel left out of alone anymore than he already does. Scout is a very outgoing person who can make anyone feel as though they belong even if that person does not think they do and we can see that here with her discussion with Boo. Succeeding this encounter, Boo makes the request for Scout to walk him home. Once they reach his house and he goes inside, Scout stands on the porch and views the world as he does. Replaying the events of the past summers through his eyes, Scout finally understands the ways of Boo’s world (Lee 374). This helps Scout mature by the reason of her interpreting his life. She now knows that Boo sees her life as an example, she has a loving family and a superior life which he wishes he could have. However, he knows that this is not a possibility.
Earlier in the novel, Scout relates that Atticus views the Ewell family as “the disgrace of Maycomb” (33). However, as the Ewells are a white family, they are having a higher social status. During the trial, it is declared that Mayella seduces Tom Robinson, and her father, Bob Ewell, thought that his daughter would shift her warm feelings for a black man. In addition, Bob Ewell’s reaction to his daughter kissing to Tom Robinson displays the fear of miscegenation. Atticus, however, strives for justice. Atticus explains the ugly truth to Jem and Scout: “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (251-252). Atticus shows disgust with white people taking advantage of a black person’s ignorance” (252). Tom Robinson is facing a trial and the death sentence because he is black. Furthermore, Atticus makes it clear to his children that racism exists and tells Scout and Jem: 'In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always