To Kill A Mockingbird Pre-Judgment Character Analysis

The novel stifles the opinions of black characters and keeps their voices blanketed, despite the major events in it being significant to their community, and it casually disregards racism when it appears in those the main character holds in high esteem, with said main character being treated as a savior, even though he never puts in a full effort to reduce bias in both Maycomb and the judicial system. Of course, Lee’s novel has made an indisputable impact on the country, but it cannot be considered the heart of the movement toward diversity and acceptance in modern literature-- rather, a starting point, progressive for its time but still lacking the wholehearted belief that “all men are created equal”, as is reflected by Atticus. Perhaps, through its shortcomings, To Kill a Mockingbird will remind others who have already concluded that they are not biased or racist to actually examine their own actions more closely and see what they still have yet to achieve, so they will avoid falling into the trap of thinking that they-- and those around them-- are already faultless, just as Jem Finch once made the mistake of thinking “‘Maycomb folks [are] the best folks in the

Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, presents the idea that being non judgemental is demonstrated by not judging someone on one specific thing about someone even when others might judge them. Social justice requires one being non judgemental because everyone deserves being equal. The character Atticus Finch demonstrates being non judgemental by not judging people by their race, gender, and whether their an outcast or not.

A place that is quite small and quaint but is home to very large personalities and many people who believe that their ethics and morals are the right ones. Atticus Finch is a character which stands out to most readers, he is an idealistic human he presents to us everything we as humans wish we could do. By showing us that we should tolerate people and show them respect but still make sure we keep our integrity. He does this while facing many of his own ethical dilemmas, such as the case he takes on in part 2 of the book. Tom Robinson’s case is a massive part of the story, Tom Robinson a black man living in a heavily white biased Maycomb County, is charged with allegedly raping Mayella Ewell.

All children have a moment where they start to mature and come of age. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus tries to teach his daughter Scout to act more sophisticated and ladylike. When Scout was younger she would ignore Atticus’s request, but now that she has matured you can see her wanting to adjust her personality. Harper Lee uses the characterization of Scout to show the motif that she is coming of age, in the novel she has progressively become more empathetic, she doesn’t act on her impulses, and Scout is finally learning and gaining perspective of how people in Maycomb act toward each other.

As the hero of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has an unorthodox outlook on racism. He says, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it— whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.” (252). This outlook allows him to approach the obstacles that come with a trial of a black man vs a white woman. Harper Lee, the author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, worked on revisions for 2.5 years on the novel before it was published in 1960.

To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, describes the events and trials surrounding a window of Jean-Louise “Scout” Finch’s childhood growing up in the small southern town of Maycomb. In doing so, Lee reveals young Scout’s internal conflict in relation to her views on topics such as racism, discrimination, and societal rank. Her impressionability as a child causes her to be bombarded with opinions wherever she turns, and must therefore sort through the confusion around her to discover her own personal set of morals. Lee accurately conveys this through characterization, the irony and even hypocrisy of the stances of others, and through a range of motifs.

How is judgement prevalent in society? Physicist Albert Einstein once said, “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen”. He means that you didn’t just randomly become so judgmental one day. You acquired all of the common sense that you have now based on where you grew up, and the influences that were around you. You were taught to automatically judge people and assume things based on appearance, skin color, and rumors.

Rumors. Actions. Looks. All of these are reasons why we judge one being, to think that only three factors decide how others view you. You don’t just see this type of judging in reality but in To Kill a MockingBird. For example when Tom is in court people assume that he is guilty because he is black, you also see judgment by rumor when Scout is told that Boo Radley eats animals at night. Readers see these types of judgement all throughout the novel, displayed in subplots. Often in society we judge before thinking about the topic however, Author Harper Lee uses subplots in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird to show how people empathize before judging others or creating opinions over topics so, society can learn how to empathize in their everyday lives before making their opinion on topics.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” also highlights the truth towards the whole society can alter the definition of justice. Here, Atticus defends a black man for his words for the right to have a voice within society and not to be misjudged due to racism. Hence, Harper Lee uses the novel to convey the

Judgement How often should we judge, it depends on either it’s needed, or not. We all are going to be judged one day, but before that time comes we have to make the best decisions we possibly can. To show the meaning of this idea, the author Harper Lee describes how in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” about people like Dolphus Raymond are judged upon where lives, and who he is around. The same thing is similar with Scout, and how she shares her experience with the society around herself.

Hanna Clasen Mr. Flanagan AP English 11 February 28, 2017 Atticus Finch Life in the 1930s was hard for most people. In the South, it can be considered a time of racial segregation and injustice. However, in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch presents himself as a compassionate, wise, and courageous individual, making him an admirable leader in Maycomb County. Atticus is a man who is not affected by what other people say or think about him.

Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice in the 1950s was a problem and it still is in 2017. When it comes to the topic of prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys it is important that before judging someone, get to know them better. One example of prejudice Harper Lee uses in To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson. In the small town of Maycomb almost everyone assumes Tom is guilty of raping Mayella Ewell even though there is no evidence or reasoning.

In society today there are those that are pushed out of the crowd because of what they look like, how they act, and what others say to be true about them. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows that unselfish, kind hearted people can experience prejudice from others. Always wanting to be the better person, Atticus Finch is like the mockingbird when taking the responsibility of defending Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Once Atticus gets the news that he will be defending Tom Robinson, who is accused of rape, he is very stressed until the end of the trial. Harper Lee shows this when she says, “It’s this Tom Robinson case that’s worrying him to death...”

Discrimination is shown throughout To Kill A Mockingbird in numerous ways. Racism and prejudice are shown when the jury makes the ruling to convict Tom Robinson as guilty, despite all of the evidence to prove his innocence; Scout is known for being a tomboy. The lessons about discrimination that Scout learns throughout the novel are applicable to all types of prejudice, Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem Finch, is judged for defending Tom Robinson, an innocent man accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a low class teenage girl. Since most of the community is racist, Tom Robinson’s case is very hard for Atticus to defend. They do not believe a white man should be defending a black man.

"It 's not about what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings" stated Eppie Lederer, a former American columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. In the novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" written by Harper Lee, a small town filled with narrow-minded people, refuse to accept change. When a middle-aged lawyer, Atticus Finch, takes on a controversial case, the town begins to question Mr. Finch and leaves his two children too curious for the town’s comfort. Although some might say Atticus does a poor job raising his children, Lee proves that the best parenting comes from a strong-minded person with integrity, regardless of what others think through Atticus ' empowering advice, strong morals, and his belief in equality.