As the reader begins to see the unfairness of the actions against black people, mostly because of Atticus’ speech, the theme of discrimination is developed through the motive of ‘walking around in their shoes.’ The title, To Kill A Mockingbird is very symbolic and meaningful. The quote which corresponds with the title is also said by Atticus and is, ‘Shoot all the blue jays you want if you can’t hit ‘em, but it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ There are two characters in the text which are metaphorical to the mockingbird. One is the obvious one, Tom Robinson, a black man accused of the rape of a white girl, whom Atticus defends, and the other is Boo Radley. Just like a mockingbird, Tom Robinson only did good and in the end was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He helped Mayella Ewell every time she asked, for free, and for it he was accused of raping her.
Maya Angelou grew up in a time when there was many racial conflicts and segregation particularly against African Americans. In the nineteenth chapter of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings titled “Champions of the World” , Angelou indirectly addresses the conflicting relations between whites and African Americans. Angelou most notably describes these relations in paragraphs 16, 17 and 28. In paragraphs 16 and 17, Angelou describes the people’s reactions to the way the fight between Joe Louis and Carnera was going. Joe Louis, who was representing-as she describes-all the Negroes around the world, was losing.
Throughout the years racism has been a common problem and is happening all around us. In earlier times black people were used as slaves and did have little to no rights at all, but now discrimination between blacks and whites is illeagal and we are all supposed to have equal rights. Although the discrimination is illeagal it has happened in the judical system in the past that juries and other people have made their decision based on the defendants race. Like in the case of Tom Robinson from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” and in the case of Stephen Lawrence the verdict seems to have been based mainly on their colors. So that leads me thinking if people of all races will ever be equal in the justice system and to the rest of the world.
Another thing portrayed prejudice in the novel, is the way whites talk to blacks. "I said come here nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you”(Lee241). Referring to an African American as a "nigger" is completely disrespectful and making them seem like they are lower than the whites are, which is not the case. No person wants to be spoken to in that manner, white or black. This word is used immensely throughout the novel, especially during the trial.
However, the central issue the town is grappling with at the time of Scout’s youth is the rape of a young white woman by a black man. This southern town is stereotypically racist. Atticus, however, is defending this black man. The inhabitants of Maycomb believe the same thing their white
He is almost completely shunned from the town because he is trying to help a black man accused of rape. Mayella had told Tom, “I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I gotta nickel for you.” (p.241) She had tricked him to coming over to her. Then that’s about the time when she accuses him of rape. He had felt sorry for her, which is why he was falsely accused in the first place. Courthouse segregation was one of the biggest bits of racism I found in this book.
Discrimination Discrimination, surely everyone has heard of it, but in To Kill a Mockingbird, everyone somehow experiences it. The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930's during the Great Depression. This, of course, is a fictional place, but the discrimination we see here is a reflection of what happened in the South during the 1930's. There are various forms of discrimination in this book some examples of these are racial, religious, age and gender discrimination. Racial discrimination was very prevalent during the 1930's especially in the South.
To understand the racism in this novel, we must first understand this novel illustrates the mistreatment, hatred and injustice towards African Americans in 1930’s. I will use examples from the novel to demonstrate these situations and examine culture in which they were acceptable. The beginning of black racism started when white people went to Africa and took captives and sold them in the southern U.S. Africa American started as possessions like animals—slaves. In the next 200-300 years, they suffered a life which a mankind can not bear anymore. They were forced to work without any payment.
Racism in Native Son “Racism exists when one ethnic group or historical collectivity dominates, excludes, or seeks to eliminate another on the basis of differences that it believes are hereditary and unalterable” (Fredrickson). Racism affects all types of people- from African descent, Asian, Latin, and even European. When using the phrase “that’s racist”, the most common race that people think it is aimed towards is African-American. African-Americans have had it hard since the slave era. After dealing with the hardships and finally escaping those times, they had to deal with racism still in the early 20th century.
Discrimination based on socioeconomic status involves judging someone by the “individual’s or group's position within a hierarchical social structure. Socioeconomic status depends on a combination of variables, including occupation, education, income, wealth, and place of residence.” To Kill a Mockingbird demonstrates how discrimination has always been here, and always will be. Racism is the most obvious form of discrimination represented in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The main character is a six year old girl named Scout Finch. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer for Maycomb County, Alabama.