Theme Of Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Moral cowardice is when someone is a bystander, and witnesses something unfair. They don’t do anything to stop it and stick up for what is right, even if they have intentions too. A Social Injustice is something unfair that happens because someone or something is different. Whether it be race, gender, opinions, personal beliefs, or someone simply don’t fit in. These two ideas go hand in hand, and how people choose to respond to a situation can show their true purpose. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Calpurnia is an example of someone who is both a moral coward and someone who stands up against social injustice. This book takes place during the depression in Maycomb, Alabama. In this small town people have strong opinions about almost everything around them; most of which are racist and just plain cruel. Calpurnia is a black woman who works for the finch family as a maid and acts as a mom towards the two kids; Jem and Scout.

Her fellow classmates ask her to clarify the situation to the teacher by saying, “Walter’s one of the Cunninghams, Miss Caroline.” (Scout, Page 20). However, her teacher does not understand the predicament; Scout attempts to convey how the Cunninghams trade goods for services but cannot properly explain. Scout and her classmates possess a clear understanding of Maycomb’s social structure, although rather unjust, nevertheless, the circumstances appear foreign to their teacher. The Finch family falls rather high up in this social hierarchy, the Ewell family, on the other hand, settles at the bottom, there is one strange thing about this, the hierarchy only includes white people. Maycomb's black population fall beneath every white person, not matter how foul and putrid, all white families in Maycomb, this includes the Ewells. Scout possesses a great understanding of this structure but does not understand why it has such a strong division. She has inherited her father’s sense of equality for all and desires for everyone to claim their proper place in Maycomb, whether that be a black man as sheriff or a white man as the

In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch faces with the problem of “social justice”. Social justice is defined as justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. Atticus has to cope with these obstacles as he tries to do what is right for an innocent man. Atticus Finch is portrayed as fair, considerate, and understanding.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the central figure, Scout, faces conflicts as she tries to understand prejudice and how it leads to the death of Tom Robinson. The childhood innocence of growing up in Maycomb in which Scout is accustomed to is threatened by numerous incidents that expose the evil side of human nature. The guilty verdict in the trial of a black man accused of raping a white woman, Tom Robinson, is most notable. Scout’s father, Atticus, is defending Tom, and because Tom is black, Scout faces comments against her father and her family. “‘My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank’” (Lee, 102) Scout encounters comments at school about her father. These comments make Scout question

United States have dealt with injustice and racism for a long period of time. Although we have come a long way in equality since the 1930’s there have been multiple events regarding racism and inequality. In Harper Lee’s Novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the story is set in Maycomb, Alabama where a young Girl Scout Finch is struggling to understand equality and true justice. Through the comparison of character interactions in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird and the influence of current events, it is revealed that the concept of social equality has changed significantly from the 1930s to present day, but in a few instances, differences in equality remain.

“ To Kill a Mockingbird” is a remarkable book that represents the social injustice faced among the black communities. On a daily basis black people are stereotyped and accused for many irrational things. Activist groups like “ Black Lives Matter,” try to teach society a lesson on equality just like “ To Kill a mockingbird.” They to shine light on many events that express their intentions, and their relentlessness is what makes an impact in their communities.

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee draws many parallels to real life, but one of the most relevant themes is social injustice. Social injustice has been society’s disease for as long as mankind has existed, from the cavemen, to the indigenous people of America, to today in modern society. Communities tend to turn a blind eye to the hateful words that are weapons in disguise, and literature is one of the only places where the raw and uncensored truth is revealed. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail display a theme of social injustice which reveals that the world is not as equitable as many people think.

The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee gives a clear view of life in the south during the 1930s. Jem and Scout grow up around many problems in the small town of Maycomb. Tom Robinson, the Ewells, and the Finches are all characters that face struggles throughout the story. Harper Lee uses racism and inequality to show the negative and positive effects it had on the children growing up around it.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a rich novel that teaches you how unjust the world is. Social Injustice is a conflict in the novel that is shown countless times. The novel takes place in Maycomb County, Alabama around the 1930s. Jem and Scout are innocent kids who believe that there is no injustice in Maycomb, but as they grow up they realize the world is not as perfect as they thought. Although the novel has been banned from school curriculums for vulgar language, the life lessons it teaches you are much more important.

What is social injustice and social justice? Social injustice is when there is a problem or conflict among the community or public of some sort, and everybody is not satisfied, also that some or a minority of the population are treated unfairly and disrespectfully amongst others of a higher ranking or class. Now having the knowledge of what social injustice is, seeing what social justice really is, is easier predicting that social justice is when the unpopular crowd or person being treated unfairly and poorly is finally proven right or innocent amongst the public, also giving justice to those of the smaller area of unpopular or smaller class of people. “When you’re fighting for economic and social justice, you’re always fighting for the minority”, as Bob Kerrey has said before. In this quote of Bob Kerrey’s he is correct, when you are trying to have justice among

“To Kill a Mockingbird’s” main idea is essentially a young girl’s innocence being lost throughout the progression of the story, as well as addressing the issue of racial inequality and gender roles as an underlying theme. The novel shares many similarities with the past of its author, Harper Lee, like her lawyer father who did most of the parenting because of her mother’s “nervous condition”, or in Scout’s case, a deceased mom, a brother who’s older than her by four years, and the book-loving, tomboy attitude both Scout and Lee both had as children (Help). It takes place in a fictitious county called Maycomb County in Alabama, and is very likely loosely based on Lee’s birthplace, Monroeville.

All people are born into some sort of social class, upper, lower, middle, but for African Americans in the deep south, they were looked upon as third class citizens. As a whole they dealt with the common denial of jobs, goods, and services. African Americans were denied access to many services, although “black only,” services were claimed to be equal. This did not justify the injustice that was put upon negroes. Although the written law had brought the negroes justice, society continued to function in a way of which was still hostile to the negroes, because they were treated as the lowest tier of the social class.

African Americans make up 57% of the people in state prisons for drug offenses (11 Facts About Racial Discrimination). Racial discrimination and prejudice has been plaguing America in recent years as well as in the past. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived conception that is not based on reason or actual experience; biased. Harper Lee discusses the racial prejudice of African Americans from the 1930’s in her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. Prejudices against African Americans are still present in modern society because of unjust treatment in law, racial profiling, and wage inequalities, even with laws to protect African Americans from discrimination.

Powerfully, emotionally, inspiringly, and very intriguingly, Harper clutches many people’s attention with her knowledge of society from the 1930’s. If someone was rich, they were never fallacious about anything they have done. If someone was impecunious, they were treated just as the dirt that they carried beneath their nails. If someone was white, they were not to treat blacks equally. If someone was a negro, they were seen as penniless people, no matter what the circumstances. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses stereotypes such as gender, racism, and riches to enlighten readers about how differently people were treated because of who they were, or how much they owned.

Social Justice, defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “Justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities and privileges within a society.” The human survival and the progression of society, heavily relies on the ability to stand up for the rights and freedoms of others- being an advocate for change and an advocate for social justice. This essay with primarily discus Social Justice through advocacy and younger generations perceptions of the world, focusing on the text ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee and the pocket film ‘And So It Should Be’ by Tara Campbell. Overall, exploring the the theme of how social justice is essential to human survival and the progression of society.