Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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

Hasn 't anybody got any business talkin ' like that—it just makes me sick." (Lee 266). Tom Robinson is a victim of prejudice due to his race. Tom was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Being a black man during the decade of the great depression was very difficult, especially in a southern state like Alabama. Tom is a victim of racial prejudice because the jury chose to believe the contradicting and false testimonies of the Ewells, just because the Ewells are white and Tom is black. The jury was biased, and their conviction showed how prejudical people in Maycomb are. Even if the people did believe he was innocent, they had to convict him guilty, as they would risk being insulted and disgraced by the community. During the trial it was very obvious that Bob Ewell was a cruel man, and that he abused his daughter. Atticus knew that it was not Tom who hurt Mayella but that its was Mr. Ewell. Tom is also treated unfairly on the witness stand. The prosecuting attorney was very rude and disrespectful towards him. He treated Tom like a child, and refferd to him as “boy” and “nigger”. Atticus explains that “ when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins,” and that “ people have a way of carrying their resentments right into the jury box.” (Lee 295) . Tom’s life was ruined due to the racial prejudice he faced, by the end of the trial he was convicted guilty and was shot to death by the

233). Atticus faces discrimination from almost the entire town of Maycomb for his decision to defend Tom Robinson. Mrs.Dubose’s comment is not the only racist one made to Atticus throughout the story. In the same way, Scout discriminates against Bob when she comments on Bob’s ability to comprehend what Judge Taylor had said to him. Judge Taylor uses advanced language and Scout assumes Ewell does not understand it because he did not finish school. Atticus and Bob both experience others judging them. Although Bob was not directly called a name, many comments are made about him behind his back. Given these points, it is clear that Atticus Finch and Bob Ewell display similarities.

Trying to get Tom Robinson killed, spitting in Atticus’ face, beating up his own daughter, and attempting to kill Jem and Scout are all terrible things that Mr. Ewell has either succeeded or tried to commit. The stereotype of the poor white southerner, along with the theme of the mockingbird, the destruction of innocence, is strongly supported by Bob Ewell and his actions against his community. First off, Bob exemplifies his stereotype when he tries to throw his own crime against Tom because he is “below him.” And he doesn’t do it so subtly either. When Bob was describing Tom in his testimony, he said, “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (Lee 175). This one quote shows just how trash Bob is. The way he phrases his accusation achieves an impressive feat of multitasking as he dehumanizes Tom by not even speaking his name, emphasizes his race over everything else, compares Tom to a beast by saying he was “rutting”, shows Mayella as a passive victim, and puts his own power over her by saying “my Mayella”, as if Tom is stealing property from the Ewell’s.

Atticus protects Tom Robinson in a trial where he was accused of taking advantage of Mayella. The truth was that Mayella’s dad beat her and Tom was just trying to help her out. Francis Hancock says to Atticus “You nigger-lover!” (Lee 110). He says this because he is racist and Atticus is defending Tom Robinson.

Prejudice and discrimination is looked down upon, yet people still continue to be judgmental and have preconceived assumptions about others. It is a common thing that still happens in today’s society. To be particular, racial discrimination is one example of prejudice and is based solely on the color of one’s skin. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is a caring individual who tries his hardest to treat everyone he meets with appreciation and respect. However, he is African American, which influences him and the other characters' lives in different ways. All he wants to do is help out another character, Mayella, which inevitably costs him his life in the end. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the character of Tom Robinson to illustrate the fact that innocent people are sometimes victimized to a racist society.

Finch and his family face abuse from many people in Maycomb, including his own family. “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family -” (Lee 110). Francis, Atticus’ own nephew, tells Jean-Louise that Atticus defending a black man is shameful. This opinion is reflected by nearly everybody in Maycomb. However, Mr. Finch proudly admits to defending Tom Robinson.

Lee illustrates how African Americans were treated unequally using Scout’s outlook and hate for supporting Blacks. Citizens in Maycomb supported segregation and showed their hatred for African Americans. During Atticus’ court case, Tom Robinson is constantly called a “nigger” throughout the novel and has constantly received threats which also affect Scout. The black community falls below the Ewells, enabling Bob Ewell to easily persecute Tom Robinson from its social classes for a false crime. During the trial, Scout began receiving threats and began being harassed for her family’s beliefs in school.

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.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy”(Harper Lee). In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a cultural icon and worldwide phenomenon that touches the hearts to all those who read it. To Kill a Mockingbird is about the small town of Maycomb, seen through the eyes of a small child named Scout, and her perspective on all issues in the novel from poverty to racism. The theme developed throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is that prejudices play a major part in human interaction, and it is inferred by looking at all the colorful characters in Maycomb, but mainly Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Scout; all three of these characters are a symbolism for mockingbirds themselves due to

What is prejudice? Prejudice is a preconceived feeling towards a person or group member based completely on their group membership. Harper Lee uses the different types of prejudice she was seeing as she grew up in the very discriminatory South to tell the readers about how people of different groups were being treated. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee isolates certain characters to convey prejudice held against people of different groups. Three characters which are isolated to show prejudice about a certain group are Scout Finch, Walter Cunningham Jr. and Tom Robinson.

Another presence of judgment in the novel is present in the character of Bob Ewell, an oblivious, grimy, abusive father, who looks down upon Negroes, believing he can take full advantage of them because he is of the white race. Scout declares that, “all [Bob Ewell] had that made him any better than his [Black] neighbors was, that if he scrubbed with lye soap in very hot water, his skin was white” (Lee 229). This indicates that the population of Maycomb judges primarily on race instead of morals, ethics, income, personality, or lifestyle, which further proves the segregation occurring within the South. This excerpt means that the community is more accepting of an unmannerly, poor, and often-drunk man rather than an honest, harmless black man, such as Tom Robinson. Skin color is the main eparation of the people for it determines who are neglected and who are treated like royalty. Furthermore, Mr. Ewell verifies his prejudiced nature, when, “[h]e stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson. ‘I seen that black nigger yonder rutttin’ on my Mayella’” (Lee 231). This further reveals Mr. Ewell’s biased behavior because it presents him mistreating Tom Robinson. Lee uses words

Atticus Finch, a well respected figure and lawyer in Maycomb, steps to defend Tom Robinson because of his morals against racial prejudice and injustice. However, Atticus threatened by the white townsfolk and even called a ‘nigger-lover’’ (pg.110) for doing so despite being such a high figure in Maycomb.

This movie “To Kill A MockingBird” starts in the state of Alabama during what they called the depression. The depression was from 1929 through 1939 and between thoes years specificly the year of 1930 this is when it happened. During this year there was a great prejudice which was shown in the court with brock peters. Brock Peters was played by Tom Robinson. During one of the scene’s in this movie Calpurnia, Calpurnia is the Brocks lawer’s house cleaner, is sitting in the back seat of Atticus car, Atticus is Brock,s lawer during this movie.

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