The Presence of Prejudice
In Harper Lee’s great depression era novel To Kill a Mockingbird, she fuels a raving battle against prejudice in a steadfastly racist society. The protagonist, Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch, looks on as the fires of prejudice rage all around her beginning “the summer Dill came”(3), and ending when “Bob Ewell fell on his knife”(314) several years later. During the period between these events, Lee kindles situations that, “ain’t right”(242), like the diffident treatment one lawyer gives when cross-examining Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly tried and convicted of rape, and later on where Tom’s defendant must remind the jury that not “all Negroes lie, that [not] all Negroes are basically immoral beings,” (232) and even a
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Gilmer when addressing Tom Robinson as a witness for his supposed raping of Mayella Ewell. The diction used by each character is very contrasting, especially when addressing Tom, where Atticus calls him, “Tom,”(217) with respect as if talking to a friend while Mr Gilmer addresses Tom with an accusing, “had your eye on her a long time… boy”(223) treating him as if already guilty, presumably because Tom is African-American. Lee establishes Mr. Gilmer’s prejudice with the word choice of “boy” which suggests that Gilmer views Tom as nothing more than a child, and therefore unworthy of respectable titles like a name. Lee expounds upon Mr. Gilmer’s treatment of Tom when Mr. Gilmer lures Tom into telling the audience that he, “[feels] sorry for [Mayella]”(224) to which Mr. Gilmer, horrified, responds, “You fe[el] sorry for her, you fe[el] sorry for her?”(224) using italics and more scornful diction to place Tom in the wrong. Lee’s use of the italicized word, “You,” here reinforces the idea that it is wrong for Tom specifically as an African-American man to feel anything toward a white woman, especially “sorry”, an ideology bleeding racism and prejudice as many simply assume that Tom, because he is African-American, is not to be trusted around Mayella. Overall, Lee exposes extreme prejudice in Mr. Gilmer’s diction when cross-examining Tom …show more content…
Lee concretes the theme of prejudice here by stating that, “Tom Robinson [is] a human being,”(231) to a jury that presumes Tom is guilty simply because of his skin color. Lee classifying Tom Robinson as a “human being” is a big deal, because it shows the necessity to remind the jury that he is actually human. Prejudice seems to go too far when an audience must be reminded that a person is, in fact, a person. Lee continues to demonstrate prejudice in Atticus’s speech by flaunting the jury’s assumptions that, “all Negroes lie… all Negroes are basically immoral beings… [and] all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women,”(232) finally attacking the prejudice observed by many at the time. Lee presents these ideas as extremes by using the word, “all,” which seems ridiculous as “all” of a race cannot be corrupt, there must be at least a few good people, therefore summing up the entire issue of prejudice in a simple sentence. Lee then expresses her opinion on prejudice remarking that it is, “a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin,”(232) supporting the theme of prejudice that is plentiful in the story. Ultimately, Lee definitively makes use of details in To Kill a Mockingbird to support the theme of
The book “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written by Harper lee. Throughout the book Lee uses a story to get a deeper meaning out to her audience and the world. During the where the story was set there were inequality issues and very prejudice opinions. Intertwined in the book she addresses the controversial topics like race and different forms of prejudice. There were several different forms of prejudice in this book.
In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”
In Harper Lee’s gothic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, protagonist Scout Finch and her family are introduced to racial inequity in the “tired old town” (5) of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout's father Atticus Finch, a lawyer, is given the task of defending a black man “{whose} name’s Tom Robinson” (86), who has been accused of rape, in court. During the trial, Scout and her brother Jem learn the appalling effects of racial prejudice and the iniquity of the world and the people in it. Tom Robinson is deemed guilty because of his race, despite all evidence proving his innocence. Lee utilizes literary techniques in the novel to further develop the theme of racial prejudice, such as Atticus’s encounter with Tim Johnson, Mrs. Dubose’s camellias, and her use
To kill a mockingbird In the book “ To kill a mockingbird” Harper Lee shows that prejudice is used to towards Tom Robinson and Boo Radley in the book. In the book Tom Robinson’s trial is decided by the jury's prejudice towards black people . “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty pg 211” The case was decided by Tom’s race he was clearly innocent but he was still guilty because the jury thinks that just because he is black he is guilty.
Moreover, the author introduces mature ideas into the story, such as Boo Radley and his ill treatment. The author also emphasizes the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. Through these ideas, the author’s message is to inform the reader of the ill treatment and discrimination against others, which still continue to this day. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird emphasizes Scout losing her innocence due to the series of events occurring in her life, primarily those that have great significance.
Despite the dangers of having such ideas during a volatile time period, Harper Lee decided to add a character like Atticus Finch and even portrayed characters against this idea with statements such as “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers! Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 135) Another tactic for talking about racism without preaching ideals was the trial of Tom Robinson, especially its results, “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.” (Lee 282) Throughout the trial, the readers learn about Tom Robinson’s
In Harper Lee’s opus magnum To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century, with the pulitzer prize, a Family Guy parody, and everything in between. the theme of prejudice resonates everywhere in the book, as the author uses it to advance the plot, paint characters, and deliver messages. Lee has prejudice be alternatively the driving force behind the novel, and a fine point with which to add details to characters. In scenes such as the trial, for example, prejudice is felt for the duration of the scene, leading on the scene and evoking emotions in the reader. In Mockingbird, Lee artfully lays down the theme of prejudice in a myriad of ways.
Prejudice is a burden that will always be a reoccurrence in life; it is the reality of existence. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has many major themes, the most salient theme is that of prejudice being a ceaseless appearance. This theme is represented in the novel by (1) sexism, (2) racism, and (3) classism. Sexism is represented in many ways in the novel, but mainly by the numerous characters who experience stereotyping or discrimination against their gender. The main character that faces sexism is Scout Finch.
Biasness against individuals and passing judgment on them over their appearance and skin shading is unfeeling. In To Kill a Mockingbird, creator Lee unyieldingly investigates the ethical nature and its corruption of individuals, particularly the battle in each human soul amongst separation and resilience is genuine and intense in actuality. The comprehension of the content and also how the writer influences us to have affected perusers to accept and swear by the way that racial preference is erroneous in all grounds and the wrongful treatment of African-Americans' is merciless and out of line. "Keep in mind it's wrong to execute a mockingbird" said Atticus to Scout. At the end of the day, Atticus is of the conviction that it's wrong to loan some assistance towards guiltless individuals who are the casualties of shrewd, much the same as Boo Radley who does not turn out to be hurtful to anybody, rather, he leaves Jem and Scout endowments and furthermore covers Scout with a cover amid the fire.
The 1930s were a difficult time for minorities as preconceptions and stereotypes were very prevalent in society. Bias from this affected daily lives, which can also be known as prejudice and this prejudice is represented in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To a great extent, the setting affects the conflict of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, as the setting of 1930’s Alabama influences the character's views and bias, thus depicting the harmful reality of prejudice. Lee depicts the harmful reality of prejudice through the characterization of Tom Robinson during his unfair trial.
To Kill a Mockingbird consists of the universal problem of racism. There are many diverse aspects that are constantly analyzed throughout Lee’s novel. To Kill a Mockingbird could be viewed with the approaches of new criticism and
Harper Lee uses dialogue to expose racial injustice induced by traditional American views at the time when Atticus says,”Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father” (Lee 213)? Lee uses the events of the trial to challenge American views on race, because even though Tom was obviously innocent, he was voted guilty by the jury due to his skin color. Lee challenges American ideals of the time for a second time when the book quotes,”They’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere” (Lee 183). The mixed race children are used as an example to prove how wrong American ideals of the time were.
¨Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed¨(pg 241). Tom Robinson, a young black man accused of a crime, is a main example of blindness to prejudice throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Taking place within the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era, these issues affected many people's lives. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee writes about issues with prejudice that are presented often through racism, social class, and sexism.
In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, there are three main events when Lee was trying to make the point that prejudice is a real issue, and the town can move past it. Harper uses great character development, as well as a creative writing style, to entertain readers and persuade them that we can move past prejudism. The first way Harper Lee tries to help us that prejudice is an issue, when Tom Robinson is frames into looking like he raped Mayella Ewell. Of course, we know this is not true, and Tom is clearly a good guy. but, the town of Maycomb pre-judges him and immediately thinks he is a rapist.
In today’s world, Prejudice is still at large and people don’t even notice it. Prejudice falls under many categories of racism, sexism, and ageism. Harper Lee uses the idea of prejudice when writing To kill a Mockingbird to bring awareness to it. In To kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that Prejudice and how judging and treating people unfairly because of their skin color or social status can hurt them and cause problems in society. For example, the townspeople in Maycomb unjustly accused Tom Robinson of a crime simply because he was black, despite evidence to the contrary, which ultimately led to his tragic fate, demonstrating the harmful consequences of prejudice.