Racial prejudice is the main type of prejudice found in the novel. It is really made most apparent during the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of indecent assault on a white woman- a crime the author convinces us he did not commit. Harper Lee does this by portraying Tom as an honest and caring man who would not hurt anybody and by portraying Mr. Ewell, the prosecutor, as an evil and spiteful person. However, because of the racial prejudice in Alabama, Tom is found guilty and sentenced to life.
Harper Lee portrays racial prejudice just as it would have been at the time she wrote the novel. Blacks and whites are totally segregated. As described in the book, they go to different churches to worship and no one is welcome in each other’s church as shown in the encounter with Lula- a black woman who did not want Jem and Scout into the black church, purely because they were white. She said,
“You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here- they got their church, we got our’n.”
Racial prejudice is something grown into the roots of Maycomb society. As soon as Atticus decides to take up the case of defending Tom Robinson people in Maycomb encounter him with mass verbal attacks. Strangely enough, most of these attacks, though directed to Atticus, are said to his children. Two examples of this are when Scout’s cousin Francis calls Atticus a ‘nigger lover’, and when their neighbour Mrs. Dubose regularly shouts abuse to Jem and Scout about their father.
Another prejudice found in ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is that of social prejudice. This is prejudice against people because of their particular status. This is to do with the caste system- the system of upper, middle and lower classes. This prejudice is seen straight into the book when Scout is describing how each family in Maycomb is associated with something, e.g. the Haverford’s are associated with jackasses. One family who affected by social prejudice are the Cunningham’s. They are a poor family who can only afford to pay people in vegetables. They are looked down upon by many people, even by Scout. When Walter Cunningham comes to the Finch house for lunch, Scout starts yelling at him. She explains her actions by saying,
“He ain’t company, he’s just a Cunningham”
Another group of people who suffer from social prejudice are the Ewell’s. They live on a dump on the outskirts of Maycomb and are thus looked down upon. They are known as rude, course and crude. An example of their rudeness can be seen when Burris Ewell calls his teacher on the first day of school a “snot-nosed slut of a school-teacher”. His father Bob Ewell, however, is even more absurd. His dirty face and dress says all about his parental skill. He regularly abuses his children and is a general menace to society. Bob Ewell in one instance attacks Atticus’ children as he tries to exact revenge on Atticus, but is too cowardly to face him himself. Unlike the Cunninghams, the Ewells have done nothing to rid themselves of this prejudice, and perhaps even deserve it.
Another form of prejudice found in Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is prejudice against those who do not conform to regular life. An example of whom this affects is Boo Radley. He and his family are harassed particularly by the children because they are different. The children find him as the source of endless fun and games without even meeting him. The Radley’s are a much talked about people because they do not involve themselves in ‘regular’ Maycomb life. A character called Miss Stephanie Crawford spreads rumours based on her own imagination about Boo Radley simply because of this.
Another person who suffers from this sort of prejudice is Mr. Dolphus Raymond. He is a white man married to a black woman who chooses to live around the black people. He is cast down as a low life for this and is only later discovered to be a quite wise man by the children after the trial of Tom Robinson.
Perhaps the most significant victim of this kind of prejudice is Atticus. Atticus is very different from every adult in Maycomb for many reasons. Firstly, he treated Calpurnia, the cook, as his equal and allowed her to act as the main mother figure in the Finch residence. Treating a Negro as your equal was unheard of in Alabama- as was shown in the trial of Tom Robinson. Secondly, Atticus raises his children in the most unorthodox manner. He allows them to call him by his first name. Finally, Atticus seems more tolerant than most adults. This is because he practices the theory of ‘putting the shoe on the other foot’. This is what he does when he defends Tom Robinson. For this he receives much criticism and is much insulted.
One thing that links all of these forms of prejudice together I the symbol of the mockingbird. The first and last references to the bird indicate its importance. Miss Maudie, who represents a love of nature and a hope for human nature, tells Scout that it is a ‘sin’ to kill a mockingbird. The bird puts everything into its song and does no harm to anyone. It stands for goodness and innocence. At the end of the novel Scout, showing gain of knowledge, says that it would be “sort of like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” to imprison Boo Radley for the death of Bob Ewell. Boo Radley, like the bird, had done no harm to anyone and was only protecting ‘his children’.
Another character in Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ who can be associated with the mockingbird symbol is Tom Robinson. He has done no harm, yet is found guilty of indecent assault and is eventually killed. Mr. Underwood, the newspaper owner ironically compares his death to the ‘senseless slaughter of songbirds’. Atticus too is a mockingbird figure in the novel. He is the victim of many verbal and one physical attack before, during and after the trial of Tom Robinson, yet he has done nothing wrong- only defend a man for a crime he did not commit.
In conclusion, prejudice is the most important issue raised in Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. The novel deals with different types of prejudice, instigators of prejudice (Bob Ewell, Mrs. Merriweather), victims of prejudice (Tom Robinson, Boo Radley), and perhaps a way forward from prejudice (Atticus, Miss Maudie). The novel also gives you insight into the injustices going on through the world today. Harper Lee conveys her views on prejudice very carefully and effectively. Her novel is a powerful insight on how prejudice affects everybody in the world.
