Symbolism of Prejudice in to Kill a Mockingbird

Prejudice should not exist in this world. But unfortunately, it does and it always will somehow. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is an inspiring book and brings out hard truths about how the world used to be, about the great depression, and in some aspects how it still is today. It follows a girl named Scout and her family through three years of her childhood. Her father, Atticus Finch, took on a very big challenge to defend a negro for raping a girl. The book sort of revolves around this event. Prejudice is in many different forms of discrimination. Throughout the book it is demonstrated by race, class, and gender.

“Prejudice is a learned trait. You’re not born with it; you’re taught it,” said Charles R Swindoll (Author). Prejudice is incorporated into How to Kill a Mockingbird in many ways. Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Miss Maudie are some of the ways prejudice is shown.

We can also tell that Jem is changing, growing up when he says “Scout I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley's stayed shut up in his house all the time… it’s because he wants to stay inside”. Jem is understanding that people have some sort of a choice to do what they want, meaning that if Boo doesn’t want to come out then he doesn’t have to he can do what he pleases. I think that Jem’s maturity mostly advanced after the Tom Robinson trial. Jem was furious after Tom Robinson was accused guilty as he thought there was not enough evidence

Prejudice is defined as: “An unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.” Harper Lee explores this theme throughout To Kill A Mockingbird with various characters demonstrating or being affected by it, especially because it is set in the turbulent time of 1930s southern USA. In particular, the theme is prominent in the characters Arthur (Boo) Radley, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. I will begin with Arthur (Boo) Radley.

It is clear Jem is maturing while Scout is not. At the beginning of chapter twelve there is a definite change in Jem. Previously Jem hated Mrs. Dubose for the names he calls Atticus and refused to see Mrs. Dubose’s side. Not much later Scout states that “Mrs. Dubose was not cold in her grave - Jem had seemed grateful enough for my company when he went to read to her. Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values.” (115 Lee). Jem seems to have forgiven Mrs. Dubose to some extent, and even respects her. Scout doesn’t understand and finds this alien and sudden.

Prejudice is seen throughout the world in many forms even after the Civil Rights Movement. To Kill a Mockingbird shows the extreme prejudice that African Americans were faced with at that time period. This book shows prejudice through character interactions.

To Kill a Mockingbird taught viewers a lot of lessons about racial prejudice, prejudice, and bravery, and that caused the critics to praise the film. An example of racial prejudice in the film is when Atticus is sitting outside the jail protecting Tom Robinson because there was a concern of a lynch mob coming for Tom. Everyone in the mob believes Tom is guilty because of the color of his skin. Then, Scout, Jem, and Dill run up to defend Atticus from the mob. Scout spots Mr. Cunningham among the group, and asks him how his entailments are coming along. Scout also says she goes to school with his son. When Scout tells Mr. Cunningham that entailments are bad, the group and Mr. Cunningham look ashamed. Then, Mr. Cunningham tells the group to clear out. The group of people that came to lynch

Prejudice means an opinion that is not based on reasoning or actual experience. In To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, prejudice is portrayed in many ways. For example, when the townspeople of Maycomb hear that Scout Finch’s dad, Atticus, is defending a black man in a court case, the kids in school began to hector Scout for his Dad’s actions. “This order, given by me to Cecil Jacobs was the beginning of a rather thin time for Jem and me.” (Lee, pg 99) says Scout after the long school day. “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank!” (Lee, pg 102) said, Cecil, after Scout confronted him about it the next day. This is an example of prejudice because even though the trial hasn’t begun yet, people are already against Tom Robinson. By looking at his dark skin color, the townspeople already believe that he is guilty. Even after Atticus Finch brought in evidence and strong arguments that Bob Ewell was really the one who had done harm to Mayella Ewell. But the all-white jury still believed that Tom was responsible for Mayella’s abuse. “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with…” (Lee, pg 292).

Prejudice is a very prominent motif throughout To Kill A Mockingbird. Harper Lee conveys the message that prejudice deprives us of understanding reality and the world around us. One of the most noticeable cases is the prejudice against Tom Robinson due to his skin color. In the trial, the jury had agreed Tom was guilty because of his race, even though there was no substantial evidence to prove so. Atticus knows the men on the jury are blinded by prejudice and racism, so he says to them, “The witnesses for the state...have presented themselves to you gentlemen...in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted...on the assumption that all Negroes lie” (273). Although the men of the jury understood that the Ewell’s testimonies

Prejudice is a typical issue amid the early quarter of the twentieth century. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird this issue is obvious in Maycomb. Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson are for the most part casualties of prejudice, and each of the three characters are tormented by this. It influences them all in an unexpected way; devastating them and debilitating them from going about as they wish.

Prejudice and discrimination is looked down upon, yet people still continue to be judgmental and have preconceived assumptions about others. It is a common thing that still happens in today’s society. To be particular, racial discrimination is one example of prejudice and is based solely on the color of one’s skin. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is a caring individual who tries his hardest to treat everyone he meets with appreciation and respect. However, he is African American, which influences him and the other characters' lives in different ways. All he wants to do is help out another character, Mayella, which inevitably costs him his life in the end. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the character of Tom Robinson to illustrate the fact that innocent people are sometimes victimized to a racist society.

Many people do not realize what prejudice was like in the 1930s. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, prejudice is a main problem for some of the characters. There are many different examples throughout the novel. “Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him” (pg.301), is only one of them. There are three examples of prejudice, people judging each other over things like race and the amounts of money they own, the people of the town judging Atticus and his family for defending Tom, and sending Tom to prison because he was black and Mayella was white when they knew he was innocent.

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

There are multiple examples of prejudice and racism throughout To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. During the course of the novel, numerous characters experience terrible and demeaning examples of prejudice. Even though the Jim Crow Laws are contemporaneous with the Great Depression, there are still many different examples of racism and prejudice present throughout the 1930’s.

Prejudice is a big factors in our everyday lives. People making opinions without knowledge. We see this almost anywhere in the world. The one thing everyone can't stand, but yet do it themselves. Prejudice in our world is so common that people have been blinded towards how and when they use it. But what was it like in the past? In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” we can see that this problem is quite visible. The characters Boo Radley and Atticus Finch are both sufferers of prejudice. It disturbed them in different ways, but in the end ruined them.