In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the author establishes an argument against the immoral idea of prejudice. Due to the setting, people are especially discriminatory towards each other depending on uncontrollable or unreasonable factors. Throughout the novel, various characters and scenes reflect the argument Lee is addressing. The second half of this novel revolves around the court case of Tom Robinson. Tom is an honest and hardworking black man charged with the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell. A moral man, Atticus Finch, defends him. During the trial, credible evidence is brought to the jury’s attention. But, because of prejudice and unfair discrimination, Robinson is found guilty. The reader can clearly see the obvious innocence of Robinson based on the reliable proof. This includes the marks on Mayella’s neck and face which could only have been made by a left-handed person. The reader soon learns Tom’s left arm had been “caught in a cotton gin as a boy” and the incident “tore all the muscles loose from his bones” (Lee, 186). …show more content…
All other characters residing in the neighborhood are skeptical. Rumors circulate about Arthur, also known as Boo, “[driving] scissors into his parent’s leg, pull[ing] them out, wip[ing] them on his pants, and resum[ing] his activities” (Lee). The Finch children avoid the Radley house, yet remain fascinated with the professed stories. After the death of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell tries to kill Scout and Jem. Scout is unharmed, Jem is wounded, but somehow, Bob is dead. The heroine is revealed to be Boo Radley, who saved the children by impaling Bob Ewell. Sheriff Tate doesn’t want to bring Boo into the publicity of a court case, so he claims that Bob fell on his knife. Scout understands that this exposure would be like “killing a mockingbird” (Lee). The inaccurate rumors and heroism of Boo Radley demonstrate Lee’s notions that oppose
Life is like a thrill ride; one never knows what will be in store for them. Many characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected turns of events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice, and a lawyer’s quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take steps in ridding the town of its prejudiced mindset. Atticus, the lawyer, defends an innocent black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, despite being a white man. However, everything does not go as planned, and the prejudiced mindset of the society overpowered Atticus’s fair-minded argument. A prejudiced society results in blindness,
The real judgment and racial issue in society proves how one is treated and respected in the world. During the 1930’s or the Great Depression, in a small southern town in Maycomb, Alabama, during a time of poverty and distress among society, racism is a hugely controversial issue. The protagonist, Scout, describes the town as a town where everyone knew each other, and where everyone was family with one another, proves a point that some people were judgmental and were evil-minded throughout the time period. In To Kill a Mockingbird the idea of racial judgment and prejudice proves that one should step into someone else’s shoes and really see what the person is going through. The story is told from a child's perspective and demonstrates that any
what a bad father he is and why his family have been given a bad name.
Jem is attempting to understand the prejudice he sees surrounding him. His division of people into four groups accounts for the hatred and discrimination he witnesses everyday. When Scout replies "Naw, Jem, I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks," she is revealing her own understanding of the world around her. She is not attempting to understand prejudice; she is accepting that it exists. This allows her to see that all people are one, no matter their background. This relates to the theme of the book because Jem and Scout have judgmental views towards someone such as Boo Radley or the guy who drinks liquor from the paper bag, but in the end everyone is human and has
Many people struggle with overcoming prejudice and other themes that have been in society since early times. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee there are many themes that correspond to events still happening today. One of these is discrimination, which still affects many people now almost as much as back then. It has gotten better, but has not completely disappeared from society today. Some of the losing battles you will find in To Kill a Mockingbird are discrimination within Maycomb, the trial, and changing people’s views.
Throughout history, discrimination has made a colossal impact on society and affected people’s behavior. Taking place in a small Alabama county during the 1930’s, Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird predominantly describes how discrimination and hatred was a predicament in society told by a young girl named Scout’s point of view. During the story, she learns about the negative effects on black people with discrimination and racism going on as she is introduced to the adult world.
is one that is the most prevalent. This theme is the root of every racial and social problem in
What idea does Harper Lee develop regarding Prejudice? "Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Prejudice was a big dispute around the beginning of the 20th century,
To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that shows prejudice in society. The narrator Scout knows most of her neighbors. Jem and Scout could have judged people by their looks when their personality could be different. The new teacher in their town doesn’t know most of the people there. She thinks they all have a good lifestyle. A child could see everything in a good point of view while an adult could see it as a bad point of view.
Many people might say “Do not judge a book by it's cover”, but many people would be surprised about how many people are prejudiced. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many aspects of prejudice displayed. The main character, Scout, is faced with inequity and prejudice throughout the book. Out of all the possible ways of discrimination, race, sex, and gender was the three main topics focused in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Many people in the town of Maycomb describe Atticus Finch as a “nigger lover” simply because he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman in his rape trial. Despite the incorrect assumptions and what most people in the town are saying, Atticus believes wholeheartedly in Tom’s innocence and works very hard to prove Robinson not guilty. Even members of Finches own family judge him by saying things such as, “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” (83). Atticus is a just and moral man who is trying to do his job by serving and defending Tom Robinson, an
Have you ever been a victim to prejudice? I have – it’s like being thrown into a trench of darkness every time, with only the wish to change you for the sake of society. It’s a terrible feeling, coming from Southeastern Asia it’s something my family and I have encountered continually. I believe that prejudice, intolerance, and moral blindness should not be an issue in our world, especially in the year of 2014. We as young Canadian citizens should learn virtues of fairness, charity, and tolerance in order for our next generations to prosper.
in which it is set is a small southern town just like her own with the
In today’s society, prejudice is unfortunately all too common and we have all had to confront it as individuals in our own way. Judge Taylor comment that, “People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for” (page 92), presents us with a perfect definition of prejudice. The term involves ‘pre-judging’ a person or situation and forming opinions on false assumptions about gender, race and social status. In the Bildungsroman novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee examines the impact of prejudice on Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose and Tom Robinson. These characters in the story have not in any way harmed anyone, nor did they go against the law. Yet, they were treated unreasonably as in Maycomb, people only notice the qualities that
Prejudice and Racism is most often in the face of fear. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, we see many characters who demonstrate this. Boo Radley is prejudged because he chooses to stay in his domicile and is reclused; Tom Robinson will most likely lose his case not because of true facts but because of his skin colour; and Atticus becomes a victim of prejudice because he chooses to help a black man. There are many cases where we can see that prejudice and racism is most often in the face of fear.