Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama throughout the 1930s. During this time, the Great Depression affected everyone worldwide and severely hurt those in the southern states of the Western industrialized nation. Throughout history, the South was well known for the farming industry, which took a major hit when the depression began. Crop prices started to fall drastically, causing a significant decrease in the South’s economy. Lee used this timeframe along with the location to show the different aspects of people 's lives during the hardships that they were facing. Scout demonstrates the innocence of a young child throughout this time where societal oppressions are not yet understood. Over a three-year span she begins to develop

Evil is represented by the prosecution of Tom and those who accused him of the crime he did not commit. Good is represented by Atticus and his family who were able to see past the racial indifferences of the town, putting their own livelihood on the line for what they believed was right. Race, gender, and class status are the three sociological inequalities that the members of the town had to decide were important to them. Not only was Scout’s character used to represent naïve children but also a representation of individuals within a society that are unaware of issues going on around them. By learning through Atticus’ actions she began to understand the importance of standing up for what is right instead of letting social prejudices define the way she lives. The building blocks of social disorder is the lack of knowledge and the inability to think for yourself. By following policies already in place there will be no change in the actions or behaviors that society deems deviant. Individuals generate differences against each other to form a social hierarchy and keep the dominant group in power and the subordinate group obeying orders. The only way for people to overcome these hierarchies is to separate themselves from human