Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

After Scout confronts Atticus about “defending negros”, Atticus replies on how this decision is for his own dignity: “‘For a number of reasons’, said Atticus. ‘The main one is, if I didn’t, I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.’” (123; ch.9). Out of the lots of prejudice in Maycomb County, Atticus is one that looks passed race and gender. He holds equal respect for those who abide by the laws of being human. Not much of population consist of people like Atticus, who is not just fighting for Tom for the sake of the town, but for his own virtue. It takes a lot of integrity to stand up for what is right during that time and that is exactly what Atticus is making an effort to do.

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee talks about the childhood of the protagonist Jean Louis Finch (Scout) as she grows up in the fictional county of Maycomb in Alabama. Soon after, Scout’s father, Atticus, gets a case of a black man falsely accused of rape, as Scout and her brother, Jem, bear witness to the case as they finally come to realize the prejudice and stereotyping in their own county. Stereotypes are destructive and prevent or discourage individual growth because it can cause violence and harm, it can create barriers within a society and it can change one’s views about something.

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.

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.

As it was mentioned earlier, Atticus has a very demanding career. Tom Robinson, the young man Atticus defends, pays for the ignorant and hurtful stereotypes that are made in Maycomb every day. There is the fear of black male sexuality, brought about by stories of white women being raped and beaten by black men. "As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash" (220). When the Ewell's charge Tom with rape, his decisions come not from facts of life, but the general classification and stereotypes of Maycomb. "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box" (220). Others don't take the time to understand Tom, instead fearing and distrusting him. Tom isn't the only race in Maycomb that is victimized, however.

While numerous citizens in Maycomb express how “Atticus[‘s] aim to defend him. [Is] what [we] don’t like about it”(Lee, 218) and that he has “got everything to lose from this... I mean everything.”(Lee, 195) Atticus full heartedly stands behind the fact that if he didn’t defend the Tom Robinson case he “couldn’t hold up [his] head in town... [and] couldn’t represent this county in the legislature.”(Lee, 100) This reveals the moral importance this trial means to Atticus, as he believes that everyone should be treated equally, regardless of their skin colour as “men are not to be trusted around women—black or white... a truth that applies to...no particular race of men.”(Lee, 273) Atticus’s personal definition of courage is revealed to Jem after he is forced to read to Mrs Dubose for an entire month. As defined by Atticus, real courage is “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”(Lee, 149) Similarly, Atticus’s raw motives concerning the Tom Robinson trial run on the evident fact that he knew he was “licked a hundred years before start[ing]”(Lee, 101) Mr Robinson’s trial, but nonetheless defended him to his last breath. Atticus’s definition and actions correspond and show the reader how his values are congruent, no matter the situation. All in all, Atticus’s personal beliefs and values suggest to the reader

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.

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.

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, one of Harper Lee’s critical themes is how racial stereotypes hurt society as a whole. Her use of certain characters like Atticus and Miss Maudie reinforce the major themes of the novel. These stereotypes seem like they are only fictional, but they are still evident in society today. Harper Lee uses the characters in her novel to show the dangers of stereotyping and how to break racial indifference in society.

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.

The southern United States in 1930’s was filled with segregation, racism, and prejudice. This brings back to mind what a wise man once said “Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live” (Adolf Hitler). Today’s society is not pleased with the idea of hate against specific groups of people. However, everyone judges someone solely on their appearance every once in awhile. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, focuses on these judgements and points them out to everyone in an exaggerated way. The main theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is about how people are quick to judge others because of their appearance. While this isn’t necessarily

No matter how old or how young a person may be, there always exists a small opinion on someone before even meeting them. This is based on the other person’s different aspects. For example, their gender, looks, or race. This is called prejudice. In the novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee demonstrates the different uses of prejudice when a black man loses a court case mainly because of his skin colour. Although people are slowly stopping to prejudge others, Lee demonstrates how prejudice can lead to making people have less respect for another person through the use of racism, mental and/or physical illness, or social class.

Unlikely heroes are one of a kind. Atticus and Ponyboy in the books, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Outsiders by S.E Hinton, are heroes in their own ways, and look at the world differently than others. In these books, communities in the 1900’s have to deal with many immoral stereotypes, and when they deal with them, they are mistreated in their communities. However, when they get treated unfairly, they still decide to fight against the immoral stereotypes in their communities. Unlikely heroes such as Ponyboy and Atticus have to deal with immoral stereotypes and being shunned as an outcast, but by comparing and contrasting how these characters face these, we learn about the ways of the unlikely hero archetype.

He specifically, as a man in Maycomb, is respected for both his occupation and personality, so when he chooses to represent Tom Robinson, who is black man charged with “supposedly” raping a white woman, outrage breaks out in the town itself, and as a result Atticus is repeatedly scrutinized and even threatened for representing Tom. From the case’s initial conception, Atticus knew what the final ruling was to be, but he chose to keep representing Tom despite knowing the case’s true outcome. Tom’s innocence is evident from the “get go” but due to the racial bias that was present in the courtroom itself, Tom was at a severe disadvantage when it came to truthfully revealing his innocence. Mayella chose to go along with her father’s (Bob Ewell) plan to accuse Tom, because Bob Ewell did indeed “rape” his daughter and because Tom had the closest “relationship” with Mayella, she chose to blame him for something her father

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the reader is able to comprehend the concept of moving past the traditions of history and conceiving a personal future through Calpurnia’s, Scout’s, and Atticus’s ability to look past stereotypes. When Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout with her to a service at her church, she is looking past the traditional principles. Scout's ability to forget stereotypes is shown when she lives her life the way she thinks is best, not the “girly-girl” way her Aunt Alexandra expects her to live. Atticus exhibits defying expectations when he defends Tom Robinson, looking deeper than the color of his skin.