Cousin Francis yelled, “He`s nothing` but a nigger-lover!” (Lee pg83). Just because Atticus was doing the right and noble thing, Cousin Francis thought that he loved black people but he did not know Tom. Although, Jem stated that, “Atticus says cheatin` a coloured man is ten times worse than cheatin` a white man.” (Lee pg201) It is worse because it is like killing a mockingbird, which is a sin, coloured men do not really bother anybody. And then Atticus explained that, “...You’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life, ...whenever a white man does that to a black man, ... that white man is trash.” (Lee pg220). He explained that white men always win and cheat, so the white men are the victors but the white man is always a bad man.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, you can see prejudice throughout the story and the effect it has on the little town of Maycomb, Alabama. There were many people in Maycomb that was shown prejudice to, but only a few had the most prejudice given to. They were Atticus Finch, Arthur “Boo” Radley, Tom Robinson, Walter Cunningham and his family, and the Ewell family. In this book, prejudice is shown with different situations and shows that it can be overcome. Tom Robinson had the most prejudice used against him in To Kill a Mockingbird.
When the Hater Meets the Hated- Why is Tom Robinson Guilty? One may be punished for something he or she never did depending on the circumstances in their community. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows in Maycomb County, a society being controlled by racism, Tom Robinson is punished for assaulting Mayella Ewell even though he is the victim. If the majority of the inhabitants of a community are racist, the racist social values influence everything that takes place in the courts of the community. Thus the racist social values of Maycomb County are responsible for the failure of Atticus Finch’s defense for Tom Robinson.
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.
Atticus is one of the few people of the town who understands the individual worth of a person, regardless of the color of his skin. Thus, when Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, the local judge appoints Atticus to represent Tom knowing that Atticus will try his best to help Tom to seek for justice. Needless to say, Atticus took on this exceptionally unpopular client without hesitation. The task required him to challenge the comfortable myths of rural southern life. At a minimum, this made him and his children highly unpopular; and at one point, this even placed him and his family in mortal
It is a sin to kill the innocent and helpful mockingbird. But around the time of the Great Depression, important morals like that one seem to have been tossed aside. At that time, when a black man went to court, it didn’t matter whether he was guilty or innocent. The fact that he was a colored man made him the target for unjustified accusation. Innocent human beings have been killed for nothing but the crime of being different.
The Significance of Symbolism in “To Kill a Mockingbird” toward Social and Racial Prejudice The novel by Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird” mainly discussed about prejudice in many aspects. One aspect is about the prejudice against Tom Robinson, a black man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman and convicted to be guilty by all white jury because of the custom of the society and the racism of the people. Harper Lee uses symbolism which carries the message better than words to signify the prejudice that can be seen as symbols throughout the story, mostly about the problems of social and racial prejudice in the South in 1930s. The use of prejudicial symbolism can be studied by looking through symbols from the book. The paper will be discussing about symbolization of the prejudice against Tom Robinson, the causes from historical context and the evidence of prejudicial thought which is upheld by people in Maycomb society.
In Harper Lee’s compellingly poignant novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ we witness various forms of racism and injustice. As the protagonist, Scout exposes the bigotry present in Maycomb County and what the characters endured because of it, particularly the African Americans. We also observe the discrimination that certain characters, such as Atticus Finch and Mr. Dolphus endure because of the racial stereotypes who couldn’t comprehend their belief for justice for all. Racism in Maycomb was the norm. Most of the people of Maycomb were unjust and ignorant when it came to the most basic rights of the African Americans.
A piece of literature that relates to this quote is the fiction book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book relates to the quote because the whole story is about racism and a man named Atticus Finch trying to defend a falsely accused black man. The quote is implying that when times are troubled that's when we begin to see things as they really are. Scout particularly goes through this. In the beginning she's just this innocent kid, but by the end she sees the town in another light.
. . I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find we are turned to hating” (Patton, 36). Not only was Msimangu reffering to whites abusing power, but also black men as well. Essentially he is cautioning John that the power of corruption can take over any man.