Human Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Social inequality is an uncivilized ranking scale which was created by simple minded people who held the fear being surpassed. The argument made by Harper Lee in her work To Kill a Mockingbird is that social inequality is a hierarchy that is complex and affects everyone. More specifically, the author argues that the racial boundaries put between the black and white during the 1930’s caused great stress. This is proven in the novel multiple times. The people of Maycomb judge one another based on the background and wealth of their families. Not only do they judge each other within the community, they discriminate against anyone different than them. Social inequality does not only exist in the form of racism, there are many forms; some of the major ones appear in this book. Social inequality based purely on family background, social inequality based on the wealth of the individual and family, and racism. These are three of the major forms of social inequality that appear numerous times in the book.

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

In To Kill a Mockingbird, and in the world today there is racial and social inequality going on all around us. I am sure that there will never be true racial and social equality, but I think that it will get dramatically better. Just like it has gotten better since the 1930’s, which is the time that To Kill a Mockingbird is set in.

Social inequality based entirely on race affects people who don’t deserve it. To Kill a Mockingbird original publication was in 1960, it is a classic novel written by Harper Lee, the book is set in 1933 to 1935. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a small town called Maycomb, Alabama and follows two years in the life of 7-year old Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father Atticus, an attorney who hopelessly strives to prove the innocence of a black man accused of rape. The book also talks about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. The definition of social and legal codes are social codes made up of rules and standards, and a legal system is a code of laws made by a state or nation. Throughout the book, social and legal codes are exploited by people to help maintain their social status. In Maycomb County, social and legal laws harm black people to protect white people, such as Atticus Finch, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson.

Inequality is a theme that runs throughout all of history. Harper Lee uses the theme of inequality in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson must deal with inequality when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit because no one will trust a black man over a white man. The Cunningham family must face discrimination because of their lack of money. Scout even faces inequality when she tries to play with Jem and Dill. The theme of inequality is a strong one in Lee’s book, and her use of inequality doesn’t only define racism, but also discrimination based on wealth and gender.

Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Pg 295). To emphasize, on the same occasion Atticus attempts to explain to his children how widely spread racism is, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life”

For many years, America has struggled with equality. Through all the assumptions and stereotypes, America has been beaten. The amount of inequality in America has dramatically decreased throughout the years. Social equality is something that everyone has always wanted. One of the biggest inequalities is African American rights. Constantly there is always a change being made that has made African American rights much better. Within Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the audience is introduced to social equality by Scout Finch in Maycomb, Alabama. Consequently, since she is so young, she struggles to understand why there is inequality in the 1930s. Through all the harsh comments and assumptions of character interaction in the novel and

“We hold these truths to be self - evident that all men are created equal, and they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is a famous line that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Yet, America has failed to show social equality to every race, religion, and gender since the known article was created. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and in society today, social equality is not demonstrated in the novel nor in the present.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows a lot of racial or social issues, especially against the African-Americans, such as racial inequality and poor treatment of the poor or homeless; both of these are still at least partially seen today. Harper Lee uses the unfair trial of Tom Robinson and his cruel death to show racial inequality, especially towards the African-Americans. Towards the end of the trial, Lee describes how the jury acts when they come back in as: “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson…” (Lee 282). Then, Judge Taylor announces the verdict: “Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…” (Lee 282). Later on, Atticus comes home after finding out about Tom Robinson’s death: “Tom’s dead…. They got him just as he went over the fence…. Seventeen bullet holes in him” (Lee 315). Based on this evidence, it is clear that racial inequality was evident in the 1930’s because with prior knowledge from the novel, we know that Tom didn’t stand much of a chance against the jury because of his being African-American. Also, if a white man had done what Tom did, he probably would have been given a fairer trial than Tom was. Even though, the police obviously wanted him dead as he tried to escape prison, there was no reason to shoot him seventeen times. Racial inequality can still been seen in the country, and around the world, but doesn’t seem to be as bad as it had been; some statistics show it improved soon after, but some facts show it took longer. One statistic showing that racial inequality has gotten better states, “In 1980, over 50% of the Blacks aged 25 or more had completed high school, and, by 2012, 85%” (Coleman 183).One fact stating that racial inequality took a while before improving states, “Even after the slaves were freed, the African Americans continued to face legal discrimination and segregation until the victories of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s” (“Preface to ‘What…’” 1). This evidence shows that racial inequality didn’t really improve at first. After the civil rights movement, things improved for the African Americans. From the statistic, the reader knows that between 1980 and 2012, a little over 1% more of the

Racial inequality is an ongoing issue in America. Throughout history, people have discriminated against minorities. The same is true in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, where Maycomb is facing a sensible amount of racial inequality and injustice.

ocial inequality is a major issue in today’s world. It is the existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or statuses within a group or society (Mahault et al. 6). Racism is not the only form of social inequality, it can also be because of an individual’s background and or wealth. These three forms of social inequality appear numerous times in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In this novel, the argument made by Harper Lee is that social inequality is a ladder that is complex and affects everyone.

It is inescapable, surrounding every aspect of life, casting its shadow upon society. Out of every accomplishment the human race has made, we have never been able to see through the boundaries that we build between ourselves. We have never been able to conquer the social restraints that are of our own doing. They exist without exception, bordering any difference between any people. Inequality is the oldest challenge that society has faced, and it is the hardest to defeat. While it has changed and transformed itself, inequality has existed throughout all of human history, including now, and the 1930s, the time in which Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is set. Inequality in the 1930s and now share many similarities, but are also very different. The constraints of class and social inequality of the 1930s are accurately portrayed in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and show parallels between then and now.

This summer I read your book To Kill a Mockingbird. One of the main themes I discovered while reading the book was social and racial inequality. Differences in social status that constantly baffle the children are explored through the social hierarchy of Maycomb County, Alabama. The financially well-off Finches are at the top of Maycomb’s social hierarchy with most of the townspeople beneath them. Country farmers like the Cunninghams lie below the regular townspeople, and the Ewells are below the people like Cunninghams. The black community in Maycomb is an exception, despite its bounty of good qualities, they’re below even the lowest of the white community, the Ewells. This empowers Bob Ewell to make up for his own lack of importance by persecuting Tom Robinson. These social divides that make up much of the adult world are revealed in the book to be very irrational and destructive, through the eyes of the children. For example, Scout cannot understand why Aunt Alexandra refuses to let her befriend young Walter Cunningham. In the book you use the children’s confusion to point out the injustices and prejudice in Maycomb’s society based on race and financial status.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee draws many parallels to real life, but one of the most relevant themes is social injustice. Social injustice has been society’s disease for as long as mankind has existed, from the cavemen, to the indigenous people of America, to today in modern society. Communities tend to turn a blind eye to the hateful words that are weapons in disguise, and literature is one of the only places where the raw and uncensored truth is revealed. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail display a theme of social injustice which reveals that the world is not as equitable as many people think.

To Kill a Mockingbird , by Harper Lee, was and still is a stunning novel. Lee infused many different themes which reveal as the story progresses. One of the most prevalent and significant themes in this book is social inequality. Throughout the story, social inequality is present and is shown through Maycomb's “caste system” (175).