There is no question that our lives and the path we choose to take are defined by the choices we make. Our lives are defined by the risks we took and the ones who chose not to, the people we chose to be around and the things we chose to stand up for. In the tired southern town of Maycomb, Alabama we see a great divide derived from racial differences. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, it is shown how the citizens of Maycomb deal with racial prejudice and how they respond to such topics. The book demonstrates how their actions can determine their future, and in some cases, their fate. Some handle this differently than others, which is shown in the novel. Atticus Finch, Dolphus Raymond and Tom Robinson all deal with this differently and
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Tom is an innocent hardworking man who was not trying to harm anyone but because of his race, was an easy target to go after. When Tom loses the trial he is completely devastated and loses all hope that he will ever be free again. Tom does not know how to deal with racial prejudice and thus makes a choice that would then cost him his life. He decides to try to escape. “Oh yes, the guards called him to stop. They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill. They got him just as he went over the fence They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullet holes in him. They didn’t have to shoot him that much. Cal, I want you to come out with me and help me tell Helen,” (Lee, …show more content…
He is a white man who married an african-american woman and they have mixed children. The citizens of Maycomb do not understand how a white man could ever love a negro. Dolphus Raymond, contrary to what others think, does not care about the society’s prejudiced stereotypes. He also prefers being around coloured folks more than the whites. He even pretends to be a drunk so that the people of Maycomb have a justification for his obscure decisions. “[...] I’m not much of a drinker [Dolphus Raymond] but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.” (Lee, 268). The town believes he is crazy, and simply a drunk who cannot change his ways because he is incapable of doing so. In addition, he believes in equality and does not judge people by the colour of their skin. “Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too,” (Lee, 269). Many people do not believe in equality and believe that white people are superior than the coloured. Dolphus Raymond openly defends the rights of african-americans by waking up to his african-american wife and mixed children everyday.
Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Dolphus Raymond are great examples of people who advocate against racism in To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson was greatly affected by racism in Maycomb and thought he had no way out. He made a drastic decision
Tom is an innocent hardworking man who was not trying to harm anyone but because of his race, was an easy target to go after. When Tom loses the trial he is completely devastated and loses all hope that he will ever be free again. Tom does not know how to deal with racial prejudice and thus makes a choice that would then cost him his life. He decides to try to escape. “Oh yes, the guards called him to stop. They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill. They got him just as he went over the fence They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullet holes in him. They didn’t have to shoot him that much. Cal, I want you to come out with me and help me tell Helen,” (Lee, …show more content…
He is a white man who married an african-american woman and they have mixed children. The citizens of Maycomb do not understand how a white man could ever love a negro. Dolphus Raymond, contrary to what others think, does not care about the society’s prejudiced stereotypes. He also prefers being around coloured folks more than the whites. He even pretends to be a drunk so that the people of Maycomb have a justification for his obscure decisions. “[...] I’m not much of a drinker [Dolphus Raymond] but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.” (Lee, 268). The town believes he is crazy, and simply a drunk who cannot change his ways because he is incapable of doing so. In addition, he believes in equality and does not judge people by the colour of their skin. “Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too,” (Lee, 269). Many people do not believe in equality and believe that white people are superior than the coloured. Dolphus Raymond openly defends the rights of african-americans by waking up to his african-american wife and mixed children everyday.
Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Dolphus Raymond are great examples of people who advocate against racism in To Kill A Mockingbird. Tom Robinson was greatly affected by racism in Maycomb and thought he had no way out. He made a drastic decision