Examples Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Death of the Mockingbirds by the Trial of Prejudice.

Prejudice can be described as an opinion or judgement of a person based usually on race or beliefs before all the facts are known. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the effects prejudice has on certain characters as it distorts the town's view of who they really are. This claim can be supported by examining the characters: Arthur Radley, Dolphus Raymond and Tom Robinson. Arthur Radley is outcasted as a monster by the town, Dolphus Raymond must pretend to be a drunk to avoid further discrimination and Tom Robinson is found guilty in court despite his innocence. No matter what a character does, thinks or feels: prejudice will always be present to sabotage their credibility …show more content…

According to the town, he is a drunk who has made terrible decisions in his life as he lives with his black wife and spends most of his time with black people. In reality, Dolphus Raymond consciously prefers to spend time with Negroes and masks all of his life choices behind the facade of alcoholism. This can all be shown as Dolphus Raymond explains his situation with Scout, Jem and Dill.
I try to give 'em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason… folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey - that's why he won't change his ways… that's why he lives the way he does. (Lee, 200)
As explained to the children, Dolphus Raymond pretends to be a drunk to avoid any further prejudice and discrimination from the townspeople thus creating an endless stream of prejudice as everybody in the town assumes he is a drunk, and never give him any chance to prove himself.

Near the beginning of the book, Tom Robinson, a black man, has been accused of rape. Atticus presents facts that reveal Tom Robinson’s innocence beyond all reasonable doubt. Ultimately, the jury believes that the black man did it without considering the facts put in front of them. This prejudice and racism lead to Tom Robinson’s death and it can be shown through the quotation of Atticus finch when he talks about the unjust values in the

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