Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird many assumptions or stereotypes were made based on what they saw or heard. First off, Boo Radley, who is a tall mistreated boy, has rumors about him that make people think he is a freak. Next is Tom Robinson, a tall black man who was accused of raping a woman named Mayella. He was found guilty based on the color of his skin and the assumption that African Americans are bad people. Finally is Scout, a 6 year old girl who is the daughter of Atticus and sister of Jem. Most people look at her as a little immature girl, but she isn’t. She is an intelligent girl who cares about the goodness of the people in her community. Which is why you shouldn't assume things based on what you hear or see. Boo Radley is a reverent hero. He saved Jem And Scout when they were being attacked by Mr. Ewell. He stepped in and stabbed Mr. Ewell with a knife. He then carried Jem home to safety where he was looked at by a doctor (Foote 75). However he is still merely looked at as a threat. Everybody knows him for attempting to kill his dad or for being chained up in his basement …show more content…
Mayella is the daughter to Mr. Ewell who testified against Tom. Even though it was obvious Tom was not guilty, the jury still found him guilty, because he was black. First of all, Tom Robinson had no muscle in his left hand because he got it caught in a cotton gin (Foote 61). Mayella's injuries were on the right side of her face, so Tom wouldn’t have been able to do that damage with a bad left hand. Second, Mayella’s stories were bad and she hesitated as she was asked the question “Do you remember him beating about the face?” (Foote 60). With this evidence any white man would have been not guilty, but people falsely accused him because he was black. Sadly, after Tom was found guilty he was shot dead trying to run away. Tom Robinson who was an innocent man, died because of the color of his skin and the assumption of his
Boo Radley is a mysterious and suspicious character, where throughout the beginning and middle of the book, Scout, Jem, and Dill have a preconception of him being a mean, old man. At the ending of the book, when Boo saves the children from Mr. Ewell, Scout sees how she prejudiced him based on other people’s beliefs. Boo is one of the most misunderstood characters of the book, starting out as a fantasy and a monster, but then he turns out to be very thoughtful, brave, and kind.
Stereotyping, a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing, plays a big role in “To kill a Mockingbird”, and it’s also a big role in the thirties when everyone was different. In the story there are three different groups of people, the wealthy, the poor, and the black. Each of these group with some exceptions like the Finch family, looks at each other with offset opinions. The stereotyping in this story makes it come true and really plays a big part in character development.
Mayella Ewell, a young white woman was responsible for playing during Tom Robinson's trial. She was the woman of lonesome and lower class who seeked attention. Her lifestyle was as an unstable home in which she grew up to play mama and raise her seven younger siblings. From time to time she was often used as an abused sexual intercourse item by her junkie father. Since Tom was of African American, made of the used to power against time to cover up the fact that she was being physically and verbally abused by her father. Therefore, since Mayella was of white race, her word against Tom was worthy enough to encourage the jury that he had raped and physically abused her. Mayella was a character hidden behind her own father’s shadow. She never had
The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.
at all! If a woman wants to be on a jury and meets all the
Prejudice, which comes from the word to prejudge. We prejudge or have an opinion about a person based on the the group an individual belongs too,thus stereotyping was born. What is the most reasonable solution to stop this act from being preconceived in the minds of our children today? An example is the social class difference between the people of Maycomb. A conversation between Scout and Calpurnia have about Walter Cunningham,” He ain't company, Cal he’s just a cunningham-” , said scout.
Well boo Radley is a man that stay’s in a small town and everybody thinks he’s an monster but he’s really not he just want to be lefted alone. To begin with Boo Radley is a powerful symbol of goodness that swatted in an initial shroud of creepiness. But while leaving a little present for Scout and Jem with emerging of opportune moment to save the children. Jem and Scout came to check on Boo Radley every now and then to see if he was ok and they would give him little stuff every now and then.
Former U.S. representative Ed Koch once said "Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart." ("Brainyquote") giving a view on how stereotypes can lose their power once they are seen to only have the power we give them. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the recurring theme seems to be that gender is not a defining factor in who we are. This can be seen in Scout's defiance to the traditional feminine gender roles.
Arthur “Boo” Radley is a very mysterious character in the way that not a lot has been know about him, even from the beginning of the novel. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, we continue to learn a little more about him. People in Maycomb fear the unknown properties of Boo. They created horrible rumors about him in order to answer their questions about him. For example, they claimed that he was dead and stuffed into the chimney, that he eats cats and dogs, and sneaks out during the night to look into people’s windows. Despite all of these horrible rumors, Boo Radley is a rather friendly character in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Boo Radley is a somewhat minor character in To Kill A Mockingbird, but he played a big role. Scout originally judges him by his choice to stay inside and the rumors that fly around Maycomb, but the only thing Boo Radley did for Scout and Jem was protect them. They learn to not believe everything you hear and not to judge someone based on their choices. Boo Radley made a change in Scout and helped the theme, which is don't judge someone based on color or situation and that's why I think he's important. Jem and Scout believed all the rumors of Boo Radley.
Living in a small town with a planted population, people know each town resident and family by heart, and tend to be territorial with their families and close friends. Because of this, stereotypes quickly spread about other families, and their so-called “habits.” In a way, families living in these types of towns are micro-races, stereotyping and being stereotyped. To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel about two children being the children of a lawyer defending a black man in an all-American town in Alabama where they live. The book explores the the theme of family and how it plays a role in the town of Maycomb, Al.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel that nearly every student has read in high school. The book takes place in Alabama during the early 1930s. Young Scout Finch tells a story, from her point of view, of the arrest and trial of Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of the rape of Mayella Ewell, a girl who assumably suffers abuse from her father. He was convicted despite the lack of evidence against him. While this novel’s main theme is racial injustice, it also includes gender role stereotypes. It is clearly seen that throughout the novel Scout is being harassed for not being feminine enough by members of her family and her peers. This gender stereotyping can have a negative or positive effects not only on Scout but other members of society
The stereotype, that heritage defines education, wellbeing, and personal character, portrays itself in a non-loving manner in many situations. Defining racism specifically proves itself difficult, but according to definition, “Racism is a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” Harper Lee writes a relatable depiction of this belief in To Kill A Mockingbird. Racism is an underlying topic that appears throughout the book showing itself in the relationship between Aunt Alexandria and Calpurnia, the hatred shown towards Tom Robinson, and also the discrimination shown to Helen Robinson. Jesus says in Mark 12:31b, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If the world stood on this commandment and portrayed the Father’s love, racism would be no more
On Monday, April 4th, 2016, a Muslim family were told to get off a United Airlines flight, because of a flight security issue. The mother explains, “Shame on you United Airlines for profiling my family and me for no reason other than how we look and kicking us off the plane for 'safety flight issues' on our flight to DC for the kids' spring break. My three kids are too young to have experienced this” (Staufenberg 1). Prejudice is still a big problem today. People will grow up thinking that they should not do something or that they can not do something, because of who they are.
Although we only see Boo only once in the whole novel, he plays an important role in the story’s plot. His image evolves though the story (especially in the eyes of Scout and Jem), from a creepy “malevolent phantom” to a kind human being. Boo Radley extends his care to Scout and Jem, even though at times, they were taunting him. This perfectly depicts the underlying theme of the mockingbird; that Boo Radley is friendly and good-natured, even when he is tormented. In the last chapter, Scout directly refers to Boo as a mockingbird, by saying: “Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”