To Kill a Mockingbird In the town of Maycomb people are racist. Even today people still have a prejudice side. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird there are two races, the people of European decent, and the African American decent. The black characters in To Kill a Mockingbird contribute to the development of the white characters rather than appearing as individuals in their own right. The black characters are there in the novel but, the author doesn’t really expand on their personalities. Harper Lee shows us in the book, that back then in the south the communities saw all African American people as the same; but they do help to develop the white people. Overall the black community in Maycomb helps to shape the white community; as the whites are very rounded characters and the blacks are two dimensional (flat) characters. We have many different examples from the novel that helps us to understand how the blacks unfold the white characters. There is one in particular that stands out, it is the scene where Tom Robinson is in courts and is questioned by Gilmer. “You’re a mighty good fellow, it seems – did all this for not one penny…“Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her; she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em” (lee 197). This quote stands out from the entire book because here was have a black person feeling sorry for a white person. Back in the 1920’s that was an unwritten rule to be sorry for a person of European decent. You might question how this shows how a black person develops a white person but it subsequently does. When Tom says that he felt sorry for her everyone is shocked, because a black person can never feel sorry for a white person. So Tom saying that shapes the white community because it shows that t... ... middle of paper ... ...fending a black person is a huge deal. Atticus does not care that Tom is black, he knows that he is not guilty and wants to help him. This brings out caring and compassionate side of Atticus. Therefore Tom Robinson a black character helps to shape Atticus Finch a white character; rather than appearing as an individual in his own right, To sum it all up, we have three very good points on how the black characters in To Kill a Mockingbird contribute to the development of the white characters rather than appearing as individuals in their own right. We have the black community shaping the white community overall. Then there is Calpurnia expanding Scouts character. Last but not least, we have Tom Robinson developing Atticus finch’s character. The people of Maycomb are very diverse; we have the African American decent who helps to develop the European decent.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird three characters, Scout, Jem, and Atticus Finch, experience the many hardships and difficulties of human inequality in their community, Maycomb County. Scout, the narrator, gives insight to readers about the many different characters of Maycomb, yet two are alike in many ways. Mayella Ewell is a 19-year-old girl who is considered white trash and lacks education, love, and friends. Dolphus Raymond is a wealthy white man who is married to an African-American and has mixed children. Although these characters may seem different, they share many of the same advantages and disadvantages of human inequality.
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.
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.
The reader can then infer that in To Kill a Mockingbird, society believes that white people are a symbol of the superior race, and colored people are a symbol of the inferior race. Neither of which is true because no one person is one-hundred percent honorable or evil. Unfortunately, stereotypes and beliefs of the time lead the people of Maycomb County to be unable to view everyone as equal and instead only focus on race. Tom’s situation is an overall representation showing that when people treat others differently based on color that someone will have to face the consequences of this thought process. In the book, Tom fails to receive a fair trial just because he is black, yet many years earlier in the 19th century, Sir William Garrow coined the term “innocent until proven guilty.” The phrase itself never specifies only being true for white people or any certain group of people, for that matter. Due to personal bias, the people of the time are able to twist that phrase and unfortunately warp it into something closer to “guilty until proven innocent.” The reader can infer based on his actions of distancing himself that Atticus feels misunderstood and even alone. He is fighting a battle
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.
Therefore, through the uses of character foil, characterization, and the theme of society in equality, Lee was able to accurately depict her view of the white society in Maycomb by the characters in this novel. The difference in level of politeness, occupation, and behaviors implies how people like the Finches are representing higher social class in Maycomb, because they do not prejudge people based on their skin color.
Racism has affected the world in numerous ways back in the day resulting in racial inequality. One race is just suddenly better than another and so on. In To Kill A Mockingbird, racial inequality is stated everywhere and a lot of the population in Maycomb, Alabama back in the 1930’s have to do with racism. Towns people live up to keeping their race at the top and other in line. But, this is where Atticus Finch steps up and takes charge; he believes that everyone has a right and will teach his children the right way and make sure their minds are corrupt.
“There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes” (Lee 226). Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the citizens of Maycomb to show the diversity and isolation of specific groups or individual people. In the book, there are many different perspectives about people who have been shunned or isolated due to peoples views or opinions. There are also some people that try to break stereotypes and help these people fit in. Black or white, Finch or Ewell, everyone should be accepted no matter who they are.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself as well.
The children (Jem, Scout, and Dill) are a prime example. They represent the non-racist section of town: people like them and Miss Maudie. The entirety of the trial proves this; it is not manifest in a single quote. Throughout the trial, Jem wants Robinson to be free. Scout also has a thought where she contemplates asking the crowd below her to concentrate on setting Robinson free. Dill cries, even, upon Mr.Gilmer’s treatment of Robinson. If Dill entertained racist tendencies, then he would certainly not cry; rather he would take delight in Robinson’s predicament. So, we can now conclude that the children represent the benign section of Maycomb and are not out to harm the blacks.
Everyone wants to be accepted for who they are, but accepting other people’s differences can be extremely hard. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, is all about accepting people for their differences. The acceptance of other races is explored when Jem and Dill find out the Mr. Raymond, the town “drunk”, is married to an African American woman by choice. Scout learns a lesson of accepting people when Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner. Finally, the story of Boo Radley teaches children to accept those with mental disabilities. As our protagonists learned more about the other characters they find it easier to accept them, and they learn that people are not what everyone else makes them out to be.
In Maycomb County, racism influences the way people act and think in To Kill a Mockingbird. Many people were treated without justice, discriminated, and disrespected. Today, racism is still a huge factor in everyday life. We need to learn to cope with our differences with one another and treat everyone with
Racism is wrought within the whole story. For example, even though Calpernia is a female, Aunt Alexandra overlooks her good work because of her race (p. 129). Blacks, because they are considered inferior, are expected to do everything for whites. People are so biased it doesn’t matter how well a job a black person does they are still frowned upon. Furthermore, the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty even though the evidence is clearly in his favor (p.211). A human being has more color pigment in their skin so it is assumed they are guilty without question; truth is never a factor. It is easy to associate the mockingbird symbol to Tom Robinson, a harmless man who becomes a victim of racial prejudice. The Maycomb community are trying to make a fool of them selves by believing they are model citizens and good Christians, even though a small number amongst them know that they are wrong to persecute and hate due to color.
In almost every aspect of life, the whites have a different place than the blacks. For instance, the blacks have completely different living quarters. While the whites have nice houses, the blacks live in poor huts near the dump. The whites even attend a different church than the blacks. Also, the people of Maycomb scorn those who have mixed race families and refuse to associate with them. If a white person’s relative is black than the town will treat the person as black because in Maycomb, “once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black” (162). Obviously, due to prejudice the whites and blacks in Maycomb separate themselves whenever
Southern culture is a combination of racism, traditional gender roles, and religion. In her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the racial element of southern culture to show how prejudice aids in the corruption of towns. The societal aspects of this town show the progression of the racial division through the use of religion and the characters themselves. The racial divide in Lee’s fictional small town, Maycomb County, increases after the case of Tom Robinson is brought to court. Throughout the novel, Lee is able to show the development of racism in the southern culture in the people of Maycomb County, Alabama with the use of characters in various age groups. This development