Racism in to Kill a Mockingbird

Lord’s kindness am I… The handful of people in this town with background, that’s who they are.” (Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird). People develop through the ages taking on values and becoming different people in society. It is common in life, that during the course of extreme changes or difficulties, people change their beliefs and personality to adapt. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout Finch go through those changes. The story is set in a small and quiet town in Maycomb,…

Racism and prejudice have been around for centuries and never seem to go away, unfortunately. It can be observed in many shapes and forms, such as literature. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird does an exceptional job of illustrating how atrocious human nature can be, as well as highlighting the more gracious aspects of it. The book’s setting is the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama during the mid-1930s. While generally being amicable, most of the inhabitants of Maycomb have a…

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is set in Maycomb County, Alabama. Maycomb is in the deep south where racism is strong everybody knows everything about everyone. Scout Finch is a product of Maycomb and in To Kill a Mockingbird Scout narrates what goes on in this small town through her young eyes. Throughout Scout’s journeys in the novel she changes. Scout Finch is an always changing unique character who is intelligent, curious, and tomboyish. Scout Finch is an intelligent young girl whose…

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays many of the characters as the joyful songbird being killed of their innocence. Boo Radley is a mockingbird throughout the book as he is only ever gentle and kind towards the children, it is the perception the town gives him, killing his innocence. The ignorant killing of Tom Robinson relates to the killing of a mockingbird, as like a mockingbird all Robinson brought into peoples’ lives was kindness and joy. Once the trial is over twelve-year-old Jem…

the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr does not only apply to racism but to all types of prejudice this quote inspired many people of all races and backgrounds to not just judge on who the person is on the outside but who they are in the inside too. In both novels, Of Mice and Men, and To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice was present throughout the whole book, but found in many different forms. For each book prejudice was a big…

Loss of Innocence All children are born with innocence and as they grow, that innocence turns into respect. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, readers are introduced to a variety of characters whose innocence is lost. This novel demonstrates that as one experiences cruel reality, they lose innocence and gain a greater respect for others. As one experiences racism firsthand, they lose innocence and realize how everyone deserves to be treated with respect. Exposure to fear, and…

March, 2016 Why To Kill a Mockingbird is Not a Timeless Classic How one construes a “timeless classic” differs from reader to reader, therefore many have dissimilar views on if one novel belongs in the category of a “timeless classic”. However, for a story to be dubbed a “timeless classic”, it needs to include fresh and original themes and realistic characters who can be relatable to readers. Throughout the course of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, proves itself to be…

still be racism? For as long as anyone can remember, there has always been a higher class, who look down upon people who are not fortunate to be born in the right family. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a six year old girl, who was raised to stand strong, while not to judge, has seen more truth to the world than most grown adults. As she experiences this truth, she questions the recognition of the social standards in her words in the story she tells. This book does not only show the factors of racism…

In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is portrayed as the moral compass. A moral compass is someone who has good intentions and knows right from wrong. Many instances of Atticus having good morals and mentorship appear throughout the story. Such examples include Jean Louise and Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as Scout and Jem, and a court case of Tom Robinson. Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem. For instance, he said to Jem “You just hold your head high and be a…

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird examines the many sides of human nature in an extremely repressive society. When it was discovered that Atticus Finch accepts the job to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, in court, there is social prejudice towards, not only him, but also Jem and Scout. The children’s only escape is when they play with their best friend, Dill, creating stories about their mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley. Although the trial is unsuccessful on Tom’s part, Atticus’s solid case and…