Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s. The story takes place in Maycomb, a small town in Alabama. The book is a bildungsroman, which means it shows the moral and psychological progression of the protagonist throughout the book. It is written by Harper Lee.

Showing them the harsh reality of life with honesty and fearlessness. During this time the Great Depression was hitting the southern town of Maycomb. This novel compares many of its characters to mockingbirds, a symbol of pure innocence. One summer, Atticus, who is a lawyer, finds himself in the middle of a controversial case, involving a African American man, Tom Robinson and a white woman, Mayella. Despite the town throwing hatred towards Atticus and his family, he doesn’t back down because he takes pride in helping the innocent.

In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee we see characters like Atticus and Tom Robinson which inspire us while characters like Ms. Stephanie and Bob Ewell provoke the community they live in. The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” took place in town called Maycomb in the 1930’s. The novel was published in the 1960’s during the civil rights movement. It shows us how some people have to work for what they get twice as much. Atticus is a lawyer and the father of Jean Louis also nicknamed Scout and Jem.

So·cial jus·tice, noun, 1. justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. 2."individuality gives way to the struggle for social justice.” (Google Search). Social Justice is a term used to justify the equality in the world; equality of race, equality of gender, equality of religion, of age, of background; equality of all people not dependent on any outside factor, but of the people themselves. One of the most recognizable forms of social justice is the character of Atticus Finch in the 1930’s setting of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. In To KIll a Mockingbird, the author, Harper Lee’s ideas on social justice are revealed through detailed representations of wisdom, loyalty, and selflessness

In the classical 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee depicts the social and racial inequality in southern American society during the 1930’s. Residing in Maycomb County, Atticus Finch and his two children, Scout and Jem, gain appreciation for tolerance as they encounter diverse characters such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Told from Scout’s perspective of their adventures, Jem and Scout explore the prejudicial flaws of their community. The portrayal of a catalyst and prophet matches the personality of Jeremy “Jem” Atticus Finch; serving as the brother and friend of his sister Scout, Jem’s once innocent and naive world view is exposed to the less savory aspects of southern culture when his father takes on a case defending an African American man accused of rape. As the dehumanizing factors of institutionalized and widespread racial discrimination and prejudice become evident, Jem learns that empathy and human understanding are crucial in realizing full human potential.

In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird it shows the problems and occurrences of how human inequality and diversity is brought up in the world. Racial comments, prejudice remarks, and judgement are all mentioned in the book. Although, the book is fiction, it brings up real life events that are still happening in the present time. The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s in that time anyone and everyone were judged by their life choices, skin color, social class, appearance, etc. Human society then was diverse into large groups of stereotypes.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a story that takes place during the Great Depression in a small town located in southern Georgia in the 1930s. The book focuses on Jean Louise “Scout” and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” and their coming of age and the major events that made the two grow up. One of the events was the trial of the Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, in which their father, Atticus Finch, was defending Tom, a man of color. Mockingbirds are used throughout the book to represent people that were harmed by the society even though they were innocent. There is a common misinterpretation of the meaning behind the Mockingbird leading many to believe that Scout is the Mockingbird in the story.

To Kill a Mockingbird Essay ¨Inequality is the root of social evil¨ (Pope Francis). In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee shows that social inequality affects everyone. As the book goes on, Lee proves that racial inequality was one of the greater stresses in the 1930’s. Social inequality does not just exist only with race; it interferes with wealth, family backgrounds, age, and even your beliefs.

Scout, the main protagonist of to kill a mockingbird, evolved from being innocent and oblivious to the racial injustices that were prevalent in the town of which she lived. Throughout the course of the novel racial injustice was a very large theme, although scout herself might have been completely oblivious to it. A good example was when the gang led by Mr. Cunningham was going to lynch Tom Robinson, for the rape of Mayella Ewell, without due process of the law for the simple reason of his complexion.

Isaiah 59:8 illustrates, "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths." Clearly, Scripture recognizes the existence of flaws of the behavior in man. Injustice comes in many forms. Racism, prejudice, false judgment, and stereotyping are all skewed perceptions. These distortions spill over into behaviors and human interactions, often resulting in the suffering of the innocent. The world is broken, and until the Lord returns, unfair situations will exist. In the award winning book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the theme of injustice is rampant in the lives of Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Calpurnia.

He works hard to be a good father and set a good example for his kids. When it comes to parenting, Atticus Finch treats his kids like his equal. For the most part, he gives Jem and Scout independence to make their own decisions so they can learn based on their experiences. He believes in teaching his kids what they did wrong and making them fix it instead of punishing them. He is also brutally honest.

Racial Injustices Racism in the 1930’s served as an injustice to blacks that were convicted of crimes. In the time periods of the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Scottsboro Boys trial, discrimination in Alabama was atrocious, and racial injustice was seen throughout this time period. The Scottsboro trial shows how discrimination played a large role in Alabama during the 1930’s. This influenced Harper Lee’s to write about the Tom Robinson case. In many ways, the Scottsboro trials were more similar to the Tom Robinson case, but at some points had differences.

Race has always been a part of history, from slavery to MLK, to Barack Obama. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee defines race in the south during the 1930’s. Jean “Scout” Finch, is the narrator of the story. Her brother Jeremy “Jem” and her dad, Atticus, are both main characters. Calpurnia is their house cook and helper, she is also black. Tom Robinson is a black man who is wrongfully convicted of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell. This novel goes through Scout's life from when she was 6, till she is 9. She lives in the town of Maycomb Alabama, and lives an innocent life until about halfway through the story, where she begins to ask questions. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout shows the readers that racial inequality creates an unjust society through the African American community, through the people surrounding colored folks, and through Tom Robinson’s Case.

How does Harper Lee vividly capture the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb county in ‘To kill a mockingbird’?

In the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates the small, imaginary town, the Maycomb County, as a place where racism and social inequality happens in the background of 1930s America. Not only the segregation between whites and blacks, but also the poor lived in a harsh state of living. As Scout, the young narrator, tells the story, Lee introduces and highlights the effects of racism and social inequality on the citizens of Maycomb County by using various characters such as Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Mayella Ewell.