Racism is alive and well in America today. Various incidents come to mind when pointing to the injustices and inequality in our society, such as the disproportionate incarnation rates of African Americans and the socioeconomic hurdles that many minorities in America still face today. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird provides valuable insight into our present day society dealing with the topic of racism, especially by giving us examples of the historical mistreatment of those outside of the majority race. The examples of a stratified social hierarchy present within Lee’s novel can further give us knowledge on how our current society is structured and how we can better improve it in the future. Lee powerfully explains how racism can taint justice
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This is evident when Scout explains her father’s relation to the Cunninghams. “My special knowledge of the Cunningham tribe—one branch, that is—was gained from events of last winter…” (Lee 20). Scout mentions that there are “tribes” of families organized in Maycomb, establishing that a group mentality even affected the way that others were perceived as a group. This group mentality is also shown when Scout explains to Cal, “‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-’” (Lee 24). Cal responds, however, with an alternate viewpoint when she says, “Yo‘ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin‘ ’em…” (Lee 25). Calpurnia, in this excerpt, concedes Scout’s point that there is a definite group mentality within Maycomb that extends even beyond race. Scout, of course, exemplifies Maycomb’s social structure - she comments that someone is “only a Cunningham”. Even though the Cunninghams are not of a minority race, the fact that Calpurnia, as a black person, acknowledges the existence of a social structure is significant in itself. This shows that racism, which has put Calpurnia in a lower social caste, has affected her views to let her accept that the social hierarchy in Maycomb has practical implications. Although not as extreme as Scout’s suppositions, which include …show more content…
This is seen clearly with Lula, a member of Calpurnia’s church, when she reprimands Calpurnia for bringing “white chillun” to the First Purchase, an all-black church in Maycomb. Her reasoning is that white people have their own church, and black people have their own as well, and mixing should not occur. Jem and Scout instantly feel as if they are not welcome to the church, and they both agree that they should leave whenever possible (Lee 119). This shows that Maycomb is highly segregated, and it also shows that instant presumptions are made of the other race when each interacts with one another. Even worshiping the same God, as Calpurnia later notes, is segregated along racial lines because of false presumptions of others. Another example of false racial presumptions is when Tom Robinson, during the court case, explains how he took pity on Mayella when she was struggling with her chores. Mr. Gilmore instantly critisizes Tom Robinson when he says that, playing into the false presumptions of the crowd gathered at the courthouse (Lee 197). Tom Robinson’s “blunder” was that he, as a black person, is not supposed to feel sorry for those with white skin, a racial presumption deeply ingrained in Maycomb’s society. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, too, explains how this unfair treatment based on racial suppositions is sad to
This is evident when Scout explains her father’s relation to the Cunninghams. “My special knowledge of the Cunningham tribe—one branch, that is—was gained from events of last winter…” (Lee 20). Scout mentions that there are “tribes” of families organized in Maycomb, establishing that a group mentality even affected the way that others were perceived as a group. This group mentality is also shown when Scout explains to Cal, “‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-’” (Lee 24). Cal responds, however, with an alternate viewpoint when she says, “Yo‘ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin‘ ’em…” (Lee 25). Calpurnia, in this excerpt, concedes Scout’s point that there is a definite group mentality within Maycomb that extends even beyond race. Scout, of course, exemplifies Maycomb’s social structure - she comments that someone is “only a Cunningham”. Even though the Cunninghams are not of a minority race, the fact that Calpurnia, as a black person, acknowledges the existence of a social structure is significant in itself. This shows that racism, which has put Calpurnia in a lower social caste, has affected her views to let her accept that the social hierarchy in Maycomb has practical implications. Although not as extreme as Scout’s suppositions, which include …show more content…
This is seen clearly with Lula, a member of Calpurnia’s church, when she reprimands Calpurnia for bringing “white chillun” to the First Purchase, an all-black church in Maycomb. Her reasoning is that white people have their own church, and black people have their own as well, and mixing should not occur. Jem and Scout instantly feel as if they are not welcome to the church, and they both agree that they should leave whenever possible (Lee 119). This shows that Maycomb is highly segregated, and it also shows that instant presumptions are made of the other race when each interacts with one another. Even worshiping the same God, as Calpurnia later notes, is segregated along racial lines because of false presumptions of others. Another example of false racial presumptions is when Tom Robinson, during the court case, explains how he took pity on Mayella when she was struggling with her chores. Mr. Gilmore instantly critisizes Tom Robinson when he says that, playing into the false presumptions of the crowd gathered at the courthouse (Lee 197). Tom Robinson’s “blunder” was that he, as a black person, is not supposed to feel sorry for those with white skin, a racial presumption deeply ingrained in Maycomb’s society. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, too, explains how this unfair treatment based on racial suppositions is sad to