“Opinions founded on prejudice are always sustained to the greatest violence.”(Francis Jeffrey). In the novel by Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice is a blanket of injustice that envelopes the town of Maycomb. To Kill a Mockingbird is narrated from the perspective of an innocent little girl, Scout Finch. Along with Scout, Scout’s brother, Jem Finch, learn how Maycomb, a small, old-fashioned town in Alabama, is flooded with cruelty. Their father, Atticus, is a well respected lawyer and a man who follows the path of justice. Scout and Jem realize how harsh society can become when anything involving an African-American comes up. The main example of this is when Atticus accepts the case to defend Tom Robinson, an African American, who
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For example, When Scout goes to Finch’s Landing, Francis, a cousin of Scout and Jem, insults Atticus by saying: “Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.”(Lee 110) The impact that prejudicial attitudes have on people is displayed in Francis’s statement. The hatred towards African-Americans is so strong that even a child has turned against his own family members. The negative connotation of the word “ruinin’” gives a harsh and shameful tone of which Francis is reviling Atticus by saying he brings shame to the Finch family. The attitudes of Francis towards Atticus demonstrate the influential attributes that prejudice has on society. In addition, when Atticus talks about the case with Jack Finch, he mentions: “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand…” (Lee 117). The phrase “stark raving mad” develops a tone of irritation in Atticus’s words. It is noted that Atticus is ridiculing society because of the fact that even the reasonable can be dazed by prejudice. The purpose of this quote is to explain the prejudice is like a cover that blinds even the reasonable from knowing what is right and wrong. Maycomb is a place where prejudicial influence is so great that it places a boundary and limits one from knowing what is wrong and right. Atticus demonstrates individuality by standing up to this unfairness and going against the crowd even if that means being shunned by a whole town including
For example, When Scout goes to Finch’s Landing, Francis, a cousin of Scout and Jem, insults Atticus by saying: “Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.”(Lee 110) The impact that prejudicial attitudes have on people is displayed in Francis’s statement. The hatred towards African-Americans is so strong that even a child has turned against his own family members. The negative connotation of the word “ruinin’” gives a harsh and shameful tone of which Francis is reviling Atticus by saying he brings shame to the Finch family. The attitudes of Francis towards Atticus demonstrate the influential attributes that prejudice has on society. In addition, when Atticus talks about the case with Jack Finch, he mentions: “Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand…” (Lee 117). The phrase “stark raving mad” develops a tone of irritation in Atticus’s words. It is noted that Atticus is ridiculing society because of the fact that even the reasonable can be dazed by prejudice. The purpose of this quote is to explain the prejudice is like a cover that blinds even the reasonable from knowing what is right and wrong. Maycomb is a place where prejudicial influence is so great that it places a boundary and limits one from knowing what is wrong and right. Atticus demonstrates individuality by standing up to this unfairness and going against the crowd even if that means being shunned by a whole town including