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Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

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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

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