In the south there is a certain “code” that is in place that leads as a social standing, but it especially plays a role in how people get treated in Maycomb county. Maycomb county's people have their own way of living, with their own standards and unwritten rules already in place.There are different groups of people and it ranks from highest to lowest in social standing. Boo and Tom have had this unwritten law pushed upon them everyday of their lives just so they are reminded who they are and what Maycomb thinks they are. The citizens of Maycomb consider them to be “outcasts’ in their society because Boo has some “problems” and Tom is a different skin colour. Despite these very different reasons on why Maycomb has put this title on them, these men are in fact very much alike. Boo and Tom imitate what society’s “code” is with the songs they sing through the lessons they teach, the uniqueness, kindness, and genuine human feelings they have. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley …show more content…
The lessons taught within their traits of uniqueness, kindness and genuine that Maycomb does not seem to want have really shown their morals and how they imitate what society's “code” is. They are considered the bottom of the social ladder in Maycomb County because of these certain traits they have. Humans despite what respect people do have for eachother in these days does not seem to go far for, here are still people all around the world making “codes”, “social ladders” and considering people outcasts because they do not fit into these little groups. Humans often like to take the good in people and try to take it away or break it down in them, which is demonstrated in this novel but fortunately Tom and Boo rise above this and do not let what Maycomb has made them out to be affect
To Kill A Mockingbird displays an environment where one must be inhumane to another in order to become socially compatible. Maycomb has established a hierarchy where social compartmentalisation is the way of life. Men with a profession and a career are superior, while the farmers are near the bottom of the social strata and are considered inferior. No matter which remarkable qualities Negroes possess, they are always s...
One of the values of Maycomb is racism. However, there are a few that does not believe in this value, including Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man married to a black woman and has mixed children. He does not believe in society’s ideology regarding racism and knows that some citizens of Maycomb antagonize him. However, he does not care, as he prefers the colored people over white. He knows how unfair society is, from the way he gets treated. Moreover, Jem realizes the falsities of society, due to the injustice he sensed. After Tom’s verdict, Jem’s first clear sense of injustice provided a new perception on the world. When he was young, he believed that the people of Maycomb are the best folks, but the outcome of the trial changed this thought. Furthermore, Scout’s realization of the falsehood in society is with the hypocrisy of Miss Gates. She was taught by Miss Gates how Americans do not believe in persecution. However, Scout saw Miss Gates talk about the African Americans in an adverse way. Learning about the falsehood in society is part of
1) This quote shows how the townspeople symbolize the big issue/problem Maycomb has been receiving. The harsh words by townsfolk have showed the kids to stand up for their courage and be like Atticus: fighting for what’s right for the sake of Maycomb. Atticus assures that Scout understands that they must tolerate the townspeople and “go through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Using this quote the reader understands that Maycomb itself symbolizes the biggest issue in To Kill a Mockingbird because the town does not understand in their time that racism is cruel and should not ever be allowed no mater what. Unfortunately, the town can’t stop and really depend on Atticus to fix things though the townsfolk somehow bring up a problem without even caring. A reader can understand why Smykowski wrote in his article “the actions of the children do, indeed, symbolize various themes in the racist south.” From this quote, we can see that the things the children do symbolizes they’re attempts to change Maycomb. The kids start to realize as the novel progresses that what Mr. Ewell and other residents are the evil ones other than Tom Robinson. Boo Radley also symbolizes the fear of what
Social Justice There are many responsibilities and duties that one should fulfill to rid the world of social injustices and inequalities but if no one doesn’t step in then how is this issue supposed to be put to rest? In To Kill a Mockingbird, the fictional town of Maycomb County isn’t a perfect little town but one that is filled with racist, critical, and judgmental people with no morals. On the other hand, there are people like Atticus Finch who do what they believe is right. Atticus filled his responsibility for this issue by defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. This was a pivotal moment in the book because Atticus took the case when no one else in Maycomb would because they are too afraid and racist to defend a man like Tom Robinson, an African American.
Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are mockingbirds, innocent souls that are judged based on the discrimination and intolerance of the townspeople. The citizens of Maycomb judge Tom Robinson based on the color of his skin and refused to listen to the truth of his innocence. Boo Radley never does harm to anyone, yet the town criticizes him for his wrong doings. These men are destroyed by the perceptions of the people around them. Tom and Boo embody all that the mockingbird represents and consequently demonstrate how the opinions of others can alter the lives of the innocent.
“‘Old Mr. Bob Ewell accused him of rapin’ his girl an’ had him arrested an’ put in jail---’” (Lee 164). To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place in a settled town called Maycomb in Alabama. It is based during the early 1930’s when the Great Depression hit. Poverty reaches everyone from families like the Finches to the “white trash” Ewells. Soon the settled town Maycomb gets into conflict characterized by poverty, racism, and domestic violence.
In the novel “ To kill a mockingbird” By Harper Lee there are many characters who are social outcasts in the story. These characters give us an understanding of the storyline and help develop ideas about other characters. These characters are brilliantly crafted to create parts of the setting and show the true injustices of the town. The three social outcasts i will be using for examples are the Ewell family, Dolphus Raymond and the entire black community. All these characters in the story have completely different reactions to being social outcasts and reasons for being apart of the storyline.
Throughout time society has been tested many a time. The tests of society are those which show the development of a society’s culture, morals and value system. The recent events of Maycomb have shown it has not developed or flourished but that with the death of my dear husband, Tom, it has failed miserably. Justice, although bittersweet, is the pie that society has been given the duty to serve. The once-solid pillars of fairness and humanity upon which our society was built are crumbling. The trials and tribulations of Tom Robinson have not only led me to lose faith in justice, fairness and humanity but removed my veil of ignorance and shown me the ignorant “whites” have the power to kill even the sweetest of mockingbirds.
The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by their pre-conceived ideas about black people, thinking that Tom obviously did it as he was black. Their prejudice and ignorance blinded them to the fact that the Ewell’s had manipulated him to their own benefit. Also, this prejudice causes the people who are prejudiced to be as prejudiced towards people who are not. This is shown by Mrs Dubose’s statement to Jem, “Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for.” This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens.
"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow there, firm as weeds among stones"- Charlotte Brontë. Nearly every problem and unfortunate mishap in Harper Lee's, To Kill A Mockingbird, has been somehow revolved around prejudice or discrimination. Many different forms of prejudice are found throughout the novel, with racism, sexism, and classicism the most common. The residents of Maycomb have discrimination running through their veins and were raised to be racist and sexist, without realizing. They see nothing wrong with judging other people and treating people that they find inferior harshly. Prejudice is a destructive force because it separates the people of Maycomb, both physically and mentally.
Discrimination and Prejudice in Killing A Mocking Bird Discrimination and prejudice were very common acts in the early and middle 1900's. Prejudice in this book is displayed by the acts of hate and misunderstanding because of someone's color. People of color were the majority that were treated unfairly. During this time in the southern states, black people had to use separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, sections in restaurants, churches, and even go to separate schools. Although much of the discrimination was directed towards blacks, there were plenty of accounts towards impoverished families by those that had money.
Sum up, the social relationship between these people here, this old town Maycomb is complicated and pretty tense. This novel has taught us so much, thanks to Harper Lee – one of the greatest writers of all time. It has opened our eyes wider about racism at that time and compared it to nowadays it has become so much better. People are equally, no matter what skin color you are, what religion you have, or where you’re from, what you’re appearance looks like, we are all equal, and we are all the same – human. So instead of treating badly to one another we should all united and make the world a better place.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the citizens of Maycomb County are treated in a specific way because of who they are. In the novel Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, could not see the differences between “folks”. Scout makes the statement “I think there is just one kind of folks, folks.” (Pg. 304). By saying this, she is stating that it doesn’t matter who you are, in the end everyone is just human beings and can not be anything more. Discrimination in the novel is addressed when Aunt Alexandra would not let Scout be friends with Walter Cunningham, how Bob Ewell hates black people, and when the jury made Tom Robinson guilty even though they know he is innocent.
Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.
A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...