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How Does Lee Show Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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It’s an awful feeling knowing that no matter how hard you work, you’ll never earn as much money as your white counterpart. Sadly, this has been the case for hundreds of years for African Americans living in the United States. To Kill a Mockingbird reveals the everyday struggles that African Americans endured during the 1930’s. Many of the events in the novel were based on the author, Harper Lee’s life. Just like Atticus, Lee’s father was also a lawyer. The Tom Robinson court case was loosely based on the Scottsboro Boys Trial. The trial entailed nine black teenage boys who were accused of raping two white women. Much like Tom Robinson’s case in the book, the trial was biased and unfair. Lee perfectly captures the unjust court system for black …show more content…

After Atticus gives Jem and Scout their air rifles, he tells them they can shoot tin cans and bluejays, but not mockingbirds. “” … they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us … it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird,”” (Lee 119).The mockingbird is supposed to symbolize Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Both characters have been wronged for no reason. Tom and Boo just mind their own business, while the world bothers them. Later in the story, Calpurnia and the children have discovered a rabid dog, Tim Johnson, running about. Mr. Heck Tate asks Atticus to shoot it dead because he doesn’t want to risk missing the dog. Even though he isn't eager to do the deed, he obliges. While Atticus is preparing to shoot, his glasses fall off and crack. Atticus’s glasses symbolically help him see against the prejudice and racism in the town. “Atticus pushed his glasses to his forehead; they slipped down and he dropped them in the street,” (Lee 127). This shows that even without his glasses, he is capable of seeing how awful racism and prejudice. The dog, Tims Johnson, Atticus is supposed to shoot represents the racism and prejudice spread throughout the town. When Atticus shoots him, he is trying to rid the town of their awful views. “Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over and crumpled on the sidewalk,” (Lee 127). Unfortunately, Atticus can not convince everyone to see without their prejudice

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To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee in 1962 during the Civil Rights movement, but was set in Alabama in the 1930s. Lee’ father, who was a lawyer in the South during a time of racial prejudice paralleling Atticus, defended an innocent Black men in a case he later lost. Similar to Atticus, Lee’s father lost the case because his client was Black. Having experienced this racial prejudice first hand, Lee chose to write this novel to highlight the racial injustice that took place during the 1930s and the many effects that occured from the racism. Lee uses ethos and logos in Atticus’s speech to the jury, to inform the reader of the injustices of racism.

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In the fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a young girl learns about her racist community as she grows up and past her childhood and witnessing cruelty due to race. Some characters in the novel represent a mockingbird like Arthur Radley who stays inside all day and is rarely seen by anyone. There is also Tom Robinson who is a laborer and did many kind acts just out of pity, both of these characters made the community better and haven’t disrupted or hurt anyone. They all have moments where it is clear that they represent a mockingbird as their actions show kindness even with no reward. One instance in which Tom Robinson is a mockingbird is when he commonly helps out Mayella Ewell even with no pay and a crippled arm.

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Harper Lee used this trial and created many parallels between the Scottsboro Boys case and the Tom Robinson case. The similarities include the idea of black men being accused of raping white women. In the Scottsboro case, these boys were illegally riding a train on their way home and along them were 2 white women. These women were pressured by the cops to accuse these young men of raping them. Similarly, in Tom Robinson’s case, he was innocently walking home when Mayella Ewell called him over, and almost raped him.

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Then Atticus and Heck Tate show up to kill the dog. When Heck is holding the gun this is when he says he can't shoots and he blames it on the reason that he can’t shoot that well. But the real reason Heck doesn’t shoot that dog because the dog is an example of racism. As the Sheriff in town Heck doesn’t stop racism so why stop by shooting the dog. Once Atticus shoots the dog this shows that only Atticus can fix the racism in

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So, when Atticus shoots the dog being like the blue jay it's more of atticus stopping racism showing how Atticus plans to try to abolish racism even by death. Racism seems to seep through one’s mind,latter burrowing into more as the idea spreads infecting the judgement of people. It's curable to an extent, but the idea can’t be stopped only unsupported by the people, people whom can look past a color of one's skin and accept them as a human being. Which throughout To Kill a Mockingbird we can almost experience the effects of racism, but one would be inspired by the acts of rebellion against racism. As one who understands the symbolism and use of character in the book can conclude how racism is this mad disease deservable by

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They don't eat up people’s gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us (Lee 90).” This symbol represents that the African American community not only is treated unjustly, but offer generous help to the population of Maycomb. They are at their every wish and command if heavy duty is needed, but yet people still consider such a peaceful and helpful community as somehow “unequal.” Lee had also used an example in the novel that even further established the African American community as the symbol of the mockingbird. Just before Atticus is ready to take his shoot at the mad dog, Lee explains the tension and silent atmosphere of the anticipation.

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