A large theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is racism. Since virtually the beginning of the human experience, man has fallen into Satan’s trap of division based on the color of a person’s skin or their ethnic origin. While racism has always been an issue in this country, the fact is it is an issue in every country. Harper Lee does an excellent job at exhibiting this. The theme of racism appears numerous times in the book like in Tom Robinsons trial , or how Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, or when Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a white man chooses to marry a black woman.
Tom Robinson is convicted purely because he is a black man and his accuser is white. The evidence is so powerfully in his favor, that race is clearly the single defining factor in the jury's …show more content…
When she comes to stay with Atticus and the children, Alexandra is sitting on the front porch when Calpurnia and the children come home to find her there. Alexandra's first words are "Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia." It was an order, not a request, and it was not preceded by any recognition of Calpurnia as a person worth greeting. After living with Atticus for a while, Alexandra makes her feelings about Calpurnia quite clear. She then tries to convince Atticus to get rid of Calpurnia, claiming that they no longer need her since she is Aunt Alexandra is there now, but Atticus refuses. "Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to... She's a faithful member of this family, and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are." …show more content…
Dolphus. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a wealthy white man, who lives with his black mistress and mulatto children. He is understood to be a chronic alcoholic but he is only pretending to be an alcoholic by drinking Coca Cola out of a brown paper bag. He lets the people of Maycomb believe it's alcohol and acts drunk to put them at ease and give them a reason to understand the way he is. In reality, he is simply jaded by the hypocrisy of white society and prefers living among blacks. He knows they will not understand why he lives as he does, so by pretending he is a drunk, he makes life easier for
Tom Robinson is convicted purely because he is a black man and his accuser is white. The evidence is so powerfully in his favor, that race is clearly the single defining factor in the jury's …show more content…
When she comes to stay with Atticus and the children, Alexandra is sitting on the front porch when Calpurnia and the children come home to find her there. Alexandra's first words are "Put my bag in the front bedroom, Calpurnia." It was an order, not a request, and it was not preceded by any recognition of Calpurnia as a person worth greeting. After living with Atticus for a while, Alexandra makes her feelings about Calpurnia quite clear. She then tries to convince Atticus to get rid of Calpurnia, claiming that they no longer need her since she is Aunt Alexandra is there now, but Atticus refuses. "Calpurnia's not leaving this house until she wants to... She's a faithful member of this family, and you'll simply have to accept things the way they are." …show more content…
Dolphus. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a wealthy white man, who lives with his black mistress and mulatto children. He is understood to be a chronic alcoholic but he is only pretending to be an alcoholic by drinking Coca Cola out of a brown paper bag. He lets the people of Maycomb believe it's alcohol and acts drunk to put them at ease and give them a reason to understand the way he is. In reality, he is simply jaded by the hypocrisy of white society and prefers living among blacks. He knows they will not understand why he lives as he does, so by pretending he is a drunk, he makes life easier for