Inequality in the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, is shown in many forms and from the perspective of multiple characters. The viewpoint of inequality drastically changes when referred from characters of all different races, classes and ages. This ultimately alters the way the reader understands and interprets inequality in society. The perspective of the characters in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, affects the way that inequality is perceived by the reader.
The way a child is brought up and the events of life can have an affect on a person's perception of inequality. They can experience inequality through racism or sexism or they can be a bystander and witness the effects of it on other people. The main perspective of the
…show more content…
As a white child in the 1930s experiencing and understanding the effects of inequality, this brings on a whole new perspective for the reader. The close people around Scout such as Atticus, Jem and Calpurnia serve as her biggest influences and idols in life. The way Scout views inequality comes down to the way her father raised and taught her, particularly after her father takes on Tom Robinson's case. She is continuously ridiculed by her classmates and also looked down on by her distant relatives. Scout and her older brother Jem, start to understand inequality first when they attend a black church with Calpurnia. Calpurnia is a black housekeeper with a high education and also serves as a mother figure towards the children. Inequality is presented very highly in the black community, with very little exposure to education and resources. Most unable to read or write, many left with broken, stuttering or underdeveloped english communicative skills. Calpurnia is said to ‘speak another language’ when with the black community as they weren’t as fortunate as her to get an education. This was very strange …show more content…
The Ewell’s perspective would be similar to those of the black race as their family had no money, education or resources. The only aspect that elevated them above black people was the fact that they were white. Like many others, Bob and Mayella who were often referred to as ‘white trash’, would prefer to rise in social class. But Bob Ewell, the father of Mayella, put forth no effort to better his situation in life for his family often shown when he spends his already low income on alcohol to feed his addiction. After Mayella’s mother died she became a surrogate wife to Bob and mother for her younger siblings, causing her to become powerless in changing her life. The red geraniums Mayella lovingly grows is evidence of her want for a better life, as it is the only beauty is her filthy shack. Mayella’s perspective of inequality would be very similar to Tom Robinson's as she has no power and is controlled with no voice to speak up. She is also discriminated against for being poor but yet she still has privileges over Tom. Mayella’s advances towards Tom Robinson could possibly be to have a sense of power in her life. She is constantly controlled and looked down on by all those in upper classes so she attempts to seduce someone who is a lower class than her to regain some power. Mayella’s ‘power’ is tested by Tom when he denies her advances and she is caught by her father. It is then assumed Bob Ewell abused Mayella and used their
By utilizing character foil between Aunt Alexandra and Atticus, Lee was able to illustrate a contrast within the white society. In order to show how a typical white person would behave during that time, Lee introduces Aunt Alexandra to portray how most white people would act in Maycomb. “You all were coming back from Calpurnia’s church that Sunday? (Lee, 1960, p. 222)” This quote exemplifies how Aunt Alexandra is always discriminated against black people. She was shocked to hear about Jem and Scout going to black church with Calpurnia. While Calpurnia is portrayed as a well-mannered person who acts like a mother to Scout and Jem in this novel, Aunt Alexandra looks down on Calpurnia, because she was born with different skin color. In response to Calpurnia’s action, she told Atticus, “...you’ve got to do something about her... (Lee, 1960, p.224)” to discrete herself and to prevent Calpurnia from being in the same social class as her. While Aunt Alexandra symbolizes as a racial prejudice in this novel, Atticus is one of the characters that represents both a...
In chapter 10 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, an allegory for racism, prejudice, and injustice is created through the mad dog Tim Johnson as he wanders through the small southern town of Maycomb to find a place to die. The mad dog's physical descriptions, his death by Atticus's gun, and his disposal after death all combine to shape him to be a symbol for the injustice and racism that occurred during the Great Depression. Tim Johnson plays a pivotal part in Lee's narrative and portrays the story's central themes of justice and morality.
The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, takes place during the Great Depression in Southern Alabama. Throughout the story Scout (narrator and main character) and her older brother Jem try to understand what social inequality means and what causes it. Since their father Atticus Finch was a lawyer, with high moral standards, they were higher up in the social class. Atticus taught his children that everyone should be treated the same and with respect, no matter where they came from. People should not judge people based on their abilities or appearance because it does not define who they are.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the story is about a man named Atticus Finch, who defends an African-American man named Tom Robinson who was wrongly accused of rape. Atticus’s children Scout and Jem are exposed to racism for the first time in the Tom Robinson case. Meanwhile, Scout is dealing with her own issues of sexism and gender roles. There is also a big problem with social class, with some people living in extreme poverty.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book about how social inequality was different
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper, society’s darker aspects are drawn out on the form of racism and violence forced on two small children in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s who are going through great change in their lives and their country. As the story develops, Scout, the main character, has perceptions that change as time passes. Calpurnia, the family’s black maid, seen as mean and unfair in the beginning, and is seen in the end as someone with considerable skill and intellect. Atticus, her father is introduced as someone who seems old and simple and is later seen as very skillful and wise.
Jem and Scout are going to Calpurnia’s First Purchase church for the first time. Jem and Scout are the children of Atticus, a prominent white lawyer in Maycomb, and Calpurnia is their African American cook and nanny. Scout, the narrator, is describing her less-than-flattering view
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
In the book ‘ To Kill A Mockingbird ‘ by Harper Lee there are many themes that emerge throughout the novel from either the character’s actions and the progression of the plot. The themes that I would like to focus are those of social inequality and that of racism. Both of these themes guide the plot and help to shape the setting of the novel. The themes of social inequality and racism deeply trouble the main characters of Jem and Scout.
Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,” (117) said Miss Maudie after Atticus gave Jem and Scout their air rifles for Christmas. Harper Lee uses characters as metaphorical mockingbirds to effectively demonstrate the injustice of harming the innocent. Tom Robinson, Atticus, and Boo Radley all represent mockingbirds throughout the story. Tom Robinson becomes the first character to prove this theme.
In today’s America, the idea of equality is widespread, on the contrary, racism was very common in the 1930s. That is the America where Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, takes place. The story follows a young girl, Scout, and her brother, Jem, who struggle to understand the notions of their neighbors in Maycomb, Alabama. This specifically came to importance when their father, Atticus Finch, a Lawyer, defends a black man, Tom Robinson, who was charged with the assault of a white female named Mayella Ewell. Many, including his children, wondered why he would defend Tom Robinson. However, Atticus is a firm believer of the golden rule and to him, it did not matter that there was a large chance of losing the case as long as he tried. He is also moral so considering all of these reasons, it made sense for him to defend Robinson.
How would you like it if someone walked up to you and berated you based on the color of your skin? A characteristic like that isn’t even something you can control, so an insult of that nature can leave one furious and oppressed. Discrimination is inevitable in any culture, throughout history, in modern times, and even in ancient times. For example, the oppression and murder of 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade which occurred for multiple centuries, and more recently, the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya people in Myanmar, brought on by the government of the Asian nation, all of which are tragedies doomed to happen when history repeats itself and people do not learn
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee there are some scenes that show how big of a deal racial inequality and gender inequality was. In the film To Kill a Mockingbird, directed by Robert Mulligan the producers take important scenes that were in the book and didn't show the scenes in the film, some of these scenes that the producers took out include the scene where calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to church, the scene with Scout’s cousin Francis calling Scout's father Atticus, “a nigger lover”, and the scene with Scout's uncle Jack explaining to Scout why he tackled her in cousin Francis’s yard. There is tons of evidence to help me support my claim. There is a whole lot of scenes that were taken out when the To kill a mockingbird movie was made based on the film. One of these scenes that was taken out was the scene where Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to the her own church, her church is for black people only.
Besides discrimination and white privilege, gender discrimination also plays a role in this novel/film. Jem and Scout have grown up without a mother, and has a black house servant, Calpurnia, stand as a mother figure even though her and Scout do not get along. Throughout the movie, Scout is portrayed as not wanting to wear dresses and not acting “ladylike” as Calpurnia says. These two clash throughout the film because of Calpurnia’s expectations of being a “lady” and how Scout takes “being a girl” as an
To Kill A Mockingbird is a dramatic story about human behavior- cruelty, love, compassion, and hatred. The sweet family of 3 lives in the Southern town of Maycomb County. Atticus, the father, Scout Finch, and Scout’s brother, Jem. The Finch family lives in the time period of the Great Depression. Atticus still has his job as a lawyer and that’s when he realizes one of the greater themes of the story- The Existence of Social Inequality.