Maycomb’s madness of Racism, in to Kill a Mockingbird

831 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Examples of relationships in to kill a mockingbird

Every town has problems and the town of Maycomb from the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is no different. Maycomb citizens are put forth with social problems created from racism. As a result of racism, physical abuse was plentiful in the town of Maycomb. The citizens of Maycomb were caught up in a cycle of racial discrimination, proving that racism does not benefit anyone.
The citizens of Maycomb deal with many social issues due to the conflict of racism. Social out casting is a result of racism. This can be proven when Jem says, “They don’t belong anywhere. Coloured folks won’t have ‘em because they’re half white, white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause they’re coloured, so they’re just in between, don’t belong anywhere. “(Harper Lee, page 161). The mixed children of Mr. Raymond are socially out casted from the whole town, as no one wants to be with them, both races find them a disgrace to their own race. These children have got no one, but themselves to be with and this is not fair because these children could be just as capable as any other child. This shows Maycomb’s disregard to equality. Moreover, children’s minds are often diluted with confusion because of the prejudice acts of racism. Dill is an innocent child who is also put through this confusion as he says, “That old Mr. Gilmer doin’ him thataway, talking so hateful to him….It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick” ( Harper Lee, page 198) The adults in Maycomb are unfortunately diverting Dill’s mind. Dill being too young to understand the people of Maycomb, realizes that being racist is unfair. In addition, verbal aggression creates tension between many citizens of Maycomb. Tension is built through, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillum here...

... middle of paper ...

...the legs Mr. Finch’”. (Harper Lee, page 193) Tom being the colour he is cannot stand up for himself to prove his innocence, as no one would believe him. Mayella assaulted Tom and the blamed him for assaulting her. Mayella targeted Tom because she knew he was defenseless and could not do anything. The reality of Maycomb’s racism just shows that all the citizens are not happy with the results of racism.
Racism in Maycomb results in nothing but negative results proving to us that racism cannot benefit anyone. Maycomb citizens have to fight against all social problems that are created from racism. The citizens of Maycomb are also physically assaulted from racial discrimination. Racism is an pointless problem that is caused by prejudice thoughts and it can be controlled by everyone

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. New York: Warner Books , 1960. Print.

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mocking Bird

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mocking Bird expresses the racist attitudes of Maycomb most dominantly in the court case involving Tom Robinson (who's lawyer is Atticus Finch) and Mayella Eule. The trial makes blatantly obvious to the reader that Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape is innocent and yet the jury finds him guilty. It also establishes that Mayella was actually beaten by her father and although the evidence that points to this occurrence is circumstantial, it is made perfectly clear. The court case also clarifies to the reader the frightful nature and obvious abundance of racism within the small town of Maycomb.

    Read More

  • Standing Alone in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    733 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the town of Maycomb, a man who stands up against racism forever changes people’s views on racism. Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch all stand together against racism and prejudice in the tiny town of Maycomb. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, in the town of Maycomb, prejudice is a disease, but Jem, Scout, and Dill are immune to this illness because of the people who raise them. For example, when Cecil and Francis told Scout that Atticus was a disgrace to defend Tom Robinson, even though Francis is Scout’s cousin. When Scout and Jem hear the verdict of Tom’s case, they both cry and are angry about the sentence while the rest of the town is ecstatic.

    Read More

  • Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are isolated from mainstream

    3095 Words  | 7 Pages

    This unfair prejudice was widespread throughout the south. " Maycomb" didn't actually exist but was meant to be the embodiment of a typical town in the south at that time. In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, she has created characters who seem a little different and thus, isolated from the rest of Maycomb's. mainstream society. Prime examples of this isolation are Atticus and the Ewells; particularly Bob Ewell.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Inhumanity In To Kill A Mockingbird

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maycomb is a fictional town in which we are exposed to the brutality of people. We follow Scout and Jem’s journey, which slowly reveals to us that the world is not a fair place and if anything, that the world can be quite cruel. This is shown through the ways in which characters act in a despicable manner towards others. Tom Robinson’s trial further gives us an insight as to the lies and racism that people are capable of. We are constantly confronted with the harsh reality that that the world is made up of numerous people that are filled with hatred, fueling them to act inhumanely towards others. Yet, at the end of the novel we are given a glimmer of hope as both Jem and Scout understanding this predominant concept, means that the next generation of Maycomb citizens may well be more compassionate towards one another

    Read More

  • Social Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • The Culture of Alabama in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Maycomb, there are several different types of racism. Bob Ewell is violently racist. Not only does he abuse Negroes behind their back, he does. verbally assaults them to their face as well. He refers to them as "niggers" and their houses as "nigger-nests."

    Read More

  • TKAM

    1788 Words  | 4 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird portrayed an era of extreme prejudice and ignorance. Throughout the novel, these specific characteristics were noticed in the behavior of Maycomb’s residents, especially during the trial of Tom Robinson – a highly publicized court case involving a black man convicted of raping a white girl from a despicable family. Although it became obvious throughout the trial that Robinson was innocent, and the girl’s father was the real culprit, Tom Robinson was convicted mainly due to social prejudice toward his race. The unjust result of this trial deeply disturbed the main characters of the novel: Scout and Jem, the children of the defense attorney of the trial, Atticus Finch. Since the story took place in the 1930s, racism was still widely accepted in society, and most of the residents in Maycomb openly professed their derogatory views on people of a different race or social standard. Growing up in a family that believed in egalitarianism, Scout and Jem faced backlash from the community since their father was fighting for a black man in the Tom Robinson trial. Amid these two highly conflicting environments, Scout and Jem had many unanswered questions and no support in the community during these tough times. Additionally, the Maycomb community was plagued with injustice due to discrimination and racism. However, there was one character in the novel who remained open-minded and unprejudiced even in the face of tradition and communal ignorance. A close neighbor of the Finch’s, who shared the same moral views as Atticus, Miss Maudie served as a mother figure to young Scout and Jem, who were going through a tough time in the community. Although Miss Maudie may not have had enough power to change the prejudice...

    Read More

  • Helen Robinson´s point of View in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    These injustices have begun long before Tom’s trial, but it is his trial which epitomizes the problems with our society. The first witness was simply just a misguided fellow named Heck Tate who it seems didn’t have much to offer to the case. Next, Atticus Finch called Bob Ewell to the stand. When I saw Ewell take the stand such a fierce hatred rose within me that I began to shake and tremble. Ewell wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, however, with the grace of God, Atticus Finch had shown that it was very possible that it was Bob Ewell who because he was a lefty could have beat Mayella. If it were not for great men like Atticus Finch I would have lost all hope for this world. As I watched Mayella take the stand I wondered how such a kind looking person could be someone of such poor character. Her words seemed to paint a picture of a sad life; one where a father neglects her and she has fallen under hard times. Atticus, after pointing out it was probably Bob who beat her, asked Mayella who it really was that beat her. Mayella made it clear it was Tom Robinson, upon which Atticus asked Tom to stand. To the astonishment of the court Tom was handicapped! Tom was then called to the stand where he laid open for all to see the truth, explaining that it was Mayella who came on to him (that treacherous woman!). Soon enough the trial ended and every one awaited the verdict of the jury. The next few hours were the most nerve wracking of my life.

    Read More

  • The Wisdom of Atticus in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens. Pre-conceived opinions are able to make people opposed to changing them as well, with the ideas sticking in Maycomb. The hierarchy or order of people is severely deformed in Maycomb, as normal, well-meaning people are discriminated against and put at the bottom of the pack simply because of the colour of their skin.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Similarities Between To Kill a Mocking Birds and the Scottsboro and Tom Robinson Trial

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Just like in the case of Tom Robinson, this town is just as racist as Maycomb. Over a hundred men stood outside the jail hoping for a good time beating and killing the men, which can be compared to the few who were outside Maycomb’s jail.

    Read More

  • Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being an African-American and living in a generally prejudiced town like Maycomb, Tom was already licked from the start. Tom was allegedly accused of raping a white person and as Atticus says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (295). During his trial, Tom could have lied about his reasoning for helping Mayella, to keep himself from getting into more trouble, but instead he showed real courage by revealing the real reason behind his actions: “I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (264). Since Jim Crow laws were active in Maycomb, Tom’s answer was seen as a terrible mistake: “Below us, nobody liked Tom Robinson’s answer” (264). It showed that he, being a black person, thought he was better off than a white person.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird - Equality

    618 Words  | 2 Pages

    Few people are the same as they are on the street in their homes. Few people can treat others equally; no matter what colour their skin is. Atticus Finch is one of those precious few. Racism in the town of Maycomb is nothing but disguised by the polite smiles and ladies missionary meetings; although it is the strongest belief that each person of the town holds apart from some such as Atticus. Racism is an issue of great importance, yet to the eye of a visitor waltzing through, it's just a slight whisk of air.

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill A Mockingbird

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Life Lessons in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Maycomb’s madness of Racism, in to Kill a Mockingbird

Open Document