Sexual prejudice is also a major theme in the novel. A good example of sexual prejudice is when Mrs Dubose thinks that Scout is being un lady-like. Harper Lee’s use of exclamation marks creates atmosphere and drama and it stresses Mrs Dubose’s anger and hatred. ‘Don’t you say hey to me, you ugly girl!’. This quotation shows Mrs Dubose is not afraid to be harsh on Scout if she thinks Scout is in the wrong. She thinks that scout is not being brought up properly. Another fine example of this gender prejudice is the way Mayella Ewell is treated by her father after the death of her mother. Bob Ewell thinks that because his wife has died, Mayella should take on the motherly figure, simply because she is a female. One of the most disturbing examples of sexual prejudice I encountered in the novel was the fact that women weren’t aloud on the jury service.
As I said earlier in this essay, racial prejudice is the most prominent and most of the other kinds of prejudice have a link back to it. Racial prejudice forms the background of the trial. Racial prejudice consumed the mob, which wished to prevent Tom even gaining a court hearing, the most basic form of justice. This is probably the fiercest form of prejudice in the novel. The very town of Maycomb was split by racial prejudice. This is evident because the blacks had a separate church, a separate living area and even separate places in the courtroom, which was further away from the whites area. Harper Lee uses prejudice on the behalf of Jem and Scout to emphasise how most of the white people reacted when they herd about the trial. Cecil Jacobs called Atticus a ‘nigger lover’ this only made Jem and Scout more cautious and understanding of the circumstances them and Atticus were in. its also the first time in the novel where the reader becomes aware of the racial prejudice consuming Maycomb.
Racial prejudice is most strongly revealed at the trial by the amount of people who turned up with picnic baskets. It was as if the white people were actually enjoying the fact that a local black man was on trial for rape and if found guilty the consequences would be critical. Another strong form of racial prejudice that was revealed at the trial was the fact that there was no sufficient evidence and yet Tom was still found guilty. In fact evidence was on Tom’s side. It was Mayella Ewell’s word against Toms and Tom had a solid story. Mayella sounded as though she was making her side of the story up as she went along. ‘No, I don’t recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me.’ This quote shows that Mayella was unsure and this makes the reader feel sympathy for her. Surely if this was a white male accused of raping a white woman they would do medical checks to provide solid evidence. Another part of the trial where racial prejudice is introduced towards Tom Robinson is when Tom said he feels sorry for Mayella ‘a crime worse than rape in the jury’s eyes’- The lowest class people showing superiority for a class above themselves.
Harper Lee shows many examples of prejudice to be factually wrong. For instance, the way that Boo Radley was described as a ‘malevolent phantom’ and always described as an outsider proved to be completely wrong. He turned out in the end of the book to be a nice man who Jem finally understands why he behaved the way he did for all that time. ‘Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a person until you stand in there shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough’ The way Harper Lee chooses to tell the story in the eyes of a child is a good way to un ravel the book in a simple and understanding way. Above all Harper Lee uses Atticus as her main spokesmen. The main point this novel tells us is if you can stand in somebody else’s shoes and understand them, prejudice ends.
My personal opinion of this book is I totally agree with what Atticus keeps reminding us throughout the book. Don’t pre-judge until you have stood in someone else’s shoes and walked around.
By jay lewis 11vb
