That also made it very capable of having social inequality because of people spreading rumors and giving the illusion to everyone including children that you’re something you are not. The combination of it being a small town and it being a racist and prejudice society makes the town seem set up for many problems and drama. Atticus’s decision to do the right thing was to “actually defend” Tom Robinson in a case where he was accused of rape. Atticus makes the statement of “...if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, in a court trial. The town of Maycomb turns against him due to this. Atticus, furious about the reaction from his town, explains, “…why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (Lee 88). Atticus does not have any racial biases, and he does not agree with the views of the majority of the people of Maycomb. Atticus, describing his beliefs to Jem, “…The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be
Maycomb is Ultimately a racist town To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee takes place during the 1930’s in Alabama. Maycomb is a small town that deeply despised the Black community. The town targets many of the negroes and subject them to suppression, making them the lower class of Maycomb. With the help of some people that have not fallen to ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’, they are able to cope with all the hateful remarks and with the court case, this was the first sign of hope for this little racist town. The black people in Maycomb, often referred to as Negroes or ‘niggers’ are constantly discriminated against, shown inequality and unfair treatment.
The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by ... ... middle of paper ... ...sirable traits to have as they can motivate you through the toughest tasks and drive you to do what should be done instead of abandon your duties. In conclusion, Harper Lee’s book To Kill a Mockingbird highlights the horrible prejudice and ignorance towards black people in the southern town of Maycomb, but also shows wisdom and compassion as not only desirable but necessary traits to have to withstand the bombardment of pre-conceived ideas from the people surrounding you, and also portrays these qualities as a shield to people around
In the book, To Kill a mockingbird written Harper Lee, there are prejudices expressed in this book, racial prejudice, Social prejudice and Fear of the unknown. These prejudices were expressed in the Town of Maycomb County in the eyes of Scout. Racial prejudice was expressed very carelessly in the book, a lot of people could go around calling African American people a ‘nigger’ and even more so, a ‘black’ or ‘coloured’ person. When Atticus knew he would be defending Tom Robinson, he knew he would be receiving negative comments and gossip, he also knew that his kids will also be getting negative comments from school or around the community. One example is when scout was at school and Cecil Jacobs approached scout and told her that “scouts daddy defends niggers”, when Scout told her father, he told scout to ignore any gossip because Atticus knew what he was doing was right.
The novel does not solely highlight racial prejudice, through characters such as Tom Robinson, but it also illuminates the gullibility of society and how dubious figures of evidence can cause prejudice to an individual, such as Boo Radley. In the novel, Boo Radley is not accepted nor does he fit into Maycomb society because he is different from the other residents of Maycomb and due to his idiosyncrasy, he is punished by the very judgemental society of Maycomb County. In the words of Miss Stephanie Crawford, ‘One day Boo was cutting the newspaper with scissors, and when his father passed "Boo drove the scissors into his parent's leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activity". According to Stephanie Crawford’s account, Boo just sat there after stabbing his father without any confession or regrets for his actions. Similarly, there were many hollow rumours running around the county based on Boo Radley, and the majority of the residents of Maycomb decided these unjustified stories resulting in the alienation of Boo.
The racist views of the town are against Atticus defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, and Atticus is often discriminated against for not agreeing with them. His children, Scout and Jem, also feel the hatred of others against them because of what their father's beliefs are. "But Mrs. Dubose held us: "'Not only a Finch waiting tables, but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers' ... 'Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for.'" Although Atticus is criticized for what he decides is right, he bravely ignores the disapprobation. Mrs. Dubose is courageous because she recognizes she has a flaw and that she has to help fix it to make it go away.
Racism In To Kill a Mockingbird a reoccurring theme is racism. The story takes place in Maycomb, a small gossipy town infected with the disease of racism. The white supremacy of the town is evident and there are instances of racism everywhere. An example being when Scout, Jem, and Dill get run out of the Radley’s yard and the neighborhood’s first reaction is to assume a black person was trespassing with ill intent. When Jem asks what all the commotion was about Miss Maudie even says, “Mr.
Injustice and Discrimination in Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” injustice and discrimination are prevalent in the town of Maycomb. Some of the types of injustice and discrimination confronted in this novel include racial, religion, sex and lifestyle. Harper Lee often offers subtle remedies that would put an end to the constant injustices in the novels diverse society. I think Harper Lee did an excellent job of portraying a small town and gave a convincing sense of community and the way small towns are. The prejudice in Maycomb was your typical kind which was based on ignorance.
There can be no gain saying the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community” (King 205). Blacks have been judge by their color and not by their actions so for any insignificant problem, they would be put in jail. However blacks got tired if the injustices that were being committed. “When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you