Examples Of Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

Have you ever wondered what discrimination could do to you? Have you ever seen the affects of racism in your society? Well Jem and Scout know what it can do in the book To Kill A MockingBird by Harper Lee. Scout and Jem are the children of Atticus Finch in Maycomb County. Their father Atticus is a lawyer and teaches them not to be racist or discriminatory towards others, but soon they realize the place they live in is full of racism, and everyone else if very racist. They have these realizations through multiple events that cause them to lose their innocent view of the world. Harper Lee depicts the theme of growth and maturity through two of the characters, Scout and Jem, as their views of society change through their exposure to discrimination.

Scout's cousin Francis is talking with Scout out in Aunt Alexandra's yard. He asks her questions about her father and starts to talk badly about him: “‘Nigger Lover’ he yelled”(110)! Francis says this about Atticus because he is defending Tom Robinson in court, and when a white person helps out a black person they are looked down on in this society. Scout has not yet realized this part of their society yet and is confused when Francis yells this about her father. After these events happened they force Scout to realize how people see her family as, especially her father. However, white people aren’t the only people who discriminate in their society: “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal”(158)? When Calpurnia brings Scout and Jem to her church they are greeted with a fair amount of hate from Lula, one of the church goers. When she refers to Scout and Jem she does so by saying white chillun, not even acknowledging them as normal children but as some foreign species. Lula even goes as far as to question if the church is still Calpurnia's as well because they see her as a traitor of sorts just by being near white people in public. This confrontation troubles Scout and Jem greatly because they were under the impression that church was a place where there

Dolphus Raymond is seen walking around as a drunk whenever he comes to town. Dill and Scout are walking out of the court and come across him. But after talking to him for a little while they realize something different: “‘Scout, it’s nothing but Coca-Cola’”( 267). The kids realize that all Dolphus is drinking is Coca-Cola instead of beer all the time. They grew up hearing stories about this man and about how he is all bad but in this one confrontation they realize the truth, he is just protecting his family. Because Dolphus is married to a black woman and has mixed kids, it’s basically a death sentence for him and his family: “‘I try to give ‘em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason. When I come to town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey-that’s why he won’t change his ways’”(268). By giving his community a reason as to why he does the things that he does, it has saved his and his families lives. Scout and Jem are confused as to why someone would do this to themselves, but after Dolphus explains himself they understand him and their society a little bit