Literature can be analyzed with many different critical lenses. While analyzing To Kill a Mockingbird, one may use a critical lens to recognize the different ideas throughout the novel. Harper Lee’s novel demonstrates her perspective on intolerance and discrimination within the early twentieth century.
The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” was written in 1960 by Harper Lee in the point of view of a young innocent girl named Scout. One of the main messages that Lee has (need a new word than – indicated or set out) is racism, it plays an important role which strongly impacts many character’s lives unfairly and changes the relationship between two. Harper Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” shows that it is wrong to hurt someone who does no harm to you, for example, black people are innocent but no way did they have as many rights as white people did. Black people lived hard lives because society was judgemental, irrational and most importantly, racist. As Scout and Jem grow older they learn to cope, take responsibility and are introduced to new aspects of life, one of which is racism. People of the town including children refer to black people as “Niggers”, and raised to think of black people as lower class individuals.
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. Boo Radley’s isolation from the Maycomb county, Tom Robinson’s black skin colour, and Atticus
In this novel, there are some parts that show racism. Atticus is the best lawyer in Maycomb. In chapter 9, he started to defends Tom Robinson. All the people in Maycomb disagree about defending Tom, Negro men. However, he believes Tom Robinson and Atticus work hard to defend him. Therefore, some people pissed to Atticus.
The book is wonderful source for accurate historical view of the time. During one of Scouts average 2nd grade school day, a fellow student Named Walter Cunningham, Son of a poor farmer being offered money for lunch from his teacher. “Miss Caroline went to her desk and opened her purse. “Here’s a quarter,” she said to walter. “Go and eat down-town today. You can pay back tomorrow,” Walter shook his head. “Nome thank you ma’am,” he drawled softly.” (page 25). The farmers had it the worst during the great depression, with virtually no money the farmers do what little they can. Farmers today are still having trouble today, some get shut down for lack of product some don 't get with the times and are forcefully shut down. Second example Is the maid
In the world right now, there is still inequality for all. People are criticized everyday because of how they look, speak, dress, act, etc. In America, although there is people that are changing, there with always be that small group of people that won’t change their views on what they believe is right and wrong in our society. You can also see this in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by author, Harper Lee. All throughout the novel, you can see how white people are superior to the African Americans that live in the same town. Even if you are one of the poorest people in the town, if you are white, then you are still more significant in the social classes than a black person. Today, people are going through the same racial discrimination that was happening so long ago and will happen till the day our world is nonexistent anymore.
Social prejudice is shown throughout Harper Lee’s award winning book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee powerfully analyses the theme social prejudice, and its effect on people. Such as how the
Mr.Dolphus Raymond is a successful white man who owns a Riverbank. He’s the talk of the town, he hangs around with colored folks and is rumored to have had a relationship with a colored woman. Dill is not used to this kind of reality because he is also a child, but he also lives in Mississippi, which is know to be the “Deep South”. The Deep South is a subregion where opinions on slavery and segregation are different from the north. Before his wedding day, his to be wife (one of the Spender Ladies) shoots herself in the head. The people of Maycomb believe that it was because she was so distraught when finding out about the mistress. Mr.Dolphus Raymond is also the father to a few mixed children. In this chapter, Dill is very curious about Mr.Dolphus Raymond and asks Jem many questions. Jem continues to explain that blacks won't take them in, neither will the whites. Because even one drop of colored blood makes you a colored person. The significance is that Dill has probably never seen a half white kid let alone any kind of relationship between a colored person and a white person. Since he lives in Mississippi, he has to adjust to the societal abnormality. Naturally, he assumes one of the children is all black because of their skin and how they look. But in fact, that child is actually half white. Dill learns that looking at someone and assuming their race isn't a accurate way to identify people and learns to change his ways. (Later on, Dill is shown having really strong emotions during the trial. This was because he thinks the way Mr.Gilmer treat Tom Robinson is “unfair” or “not
Not only does Mr. Finch agree to fight a battle in court alongside Mr. Robinson, but he goes out of his way to guarantee Tom’s safety. Knowing the quintessential racist ways of the town, Atticus came prepared to put a stop to a lynch that would be taking place in the name of Tom Robinson. “We saw Atticus look up from his newspaper...he seemed to be expecting them” (201). Throughout everything that had happened to Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch did not give up and continued to care for Tom because he too, is human, regardless of the pigment of his skin. “I certainly am (a nigger-lover). I do my best to love everyone” (144). In his defence for Tom, Atticus mentions that he is defending him because if he did not, he “could not hold up his head in town” (101). This shows Atticus always tries to do what is morally right, a rule he has tried to live by his entire life. The act of showing compassion to his clients, no matter who he is defending, helps Atticus to make the morally right decision, regardless of the ridicule that comes along with from the rest of the
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.
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. A behavior, of which, presents itself heavily while either talking, and or mentioning, the topics of religions, racism and classism.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses characterization, symbolism, and irony to express the cloud in judgment prejudice causes when examining the morals of others.
The testimonies reveal how deep-rooted the racism within Maycomb runs, as it is present even in court rulings and how casually present it is. The court is taking place, and the order of prosecutor’s witnesses who are: Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff; Mr. Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father; and Mayella Ewell, the one who is accusing Tom Robinson of raping her. When it’s Mr. Ewell’s turn to speak, he does so with many racial slurs and slang embedded in his accusations. When relaying what he saw to the jury, he points at Tom and yells “―I seen that black n*gger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” Mr. Ewell, who, although, has never been a part of a court case or viewed one, doesn’t truly care, or notice, that so far into the formal case, not one person has used racial slang to talk about Tom, and uses the term n*gger quite casually.
” They say that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, yet everyday people are judged just based on their skin color. “In this current society we see racism surrounding us, people who are mostly affected by it are Non- Whites. Discrimination Against Non- Whites, is when a minority usually gets spoken down to or not given the same opportunity to succeed just because of their skin color. When we first arrived to this country we experienced discrimination first hand; whether it was the disgusting looks my mother received from my neighbor for wearing the hijab or the racial slurs we heard as we walked by people. Discrimination against non-whites usually is caused by many Caucasian people believing they are more superior than any other race.
Racism can be defined as a major problem in United States history, and can be dated back to the 1400’s. Racism can be viewed and defined in many ways, but most accurately is seen as the state of characterizing an individual based on his race, and or believing that one race is superior to another (Shah) . Racism is as big of a problem in the USA as anyone can think, starting way back to when the country had just began to form, when Europeans started settling into the 13 original colonies (Shah). Ever since then, it seems that the problem has only been on the rise, rather than the opposite. Racism has always been a major issue, although hundreds of years have passed since the birth of racism, the problem just seems to never go away.