To Kill A Mockingbird Social Prejudice Analysis

508 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racism in literature

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee shows prejudice towards a young black man called Tom Robinson who was wrongly accused of raping a young white girl called Mayella Ewell. One of the main antagonists, Atticus Finch, defends Tom in court but due to how racist the white community are he is found guilty even though he is innocent. People’s social prejudice also spreads to other places in the town such as with the kids at primary school. In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee emphasises the social prejudice of the town that the story is set in, which is Maycomb. The story is seen through Scout Finch as her own experiences of different social and racial prejudices. When Scout was at school she gets into trouble for explaining to the teacher why Walter Cunningham has no lunch money. “He didn’t forget his lunch money, he didn’t have any today nor would he have any tomorrow or the next day”. This statement by Scout shows that not everyone in the world is equal financially and that other people are not as well off as others. This also shows that not everyone respects that people aren’t all rich. …show more content…

This further shows people’s prejudice not just against the black community but also against anyone who doesn’t have the same views as them. “She is white and she temped a Negro. She did what in our society is unspeakable. This shows that the entire community has similar views about the black community and how when they don’t share the same views as them they are looked down on. To Kill a Mockingbird overall explores the racial and social prejudices in the small town of Maycomb and shows that not everyone can be equal in a town where the white community gave themselves the title of being superior and explores how this is challenged by only very few people who decide that it is not up to them to decide who is

Show More
Related

  • To Kill A Mocking Bird

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird is the existence of racism and prejudice in the 1930 – 40's. Harper Lee succeeds in presenting the topic in a manner that is not overly simplistic and thus achieves the task of allowing the reader to fully appreciate the complex nature of unjust discrimination. Harper Lee's inclusion of characters such as Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and many others, aid the reader to grasp the concept of racism and its central role in the town of Maycomb.

    Read More

  • The Differences Between Children and Adults in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the cowardice of the county adults and there ingrained prejudices and the braveness of their kind hearted children. The novel shows that the grownups fearfulness of others and their ability to condemn the Negros to a subservient lifestyle; the children’s consequential qualities which allow them to forgive, to be honest, and to have an infallible sense of equality.

    Read More

  • How Does Miss Maudie Use Racial Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    This highlight's how prevalent and ordinary racist discrimination was. The way Scout felt it was wrong to be talking to Mr Raymond also indicates how he was omitted from the community. Racial prejudice divides the town and allows people to be excluded and discriminated against. When Miss Maudie says, "You are too young to understand it." she is discriminating against Scout's age. The use of this cliché illustrates how common it was for adults to not explain things to children because they assumed they would not understand. It also displays how age discrimination was something that happened regularly. Scout often has different views on topics and if she was included in more conversations people within the community could see things from a different vantage point. In this way To Kill A Mockingbird outlines how gender, age and racial prejudice impacts individuals and communities in a damaging

    Read More

  • Prejudice in To Kill A Mockingbird

    777 Words  | 2 Pages

    Three students kicked out of a high school for threatening to bring a gun to school. Why would they? Because people were prejudice against them because other students thought they were “losers”. Moral: You shouldn’t not like a person because they aren’t like you. Prejudice was far much worse in the time period of To Kill A Mockingbird. But, Prejudice is the reason for much social injustice. Three characters named Nathan Radley, Atticus Finch, and Aunt Alexandria show us this in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Innocence Quotes

    655 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudiced society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, it uses characterization to help show a theme of loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.

    Read More

  • Prejudice in How To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    America is the proud author of many timeless novels. Fitzegerald’s The Great Gatsby, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, and Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men all reveal a glimpse into previously unseen worlds to their audiences. But few of them has so profound an impact as Nelle “Harper” Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. This captivating novel enthralled the country and made it reexamine its preexisting perceptions about childhood, bravery, and morality. In spite of the importance of these concepts, the most far-reaching theme is how prejudice and education coincide, or, more accurately, how prejudice and a lack of education coincide (Theme 1). In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee explores how a normally rational person’s ability to reason can be tainted by prejudice, even subconsciously. Rarely do the characters in Lee’s novel make an effort to be cruel, but in the 1930s South, prejudice was less about an active effort to hurt others, but instead was an affliction brought about by an unconscious combination of upbringing, culture, and social or economic status.

    Read More

  • What Is The Role Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up in a prejudiced environment can cause individuals to develop biased views in regard to both gender and class. This is true in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, where such prejudices are prevalent in the way of life of 1930s Maycomb, Alabama. The novel is centered around the trial of a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. The narrator, a young girl named Scout, is able to get a close up view of the trial because her father is defending Tom Robinson, the defendant. The aura of the town divided by the trial reveals certain people's’ prejudices to Scout, giving her a better perspective of her world. Throughout the story, Aunt Alexandra’s behaviors indirectly teach Scout that prejudice is a disease with deep and far reaching roots.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird: Theme Analysis

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson are both appropriate examples of how the theme of prejudice is seen in To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch is rumored to be a tedious, old man who is biased towards the black race, because he chooses to fight for a black man's rights. Tom Robinson, Atticus' defendant, is not given the benefit of the doubt only because of the pigment of his skin. The novel altogether is an extraordinary paradigm of prejudice and the problems it creates.

    Read More

  • prejudice in to kill a mockingbird

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prejudice is arguably the most prominent theme of the novel. It is directed towards groups and individuals in the Maycomb community. Prejudice is linked with ideas of fear superstition and injustice.

    Read More

  • Themes of Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and tolerance in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, Scout, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a black man.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Social Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of the people in Maycomb have some bit of racism coursing through their veins at any given time. Contributing factors to this epidemic are the ongoing rumors and assumptions of African Americans during this time period, but the main factor is the mindset of the people raised in Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra is one of the many people plagued by this fault in society. Despite her respected status in Maycomb she struggles with character flaws involving racial and social prejudice.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Quote Analysis

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    The story "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee teaches the reader life lessons about how prejudice is blinding. The novel tells a tale set in the early 1930s of a black man wrongly accused of a crime and he later dies because of it. This story includes injustice, racism, white supremacy, and persecution.

    Read More

  • Essay On Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    894 Words  | 2 Pages

    "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.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Discrimination and Prejudice

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Fairness

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone just wants a fair chance and to be treated equally, but in "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee that isn't always the case. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is about a little girl named Scout, Growing up in the town of Maycomb in Maycomb county and the many ups and downs of being the town lawyers daughter. She's growing up and living in a town where people are treated differently based upon their status in the town and not based on who they are as people.

    Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Social Prejudice Analysis

Open Document