How Discrimination Leads to Destruction A shot rang out in the sky over Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th, 1968. Martin Luther King Jr., a social activist and the most prominent leader of the American civil rights movement was assassinated. He was overruled by the discrimination and racism that existed in the few who opposed him. The oppression that he suffered ultimately lead to his death. In Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird, the discrimination exhibited by the people of Maycomb leads to destruction. The characters Boo Radley, Tom Robinson and Dolphus Raymond each demonstrate the devastation caused by discrimination, similar to that of Martin Luther King Jr. Boo Radley’s reputation and worth are both destroyed because
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The community created a reputation for him without ever even having spoken to him. The crazy beliefs and stories about Boo Radley shape him into someone he is not. Since the entire town had built a reputation for him, Boo sees no reason to go outside or have much contact with the world. After Scout and Jem hear rumour after rumour about him, they start to feel sympathetic towards him. This is demonstrated when Jem says; “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (227). With such an ignorant community around him, Boo Radley stays locked up in his house rather than face the misjudgement of the town. This leaves him isolated and he starts to lose meaning to his life. As demonstrated in the quote, Jem starts to see the racism, discrimination and the brutal reality of Maycomb. He begins to understand why someone like Boo would feel the need to be completely cut off from the outside world; because of the harsh misjudgement and cruel marginalization. The discrimination that Boo Radley endures causes his personal destruction; eliminating his reputation and the worth of his …show more content…
As soon as the news was spread that Tom Robinson raped a white woman, the whole town was convinced that it was true simply because Tom is a black man. Tom Robinson lost the trial solely because of his race, which falls on the people of Maycomb who are too ignorant to see past skin colour. Scout is devastated that her father and Tom lost the case, but the reason why came clear to her as she grew a bit older; “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (241). Though Atticus had a very good case, there was nothing that could have been done to save Tom Robinson. The people of Maycomb still chose to believe a disgraced white family over an honest black man. This quote underlines the fact that there is so much discrimination towards minorities that no matter how much evidence Atticus had to support Tom’s case, no matter how innocent he was; he had already lost the case because the court would never take the word of a black man over the word of a white man. Furthermore, Tom Robinson’s trial did not just affect his life, it also affected the lives of Atticus and his children Scout and Jem. Bob Ewell, who defended Mayella Ewell’s case, hated the idea of Tom Robinson winning the trial
The community created a reputation for him without ever even having spoken to him. The crazy beliefs and stories about Boo Radley shape him into someone he is not. Since the entire town had built a reputation for him, Boo sees no reason to go outside or have much contact with the world. After Scout and Jem hear rumour after rumour about him, they start to feel sympathetic towards him. This is demonstrated when Jem says; “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (227). With such an ignorant community around him, Boo Radley stays locked up in his house rather than face the misjudgement of the town. This leaves him isolated and he starts to lose meaning to his life. As demonstrated in the quote, Jem starts to see the racism, discrimination and the brutal reality of Maycomb. He begins to understand why someone like Boo would feel the need to be completely cut off from the outside world; because of the harsh misjudgement and cruel marginalization. The discrimination that Boo Radley endures causes his personal destruction; eliminating his reputation and the worth of his …show more content…
As soon as the news was spread that Tom Robinson raped a white woman, the whole town was convinced that it was true simply because Tom is a black man. Tom Robinson lost the trial solely because of his race, which falls on the people of Maycomb who are too ignorant to see past skin colour. Scout is devastated that her father and Tom lost the case, but the reason why came clear to her as she grew a bit older; “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (241). Though Atticus had a very good case, there was nothing that could have been done to save Tom Robinson. The people of Maycomb still chose to believe a disgraced white family over an honest black man. This quote underlines the fact that there is so much discrimination towards minorities that no matter how much evidence Atticus had to support Tom’s case, no matter how innocent he was; he had already lost the case because the court would never take the word of a black man over the word of a white man. Furthermore, Tom Robinson’s trial did not just affect his life, it also affected the lives of Atticus and his children Scout and Jem. Bob Ewell, who defended Mayella Ewell’s case, hated the idea of Tom Robinson winning the trial