Maudie’s dispute, Atticus walks in to everyone's surprise. When Aunt Alexandra is asked to accompany Atticus in the kitchen, she almost instantly asks what's wrong so everyone in the room can listen in. Aunt Alexandria tries to be a people pleaser but at the same time, wants things done her way. By asking what is wrong in front of everyone, she is satisfying the groups' gossip needs and therefore making everyone happier. She wants things her way because previously she makes Scout cry while telling her that the way she is acting is wrong and that Scout needs to have more pride. Scout, the witness to the whole episode, carefully watching everything the ladies did to have a chance to learn from them. Scout kept to herself most of the time, and only interjected to learn more. Besides that, she just observed and watched
The oppressive feeling of racism has touched all in maycomb. None can ignore it. The effect of it is very obvious, corruption. Atticus’s goal is to stop his children from “catching Maycomb’s disease” (117 need citation) in hopes that Jem and Scout will grow into people with morals that all are equal, you don’t have to follow society's predetermined standards. Atticus sacrifices his reputation, safety and when undertaking the responsibility of defending a black man. In the 1930’s, when a black man's word was opposing a white man’s word, they always lost because people assumed that whites are always telling the truth and blacks always lie. When one of the kids(find out which one) asks atticus why he is even attempting to defend Tom when he knows
Miss Maudie Atkinson, the Finch's neighbor, disagreed with the common beliefs of the citizens of Maycomb. She quickly became angered when other citizens discussed their prejudiced beliefs. When other women were talking negatively about African Americans, "Two tight lines had appeared at the corners of [Miss Maudie's] mouth" (Lee 312).
In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird”, written by Harper Lee, things can change in the blink of an eye. It can go from a peaceful taciturn summer morning to all hell broken loose. And for Aunt Alexandra, change comes extremely faster then anyone would ever expect. She would be one of the most imprudent and disrespectful person anyone would know to a caring, respected person who wouldn't despise anyone by their skin or gender.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a role model not only for Scout and Jem, but for the town as a whole. He is unbiased and just in his values, and this carries over to his parenting with Jem and Scout. Atticus always listens to what his children have to say, and they greatly respect him for it. He instills in them that it is okay to stand up for what they believe in, even if the rest of society shuns them for it. They are taught to treat other people with respect and to always think before acting. Although Maycomb sometimes looks down upon Atticus, he is an exemplary parent because he has ingrained the values of respecting others, thinking before acting, and being oneself into Scout and Jem.
Everyone knows Jem from To Kill a Mockingbird, but do you? How well do you know Jem? To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about the deep south told through a young girl's perspective, a perspective of innocence written by Harper Lee. Jem plays an important role in To Kill a Mockingbird, because he had his dreams broken at a young age. This character has an unbelievable amount of backstory and depth to it because he is a good brother, great son, and a man of honor.
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee contains various examples of racism and prejudice throughout the novel. The story takes place in the 1930's, a period when racism was a part of everyday life. Prejudice and racism in this book are represented by acts of hate towards others because of the color of their skin. In this novel, prejudice and racism was dominantly pointed towards blacks. Acts of racism can be discreet to the point that you can easily miss them. Yet alongside those, there are conspicuous demonstrations of racism that would never happen in today's society. Lee illustrates many of these behaviors in her novel.
Most people think of a small town as a peaceful and quiet place, where everyone knows each other. Quarrels and disagreements rarely disrupt their tranquil lives. However, this perception could not be further from the truth in Alabama 1930’s.
“The tribe of which Burris Ewell and his brethren consisted had lived on the same plot of earth behind the Maycomb dump, and had thrived on county welfare money for three generations” (130). This quote shows that the Ewells had always been an unpleasant and low class family. The Ewells had to live off welfare and they were rude and ignorant. During Tom Robinson’s trial, you were able to see the Ewell’s true colors and ways they were disrespectful. Some of the people of Maycomb had different opinions on other people that may have been of a lower social status than them. For example, Aunt Alexandra told Scout that she couldn’t play with Walter Cunningham because she says that he and his family are not their kind of folks. “Because-he-is-trash, that’s why you can’t play with him. I’ll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what” (225). This quotes shows how Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout shouldn’t associate with Walter Cunningham even though he is
Grace Merriweather, and Bob Ewell. Aunt Alexandra is one character that is prejudice against African Americans by not liking Calpurnia taking care of Jem and Scout. Aunt Alexandra is also racist against people like the Cunninghams because they are in a lower-class than the Finch’s. Mrs. Merriweather is another character that also does not agree with what Atticus is doing for Tom which leads to her showing behaviors that are prejudice against Tom for being African American. Also, by showing disrespect to her servants, Mrs. Merriweather shows people that she is racist. The last character to show racist behaviors is Bob Ewell by not liking the fact that he lives so close to the African Americans. Another way Bob shows that he is prejudice against African Americans is by showing his hatred towards Atticus because Atticus was trying to help Tom be set free from the charges Bob was putting on
What makes a good father? It is someone who is a leader, someone who always wants what is best for you. Especially when times get rough. Over time parenting has changed and grown in many different ways. Authors tackle the ideal parent and different parenting actions and views. Harper Lee in, To Kill A Mockingbird shows many different types of parents. As a single father, character Atticus Finch stands out the most. He shows he is a good parent as he provides important life lessons to his children and others. He shows fairness to others and his kids especially. Lastly he shows that you should always stand up for others no matter what.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, a theme that develops throughout the whole book is that people are not always who they seem to be. People are not always who they seem to be because they hide their true selves, there are rumors about them, and people are racist.
Thesis- Injustice and ignorance can be shown through the narrow-mindedness of people, such as Mayella Ewell, Aunt Alexandria, and the even the town of Maycomb.
Aunt Alexandra’s relationship with Cal is also another example of how she supports segregation. In the text, Scout (Atticus’ daughter) finds out that Aunt Alexandra disapproved of him on the trail of defending a black man from her cousin Francis, “[Aunt Alexandra said that Atticus] turned out a nigger-lover and we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'" (Lee 110). This demonstrates how ashamed she is that her brother is defending a black man and that she is scared of what other people will think. One more example that Aunt Alexandra supports segregation is that she is very concerned about the children and Cal’s relationship. In the book, Scout asks Atticus is she can go to Cal’s house for the day but Alexandra replies with “you may not” and explains that it would not be good for Scout to be in that part of the neighbourhood. Similar types of scenes and themes also arise in the movie The Help, with the character Charlotte Phelan. The movie takes place in the time of segregation and like Aunt Alexandra, Charlotte also has a relationship with a black maid named