Stereotypes In To Kill A Mockingbird

When readers are first introduced to Boo Radley, Jem describes him by saying; “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, [...] There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time” (Lee 11). Although Boo Radley is considered strange to the kids, he ended up truly caring about Scout and Jem. Later in the novel, when Scout reminisces about what she and her brother found in the oak tree from Boo Radley, she says, “Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between.

Different stereotypes were discussed in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the stereotype of Arthur Radley, Tom Robinson and Jean Louise Finch. Arthur Radley is stereotyped as cruel when he is kind, Tom Robinson is racially stereotyped as a criminal due to his skin color and Jean Louise Finch is sexually stereotyped. Arthur Radley or Boo Radley was stereotyped as creepy and cruel, though his true personality isn’t that. For example, “As Mr Radley passed by, Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activities.” (Lee, 12)

Atticus Finch prioritizes his role of father in that his responsibility teach his kids right from wrong takes precedence over all other things. Respect for all neighbors, in spite of Maycomb stereotypes, its a requirement in their household as the kids learn to accept the Cunningham's social class, Dolphus Raymond's lifestyle, and Boo Radley's eccentric Behavior. The Cunningham family is look down upon because of their low social class. Since they are so poor they are viewed as a different type of folk.

Ethan Heitzenrater Becky Crays English 9/10 28 April 2017 Stereotypes Here and Now In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird based in the early 1900’s after The Great Depression Harper Lee uses stereotypes to show the true humanity within a person no matter the age, gender, race, or place in society. This is a subject has impacted people in the past, and is still impacting the people of today. These are tough issues to talk about, but Lee wrote it so all people would understand how important it is not to judge until you understand the person.

Boo Radley is a very quiet man who got into trouble with the law at a young age and has stayed inside his house since. Around town, he is seen as a bad man who is very weird for staying inside his house, and rumors about him are everywhere. Scout and Jem hear about this and are very interested about this, so they go and mess around at his house. Even with all these people thinking he is a weird, crazy person, Boo Radley is still a great person. When there was a fire, the kids were outside when it was cold, and Boo Radley was nice enough to wrap a blanket around Scout.

“Don’t you know you’re not suppose to even touch the trees? … You’ll get killed if you do.”(Lee 24)Jem says this to Scout out of concern and love, to try and protect her but scare her away from the Radley house. Jem had then started his own rumors about Boo Radley, by imaginatively describing what Boo would look like. “There is a long-jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped and he drooled most of the time.”(Lee

Harper Lee she is trying to suggest that the stereotypes related to specific races apply to the whole human race. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout discover the racism in their town, and discover how it can have major affects on people. In Harper Lee’s novel, there are several examples of white and black people that stick up for or go against stereotypes to show the reader race should not be viewed as a single story. Black, white, and other people have stereotypes attributed to them, but they can apply to everyone.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County in the late 1930s, where characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will experience prejudice Maycomb brings during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin, and class. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and they all contribute to how events play out in the small town. Many of those in Maycomb face and express sexism, racial discrimination, and classism their whole lives. This disables the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace.

Stereotyping is a general idea that someone uses to view someone before they actually get to know them. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Scout, Jem, and Dill stereotype people until Scout’s father tells her to stop stereotyping. Harper Lee suggests that in order to fully understand someone, you must learn to see the world from their point of view. Mrs. Dubose is an example of Harper Lee’s idea because at first she acts mean towards the Finch family which cause Jem to destroy her camellia flowers. When Mrs. Dubose dies, Atticus tells the kids that the reason she was so mean was because she had a morphine addiction.

Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch makes many comments in relation to the events in the book and the 1930s. For instance, he talks about blatant and immoral segregation between black and white people, especially during the trial of Tom Robinson. However, many of Atticus’s statements can be related to any period in history, even today. Namely, rape and sexual harassment in Hollywood and strict ideals in cultures. All in all, the most important events that can relate to Atticus’s quotes in the book is the generalizations and stereotyping of Muslims in society today.

Boo Radley has always been a mystery to the kids since he has stayed in his house for over 30 years and never came out. Later, Boo Radley’s true colors are shown when he kills Bob Ewell to save Jem and Scout. He shows that he is not scary, contrary to the stories told about him, and that he actually cares about the kids. “‘To my way of thinkin’, Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight-to me, that’s a sin.’” (pg. 369-370) The sheriff of Maycomb, Heck Tate, knew Boo had killed Bob Ewell but chose to say that Bob had fell on his knife.

Boo Radley had been kept in isolation for so long, he didn’t know how to communicate or socialise properly. He has been misunderstood as a malevolent person, when he actually is a benevolent person. He displays this when he put a blanket around Scout, whilst she and Jem watched the fire. As readers, we are shown social prejudice by the assumptions made about the Radley’s. Another example of social prejudice is the

Cultural norms are what make and shape a society. They are the guidelines, and or patterns, that are to be followed, in order to be considered a normal, typical, everyday citizen. As such, it does not matter if the norms are right or wrong. As long as the citizen is still a part of their society, right and wrong does not matter, as far as they are concerned. In the case of To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the cultural norm, of Maycomb County, embraces the wrong, in the form of extreme prejudice behavior.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that show the life of a southern state od Alabama during the “black racism” time period, where majority of the people had the mentality that (quote) with the exception of a few. To chosen to portray it from the eyes of Scout Finch, from a child’s point of view. Living in Maycomb, in the midst of a conservative society of the 1930’s and 20’s Southern America Scout Finch is an extra ordinary child.