White Supremacy In To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee ventures upon white supremacy exposed in Maycomb County, Alabama throughout the 1930s. Jean Louise Finch, six-year-old protagonist known as Scout, raised in a non-biased home, yet she is forced to mature due to bigotry and stereotyping she witnesses in her community during a litigation. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, a respected lawyer, attempts to vindicate Tom Robinson, the accused defendant, in a white opposing black lawsuit. Atticus provides the court with ideal evidence proving Robinson did not rape the plaintiff, leading Scout to believe the verdict should result in an acquittal. However, life in the deep south of the 1930s simply entailed all white citizens unimpeachable, while blacks accountable …show more content…
Scout and Jem are forced to endure racist taunts from their peers, clearly indicating their family’s liberal attitude towards blacks are not welcome. Scout is confronted by Cecil Jacobs, offspring of white racists, on the schoolyard a second time, announcing, "My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an' that nigger oughta hang from the water-tank!” This sentiment, uttered by a child, is a representation of the town’s adult population views. Scout encounters her first major conflict because of her father’s decision to act like no other Maycomb County native. A Finch relative, Francis, recites statements to Scout accusing Atticus of defamation due to him defending an african american accused of rape. Atticus’s manner of raising his children to view individuals as eminently decent until physical evidence suggests otherwise leads to Francis stating, “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 agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'." Scout’s father’s reputation continued incessantly denouncing due to him adhering throughout to his principles. Nevertheless, Scout provides Francis with the attention he desires, yet his comments distress Scout to a point at which she feels the need to strike him. Scout’s physical …show more content…
She witnesses an angry group of racist white men descending the prison in which Robinson is being held captive in hopes of lynching him. This pinnacle scene reveals the real depth of racism permeating this Alabama community. This group has one objective, and few aspects are capable of halting them. Each member of the mob assists others in focusing, and no statement made by Atticus was acknowledged. However, as Scout gazed at the determined faces, one man appeared familiar, Mr. Cunningham. Atticus informed his children to depart the scene, but Scout decides to make a statement that would affect the entire situation, “Hey, Mr. Cunningham.” Scout began to discuss Mr. Cunningham’s son, yet he did not seem interested, leading to her discussing his entailment. She was strictly attempting to be polite, as she was taught, yet this simple conversation resulted with these angry men registering their possible actions consequences. As Scout continued her chatter, the men began to gawk at her audacity, pondering, “The men were all looking at me, some had their mouths half-open. Atticus had stopped poking at Jem: they were standing together beside Dill. Their attention amounted to fascination.” No racist words are used, yet the men make clear by their presence and demeanor that they plan to lynch Robinson. Their frames of mind are not clear due to their “mob mentality,” however