To Kill a Mocking Bird is a novel that addresses various ideas surrounding the 1930s, including discrimination. As the novel develops, Scout reveals the different types of discrimination that are present in Maycomb. The information that she obtains is through observations, inferences, experiences, and dialogues with other characters from the book. Various forms of discrimination are present in To Kill A Mockingbird and add tension, develop the plot, and contribute to themes in the novel. Disabilities, social economic status, gender, religious, and racial discrimination can be observed throughout the novel. Arthur Radley is discriminated in To Kill A Mockingbird due to his mental disabilities. According to To Kill A Mockingbird, “Miss Stephanie Crawford said she woke up in the middle of the night one time and saw him looking straight through the window at her… said his head was like a skull lookin‘ at her… he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained…” (Lee 16). After Arthur Radley was kept in his home for years without any contact from the outside world, rumors began to spread in Maycomb. Some of the rumors were that he would spy on people in the middle of the night and that he ate cats. This eventually led to people being fearful and discriminating against him. In reality, Arthur suffered from mental disabilities that were developed after being in confinement in his house for years without contact with people. Throughout the book, Scout’s views on Arthur change from being fearful to understanding. At the beginning of the novel, her opinion is influenced by the town’s gossips and rumors. Tension was built after the fire incident where Scout was scared that Arthur places a blanket on her shoulder; her fear is attributed to Maycomb’s thoughts on Arthur. But as the story develops, she begins to realize that Arthur is just a victim of society’s judgment and his parents’ parenting. She expresses that she understands why he stays indoors than taking part of Maycomb’s community and how the hypocrisy, judgment of others, and the constant discrimination of people is accounted for it. This leads to Lee’s theme of society destroying innocence. During Arthur’s visit to
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee and was published in 1960. This novel is included in various curriculums to enable students to take this well-written novel to identify the themes and messages and be educated from their literature. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. The different forms of prejudice that will be analysed are racial, class and social, thus, leads to the citizens of Maycomb to marginalises characters and treat them as an insignificant. It is evident that many characters in this novel suffer from different types of prejudice, which creates a sense of marginalisation. Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Arthur Radley are the important, main
Discrimination, it has been part of human nature for a long time, especially relevant subject in literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character of Scout Finch was exposed to different types of discrimination as she grows up. Discrimination affected the lives of characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird because of society’s prejudicial views of race, gender, and class.
In the story “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, the main character Scout realizes the town she lives in is full of bias and prejudice toward negros. Scout, the only daughter of lawyer Atticus Finch, is faced with the activism that follows this prejudice when her father decides to defend a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law. She is constantly harassed and tormented by the residence of their small town, Maycom. What Lee is trying to show through these events is that people are always going to have prejudices, and sometimes these prejudices come from the people you least expect it form. In the story, neighbors, friends, and family all show their prejudices about the defendant Tom Robinson to Scout, who finally realize the world isn’t perfect but is, in fact, full of flaws and prejudices.
“But now he’s turned out a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruining’ the family, that’s what he’s doing’.” (Lee 110). The power of hatred is one so strong, that it imprisons the Finches and African Americans of Maycomb County. In Alabama of 1920 to 1930, segregation is an established action of the Southerners, it’s a lifestyle. The slurs passed from the mouths of white Southerners and ending with the shooting of a black man, the ways of Maycomb County are ones seen as either shocking or common in today’s eyes. To Kill A Mockingbird is an eminent novel by Harper Lee that illustrates the aspects of discrimination and prejudice, tolerance and courage during a time in America where racial inequality
“To Kill a Mockingbird” examines the very central theme of man’s inhumanity to man. The many types of inhumanity, whether it is intentional or not, is seen throughout the novel in its many forms. It is shown through the ignorance and prejudice of the people in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Most examples of inhumanity found in the novel are not as innocent as Scout and Jem’s actions. It is evident that racism of all kinds affects the everyday lives of many people. Although this novel may be fictional, the conflicts are as real and valid in the world of Scout and Jem Finch as they are in reality today. The reader witnesses Bob Ewell’s inhumanity towards his daughter, and pretty much everyone he comes in contact with, the inhumanity shown by the Radley’s as well as the other Maycomb citizens towards Boo Radley and lastly, the inhumanity shown by the white people in Maycomb towards the Blacks.
People judge others all the time. Just because someone does not get paid as much means they do not try hard enough, and someone who has a different skin color is automatically a bad person. These thoughts are called prejudice. People have thoughts like these everyday, every hour, every minute, every second, this does not mean it is right. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the people of Maycomb have these thoughts against people like Tom Robinson or Walter Cunningham. But there are some strong characters that go against all the discrimination against these people.Harper lee conveys that a person's income or race does not make them less of a person through the words, thoughts, and actions of Calpurnia, Dill, and Atticus.
Discrimination and stereotypes are still involved in today's ever-growing society. People are judged by their race, gender, and, wealth; people are expected to act a certain way because of these things. In To Kill A Mockingbird it tells the readers about a small town, Maycomb, that faces many challenges because of how individuals are judged and treated. If someone were African American he/she would thought to be less of a person and were treated as if they were trash. If someone were to be a woman they were thought to be weak, emotional, and dramatic. If someone were poor he/she were thought to be dirty, rude and were treated like trash. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses stereotypes related to racism, gender, and wealth to teach her audience about how individuals were treated during the Great Depression.
Discrimination is prejudicial treatment towards different kinds of people based on any differentiating criteria, such as their race, behavior, or sex. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, various forms of discrimination are shown. Racism is an obvious form that is shown in the story with characters such as Tom Robinson and Calpurnia being the targets. However, there are also signs of prejudice and sexism in the story with characters such as Boo Radley and Scout Finch.. The forms of discrimination shown in To Kill a Mockingbird are racism, prejudice, and sexism
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the 1930’s. The story stretches over a span of three years through the duration of the Great Depression. The Jim Crow laws “was a system of segregation and discrimination that barred black Americans from a status equal to that of white Americans,” as described by Tsahai Tafari (1). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch occasionally acknowledges the social separation between African Americans and Caucasians in Maycomb. The institutional racism justified by the Jim Crow laws included the location of residency separation between white families and black families. Not only were colored people separated from white people in residential areas, but also within public areas such as
"I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks."(lee 304) said Scout, to what Jem replied "that's what I thought too...when I was you age. If there's just one kind of folks, why can't they get along with each other? If they're all alike, why do they go out of their way to devise each other?"(304). Discrimination and prejudice is illustrated in the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Throughout the novel discrimination is shown in two different categories, racism and stereotypes.
Discrimination is usually created by misguided fear and ignorance, which can lead to many problems inside of a society. These misperceptions are shown with numerous examples inside the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, with the most prominent examples being Boo Radley, the neighborhood misunderstood delinquent and the embodiment of unjustified prejudice, and Tom Robinson, an African American accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Through Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, Harper Lee shows how discrimination and prejudice can permeate even the kindest people and places and how common it is even in a society seen as normal by most people inside that same community.
Thirty-seven percent of the United States population is minorities, and the white majority will be gone by 2043 according to NBC News. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, shows how destructive racism/prejudice can be to a society. A black man named Tom Robinson is accused of rapeing a white girl named Mayella during a period of time where there was a lot of prejudice towards blacks. Tom is being defended by anti-racism lawyer Atticus Finch. The case is looking like it’s impossible for Tom to lose, but then the racism in the town of Maycomb says otherwise.
Martin Luther King Jr was a person that had been discriminated against because of his race. At the time, there was segregation between blacks and whites. They had to use a separate sink, water fountain, and even movie theaters. If the blacks got in trouble the consequence was 10 times worse than whites consequence. They were beaten for the simplest mistakes. Martin Luther King Jr. was the one that made a difference. He found a way to lead majority African Americans across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to go to Montgomery as a protest. On March 7, 1965, they went with all blacks which was a fail. On the next march, they went with blacks and a few others that weren't black and police let them through but MLK thought it was a trick. On March 25,
Zainab Salbi once said, This quote relates to To Kill a Mockingbird and The Help, because there are characters that realize their problems can only be solved if they themselves are involved in fixing them. In 1960, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was published. The story takes place in a small town known as Maycomb, Alabama. Scout Finch, the main character tells the story of how she and her family and friends were discriminated. The Help was filmed in 2011.
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is a classic authored by Harper Lee which takes place in Alabama during the depression. It is narrated by a six-year-old girl named Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch. The plot primarily revolves around everyday life in the community of Maycomb, focusing on Atticus Finch’s family and the challenges they encounter, including defending an African American in court. Throughout the novel, the community of Maycomb experiences significant change although there are those who hold steadfast to their convictions and habits. Perceptions of others, like Arthur Radley and Dolphus Raymond, are altered in the eyes of certain characters as they are exposed to other facets of the characters’ lives or personalities. Others, like Aunt Alexandra and Cecil Jacobs, undergo a certain level of maturity which significantly improves the way they interact with others. However, there are certain individuals within the community that do not experience a transformation and the community as a whole continue to maintain their racist views.