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How Does Lee Use Miss Gates In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The author of the historical fiction novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, wrote this story to warn the reader about how easily morality is influenced by society. People in the book are often caught between standing up for what is right or standing with the crowd. The author uses Miss Gates as an example of someone whose judgement is clouded by the society’s opinion. Lee uses Miss Gates to display the good, bad, and the hypocrite who lives in everyone. Miss Gates’ morals stood with the rest of the U.S. when she disagreed with how Hitler persecutes the Jews. She clearly shows her distaste for Hitler's prejudice when she states, “There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me.” Miss Gates explains that she does not understand Hitler's morals and motivation. She agrees with the rest of her country when she disapproves of Hitler's actions. Scout tells Jem, “[Miss Gates] hates Hitler a lot.” Miss Gates expresses her disfavor towards Hitler and the way he treats the Jews. This portrays her righteous side. It was obvious to the U.S. that Hitler's work was pure evil, so Miss Gates supported her country’s beliefs. Miss Gates also stood by the majority of her town, …show more content…

Scout says, “[Miss Gates] went on today about how bad it was [Hitler] treatin’ the Jews like that.” Because her country opposed Hitler’s stance against the Jews, so did Miss Gates. What she does not realize is that she is in the same position as Hitler, but just in a different situation. While talking about her teacher, Scout asks, “How can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home?” Miss Gates is against persecution towards Jews yet supports discrimination towards blacks. Her morals are hypocritical because they contradict each other. She has a complicated way of deciding whether hate is moral or

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