Social Issues In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Harper Lee touches upon many social issues in To Kill a Mockingbird. Among these issues is the matter of racism in America during the 1930s. This novel focused on the issue of racism through the case of Tom Robinson which conveyed the strong hostility towards African-Americans in Maycomb, Alabama. Other various occasions in the novel exhibit racism’s potential and influence in this country including Aunt Alexandra's disapproval of Calpurnia, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s hidden life. Through the results of these instances, Harper Lee shed a new light on racism and how it will always persist in America.

This novel is mostly centered on Tom Robinson’s case and the final judgment. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella, daughter of Bob Ewell. Atticus, being a symbol of good moral, dug his own grave when he decided to defend Tom. Since Tom Robinson was an African-American, all the odds were against him, so Atticus’s decision to defend Tom was the cause of the enmity between society and his family. Despite the cold hard evidence

Dolphus Raymond is seen as a peculiar individual in this novel because of his mysterious life. Jem tells us that Mr. Raymond had multiple children with an African American, which was strange because he came from a rich white family. To diminish his shameful life, Mr. Raymond pretends to be drinking a bottle of whiskey from a paper bag. This allowed him to give society a reason for his ignominious behavior. Mr. Raymond’s decision to behave in a way that made people have pity on him, lowered himself to society’s disgraceful level. It is obvious that Mr. Raymond disagrees with society’s racial and social prejudices when he tells Jem to “Cry about the simple hell people give other people - without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people too” (Lee 269). However, it was weak of him to hide his true sentiment on the subject and blind himself with society’s