Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

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To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee views the impact of racism in society. Racism is a social norm, and it plays a big part in both the lives of children and adults. Jem and Scout live in a town called Maycomb. They meet a boy named Dill, who visits Maycomb every summer. The trio live out adventurous and innocent lives until a black man is put on trial for rape. Reality then crashes down on Jem, Dill, and Scout’s, which results in a change of how the three kids view their little town of Maycomb. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee illustrates how racism and affects the minds of the youth and brings along painful feelings. When Jem, Scout, and Dill experience acts of racism perpetrated by the role models and adult figures in their town, they become frustrated by the …show more content…
Jem and Scout ask Dill if he had become sick and he replies, “‘That old Mr.Gilmer doin’ him thataway, talking so hateful to him...I don't care one speck. It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do’em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin’ like that--it just makes me sick.’”(Lee, 226) During cross-examination, Mr.Gilmer acts viciously and impolitely towards Tom Robinson. He calls Tom ‘boy’, which is a sign of disrespect. He continues to mock Tom Robinson to the point where it is redundant. Scout, as naïve as she is, remarks that Mr.Gilmer is just doing his job. However, Dill believes that this reason does not justify Mr.Gilmer’s mockery of Tom. He is sickened by Mr.Gilmer because no matter how good of a person Tom is, Mr.Gilmer will always be biased and racist towards black people in court. Dill knows as a fact that Mr.Gilmer isn't giving Tom a fair trial. Dill cries uncontrollably because Dill’s understanding of what is right and wrong is different from what is being played out in court. This emphasizes the fact that he is greatly affected by the racism that is brought by the people who live in the

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