Theme Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Racism is something that most people would claim they do not believe in or support; however, as clearly shown in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, racism is a disease that spreads through a region and worsens as time goes on. Racism is an issue that is still prevalent in the American society today, and Harper Lee’s timeless novel continues to teach the lesson that one needs to look beyond the color of another man’s skin and see them for who they truly are. Mr. Raymond’s conversation with Dill after Tom Robinson’s testimony initially shows that racism is better comprehended with age. He says, “Let him get a little older and he won’t get sick and cry… Cry about the hell white people give to colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee, 1960, p. 269). Here, it becomes clear that children can be naive to racism and the evil in the world, but as they continue to grow up in an area that feels so strongly about white supremacy, they become immune to the injustice and prejudice. Further, Mr. Raymond’s words allow the reader to better understand the severity of the racism in Maycomb and the entirety of the country. It also unveils a crucial theme in the novel, namely that one must consider a person of color to be no different from oneself, as all humans are equal. Additionally, racism is repeatedly referred to as a disease in the novel, which is explained when Atticus is talking to Uncle Jack about the trial and he says “‘... I hope and pray I can get

Racism is both an ideology and a system of domination. To be racist is not just a misuse of derogatory slurs and whatnot. Only certain communities have the power and the privilege to be racist. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird racism was one of the most recurring themes. Communities as well as specific characters were impacted by racism. Tom Robinson, Calpurnia, Bob Ewell and Dolphus Raymond were characters that suffered from Racism.

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.

In Part 1 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces Atticus Finch as a father who rejects ideas or practices of racism. At school, Scout hears Cecil Jacob shout that her father, Atticus, is defending ‘niggers’. Later that day, when Scout asks her father what Cecil meant, Atticus explains that he is defending a Negro named Tom Robinson. Scout was stunned by his unexpected response. When Scout asks why, Atticus responds, “I’m simply defending a Negro… for a number of reasons. The main one is if I didn't I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (86) By accepting Tom Robinson’s case without a single argument, Atticus really shows his civility towards Negroes, even when they are not respected by anyone else in the state. Atticus seeks to treat Tom as an individual while rejecting racism in all forms, both language, and behavior. Not only does this show his belief in racial equality, but it also shows his courage.

The setting of the book To Kill A Mockingbird has a huge role on the conflicts, outcome of the trial, and Jem and Scout’s development. The book takes place in Maycomb county Alabama, in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Since Alabama is in the south, and was before the Civil Rights Movement, most of the white residents in the town were racist. In the book, the town of Maycomb is almost like a character on its own. It is a small town that had lots of farmers who were struck hard by the Great Depression. Scout, who is the narrator of the book describes it by saying, “Maycomb was a tired old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square”(Lee 6). Scout even goes on to say, “People moved slowly then. They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of the stores around it, took their time about everything”(Lee 6). In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the conflict of racism is shown through the trial, Atticus, and Jem and Scout’s uprising in a non-racist home but in a prejudice town.

Imagine being persecuted your entire life. Having to constantly respect someone even though they were rude to you. This is what many African-Americans had to go through during the 1930’s. Racism is a major aspect in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The main character, Scout, has to deal with this problem everyday. Bob Ewell, Mr. Cunningham, and other characters are very racist, and don’t approve of Atticus defending a “Negroe”. This causes Scout to be bullied in school and even attacked by Mr. Ewell. Also, characters such as Tom Robinson are negatively affected by racism in Maycomb. Tom is killed just because of his skin color. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee’s use of point-of-view, irony, and symbolism help to develop

Atticus Finch, another character in To Kill a Mockingbird, is trapped in a racist society that unjustly lashes out at him when he does what he believes in, but he continues to keep his head up and overcomes their bias. For example, on a Saturday when Scout and Jem walk by Mrs. Dubose’s house while on their way to town, Mrs. Dubose yells at them, “‘Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!’” (Lee 135). Mrs. Dubose is only one of several people who attack Atticus for doing what he believes in, which is treating everyone fairly. Atticus tries to uphold his own moral code but only receives hostility for it. The backlash from the community is solely out of prejudice and is completely unjustifiable; if anything, he deserves

Decades ago, in the 1930s, people of color were not treated fairly. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird took place in the 1930s in the fictional place of Macomb County, Alabama. It was narrated through a young girl named Scout Finch. Throughout the novel, Scout, her older brother, Jem, and their good friend Dill discover realities of society. Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, was appointed to be the attorney of a black man. Because of the time period, the case was almost hopeless, but Atticus fought anyway. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird displays universal themes such as racial intolerance and innocence of youth.

There are many themes shown throughout the book To Kill a Mockingbird. The author, Harper Lee made the novel take place in the 1930s and in a fictional town called Maycomb County in Alabama. The narrator was a young girl in the novel names Scout Finch. Throughout the book Scout, her older brother Jem, and her best friend Dill discover new things and become more mature. Then towards the end of the book Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, agrees to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white girl. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, racial intolerance and courage are two of the many themes demonstrated throughout the novel.

Way back in the 1930’s, most people in the South had rather racist opinions towards those with darker skin. Sometimes, though, there were some kind oddballs who didn’t have these opinions and wanted to end the idea of racism. Atticus Finch, a 50 year old lawyer in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a man who is such a person. In the story, Atticus is assigned, by the county Judge, to defend an African American man who has been accused to rape. Atticus takes the case without much question, receives quite a bit of criticism from the people in his community, but continues to defend Robinson out of pure moral. Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus presents himself as intelligent, accomplished, and patient.

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.

“Race prejudice is not only a shadow over the colored it is a shadow over all of us, and the shadow is darkest over those who feel it least and allow its evil effects to go on.” One of the major themes of Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is that prejudice and racism can greatly corrupt a person and cause them to do evil things. In Harper Lee’s novel, Atticus Finch is a lawyer in Maycomb County, a small Southern town where racism and prejudice is common. Atticus is charged with defending a colored man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a white woman. Atticus also has two kids, Jem and Scout, and is a single father.

names’s Tom Robinson”. Discuss the effects of racism on Maycomb citizens such as Tom and Helen Robinson,

“One of the worst things about racism is what it does to young people”(Alvin Ailey). Racism takes its best shot at the young Jem and Scout Finch, attempting to rip apart their family.Atticus taking on the role as Tom Robinson's attorney, a colored man falsely accused of rape who’s trial caused lots of tension in the community. Atticus knows the dangers but he is no racist he loves all people. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee utilizes the character of Atticus to portray that racism does not have to be the norm, and by doing the right thing one can change societal mores.

"Achievement has no color"-Abraham Lincoln former United States president. Award-winning Novel to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is one of the most controversial books in the U.S., mainly because it put the issue of Racism front and center. It is told from the point of view of Maycomb resident Scout Finch, a young girl who lives with her brother Jem, her father Atticus and their black housekeeper Calpurnia. Atticus is a widely respected in the community, however, after he takes the case of a black man accused of raping a white woman, the upcoming trial divides the town. Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird directly results in different treatment of characters solely based on skin color, evoking anger from the reader, which in turn helps them