America prides itself as being a Democracy, but racism in the Country contradicts the whole basis and structure behind this idea. As there were many laws against the blacks at the time, the Government was considered racists; therefore a feeling of hopelessness is created in the country, as prejudice against blacks is a problem even with the country’s leaders.
The first sign of racism and people’s attitudes towards the black community comes in the first chapter, when Miss Stephanie Crawford says that the Sheriff hadn’t the heart to put Boo Radley in jail ‘alongside Negroes’. This immediately reflects the opinions of the white people towards the black. As the story progresses, the references towards racism become stronger; gradually building up to the court case which is a very important climax in the book.
It is obvious to the reader that different classes of people, from varied backgrounds have different opinions and judgement of the black community. It seems that, the more educated and better off families like the Finches and Miss Maudie are, the less coarse and brutal in their attitudes towards the black community. When Scout asks Atticus ‘what is a Nigger-lover?’ Atticus answers by telling her that it is a word used by ‘ignorant and trashy people’ which shows us that Atticus does not agree with the racial prejudice in the community.
Other less educated and from a lower class are also very brutal and hard on the black people, such as the Ewells. They take a Negro (Tom Robinson) to court after accusing him of raping Mayella Ewell. During the court case a number of strong racial remarks are made such as ‘several niggers’ and ‘black nigger yonder’. This shows us that the standards of a certain family or individual reflect the brutality of their racial prejudice towards the black community.
We discover in the nineteenth chapter that it was Mayella Ewell’s own father, who had actually abused her, as Tom Robinson says ‘ She says what her father do to her don’t count’. This shows us that Tom Robinson is innocent, and is used by Mayella and her father to get rid of their own guilt. This also implies that the Ewells are trying to adopt a sense of power by belittling the black community, which again shows us that the Ewells are prejudiced because of their standard and role in the community.
The black community are also stereotyped in the book. In Chapter 25, Scout explains Maycomb’s opinion that it was ‘typical of a nigger to cut and run’. This shows the reader the society’s beliefs and opinions about the coloured community. The Maycomb community feels that a coloured person does not have any self-dignity but would rather escape his problems than face up to the consequences. This stereotyped judgement, again underlines the racial ideas of the county.
Another section of the community subjected to prejudice are women. There are many sexist ideas throuought the novel, which conveys the attitudes of the community towards women and their role in society. Women in Maycomb are expected to conform to traditional ideas about southern femininity. An example of a male’s point of view at the time was that a woman’s place was in the kitchen: Calpurnia tells Scout to ‘come into the kitchen’, which shows us this stereotyped view of women.
These sexist ideas are supported by the whole community; especially by Aunt Alexandra and other women in the book, who constantly talk about the importance of being a woman and keeping their lady-like appearances. Scout is deeply affected by the sexism in the community, because her Aunt explains to her the importance of acting ‘like a woman’ and threatens her by saying ‘you do want to grow up to be a woman don’t you?’ There is evidence of Scout’s disapproval of the sexism in the community in the 14th chapter, when Aunt Alexandra tells Atticus that Scout should start acting like a young woman, as Scout says: ‘I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentirary closing in on me’. Scout uses the metaphor of a prison for womanhood, which shows us that she compares being a woman to imprisonment. She feels that she is punished for being a woman, and that certain qualities are taken away from her because of this fact. She does not agree with the stereotyped thoughts about women, and therefore does not want to be forced into becoming a woman with lady-like qualities.
Scout is again used by Harper Lee, to emphasise the sexism in the community, when she is excluded from Jem and Dill’s ‘peeing game’. Harper Lee is using Scouts exclusion from the game as a metaphor, for women’s exclusion from the community.
Prejudice against different classes in the community is also important to the book. The Maycomb community is built on a class structure, therefore having standing in society is very important to the county. I feel that a person’s background or history affects the social class he belongs to, for example the Ewells come from a very poor background and are considered to be from a very low class. The Finches on the other hand are from a middle-classed background, therefore gain more respect from the community. Since the Ewells are of lower class they are looked down on by the society and prejudice against them is very common in the book. Atticus says in the book that the Ewells had been ‘the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations’, which implies that a person is judged by their wealth or class as a rule in the town. Aunt Alexandra tells Scout, that Walter Cunningham ‘is-trash’, when he comes to their house for supper, which again underlines the prejudice against different classes in the community.
Outsiders are also victims of prejudice in the book. The children consider Miss Caroline an outsider at the community, and they feel that she shouldn’t be teaching in the school. Miss Caroline Fisher is from the north of the country, which fought against the south in the Civil War. The children have obviously been raised up by their families to form certain opinions about the northern citizens of the United States, as they are far too young to form their own opinions. We must ask ourselves, what exactly does this tell us about the Maycomb community? People from the county are obviously taught to form certain opinions, especially while considering outsiders and changes to and in the community. Dill is also affected by this prejudice against outsiders, as Aunt Alexandra calls him a ‘stray dog’, which describes him as being out of place and not welcome in the Maycomb community.
People who do not ‘fit in’, to the town also suffer prejudice. People like Dolphus Raimond and the Radleys. When Jem explains to his sister and Dill that Dolphus Raimond has a ‘coloured woman and all sorts of mixed chillun’, Dill immediately says ‘he doesn’t look like trash’, which shows us the opinions of people, towards others with relationships with coloured people. The Radleys are also looked down upon by the community because they are different. The community demonises them because they don’t socialise with the rest of the town. They are ‘footwashers’ and they worship at home which alienates them from the other citizens. Atticus on the other hand sympathises and understands the Radleys. When he catches the children playing ‘The Boo Radley game’ in the garden, he is very angry with them, and tells them to stop immediately. He is very rarely stern, which shows the reader, that his opinion differs to that of the community. This leads to the conclusion, that in Atticus’s eyes, the Radleys are not bad people. This also causes a lot of tension, because of the different views expressed about the Radleys.
There are many different consequences to the prejudice in the Maycomb community. The racial prejudice leads to a death of a young coloured man. Tom Robinson is put on trial and found guilty of a crime he did not commit because of the colour of his skin and the community’s attitudes towards the black community. The class division among the society is also partly to blame for his death, as it led a poor family, considered ‘trash’, by the county to kill an innocent man. The Ewells are downtrodden by the community and are made to feel inferior; therefore looking down on Tom Robinson makes them feel wanted by the society.
Prejudice against class, also causes division and hatred within the town of Maycomb, and outsiders are made to feel unwelcome by the society.
Sexism also has many consequences in Maycomb. Women are made to feel shallow and with no ambition, for example Mayella Ewell. She has no friends and has no hope for herself or her family, and feels that she has no future, therefore is led to seduce a coloured person; an action considered unforgivable by the community. Scout is also affected by this prejudice against woman, and she finds the ‘men’s world’ far more attractive and appealing.
Prejudice, in many shapes and forms are evident in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. They have far reaching consequences that are brought to life through the vivid portrayal of the various characters in the novel.
