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How Does Harper Lee Use Racial Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In 1960, the late Harper Lee published what soon became a classic of modern American literature by the name of To Kill a Mockingbird. This story follows Scout, an innocuous yet tough young girl as she grows up in small town Maycomb, Alabama through 1933 to 1935. Many themes present themselves throughout this novel such as classism, courage, gender roles, loss of innocence; but the most apparent theme is racial injustice. To include a storyline delving into the racism that thrived both during the Great Depression era as well as the 1960s when this story was written was revolutionary for its time. Sadly, these racial themes found in To Kill a Mockingbird are still heavily prevalent in today’s society. To Kill a Mockingbird’s theme of racial discrimination surrounds the story of a man by the name of Tom Robinson who is unjustly accused of raping a young white girl simply because he is a black man. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, does everything in his power as a lawyer to help Tom, but despite all the evidence proving Tom is innocent, he is soon imprisoned. After being placed in prison, Tom attempts to escape in hopes of finally being free before being shot multiple times, killing him as a result. The tone in which Harper Lee obtains throughout this narrative is somber and sympathetic, obviously letting the audience know that racism is an …show more content…

Tom Robinson is more than just a literary character and his storyline does not simply stop on the pages of this novel. He symbolizes the plight and hardship every black individual goes through in this country, especially in the eyes of the criminal justice system. Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird, even though written during the 1960s, a critical time for civil rights, is still relevant and pertinent to the status of racial injustices and discrimination in today’s

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