Social 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

To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic novel by Harper Lee, is a quintessential example of a novel that brings to light the social injustice that occurred throughout history. This social injustice is not only experienced by people of color, but also people that aren’t perceived as high class in society. Some people that face social injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird are the following: Tom Robinson, the Cunninghams, and Arthur Radley.

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.

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”

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the major themes that author Harper Lee highlights are the divisions and inequality in society. The story is set in the 1930’s in Maycomb, Alabama when class, gender, and racial discrimination were highly prevalent. In this time Jim Crow laws were in effect. Jim Crow laws mandated the segregation between black and whites. Consequences of questioning Jim Crow laws were violent and people were rejected from society and their family. The 1930’s is also the time during which the great depression was taking place. Many families were hit hard by the great depression. Maycomb was not a poorer, small, Southern, town. Also in this time, women were not given equal rights and they were expected to fulfill

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

They assume that the tales are true, believing, “In the house lived a malevolent phantom. People said he existed , but Jem and [Scout] had never seen him. People said he went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows. When people’s azaleas froze in a cold snap, it was because he had breathed on them. Any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work” (10). The “small stealthy crimes” that Jem and Scout believe Boo committed are only gossip spread around the neighborhood as “Jem and [Scout] had never seen him”. Jem and Scout represent Maycomb’s judgement of people based on rumors as they wrongly blames Boo for crimes he did not commit because their opinion on Boo is based solely on the gossip they hear about him. Scout, Jem and their friend, Dill continue to ridicule Boo Radley as they create a game about Boo’s dismal life, describing their game as, “a melancholy little drama, woven from bits and pieces of gossip and neighborhood legends: Mrs. Radley had been beautiful until she married Mr. Radley and lost all her money. She also lost most her teeth, her hair, and her right forefinger (Dill’s contribution. Boo bit it off one night when he couldn’t find any cats and squirrels to eat.); she sat in the living room and cried most of the time, while Boo slowly whittled away all

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is a novel told through the eyes of a naïve five year old girl, Scout, and her progressive journey to maturity. Set in the 1930’s Alabama, the novel highlights many issues that were prominent during those times, whilst also promoting themes such as courage and compassion. Arthur “Boo” Radley is a kind and gentle man, and despite a troubled past, he picks himself up, coming out of the experience as a better man. After making an instant connection with Jem and Scout, he always watches over the children from a far and does small acts of kindness towards them. In the end, he also pushes aside his fears of the outside world to save the lives of Jem and Scout. Boo has been created by the author to give readers

Although he may have been feared and gossiped about amongst the children on his street he chose to help them. Two of the children that he helped were Scout and Jem Finch. Scout and Jem had been on some people's “hit list” because of their dad’s courageous acts. On Halloween night, Scout and Jem were walking when they were attacked. Before anything terrible could happen Boo stepped in and stopped the man who was attacking the children and carried Jem home.

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, one of the most significant themes is race and social class cause inequalities. For example, when the jury was deciding Tom Robinson’s verdict, Jem was convinced that Atticus had won the trial and Tom Robinson would be found innocent. But, Reverend Sykes knew that that would not happen. Reverend Sykes said that he had never “‘seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…’” (111). The racism in the south was so deep, even if you compared the lowest class of white people, like the Ewells, to African Americans, the Ewells were considered better. Even juries, which are supposed to be fair, still showed racism and hatred towards African Americans. The justice system is designed

It is known in American history that the colored people have not been accepted in society. I too have not been accepted in a group because of my skin color, that is one example of why true racial and social equality will never be achieved in America. As suggested in “To Kill A Mockingbird” racial inequality has been around for centuries and to this day the white community has not fully seen the error of their ways. The american society has been that way and the American society will never change without a strong leader.

What is social inequality? What I do know is that it is not acceptable and shouldn’t be tolerated. For example, the Robinsons and the Radley’s, are both treated extremely poorly, because of the time period and the racist town of Maycomb. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee develops the motif of social inequality through the families of the Robinsons, the Ewells, and the Radleys as they are all treated with social inequality.

The novel shows how Boo Radley the character in the story is shown to be a type of monster that killed his father with a pair of scissors. In reality Boo is a kind person that is scared to come out of his house. Boo once came out to put a blanket over Scout another character in the novel, because she was standing outside the house

For many years America has been known as the land of the free, but would you really feel free knowing that everyday you were looked differently over something that's unalterable? To go more in depth, during the 1930s social inequality was an immense issue, due to the constant discrimination that occurred. Such as, colored people were treated with no respect, and were given less privileges than white people. Furthermore, social inequality also came in cases against people with little wealth, and towards women. That being said, adults were very prejudiced during these times, but kids saw pass that, and saw the truth with their innocence. Relating to, the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, where