As Scout starts school, her teacher immediately dislikes her when she discovers that Scout was literate, and the author tells us “ she looked at me with more than faint distaste.” Her teacher also disliked her because she spoke on behalf of Walter Cunningham, who would not accept money from the teacher, which he could not repay. Scout’s defence of Walter Cunningham is a reflection of her father, Atticus, the defence attorney for Tom Robinson. Even the Finch family is put in danger by Atticus’ defence of Tom Robinson. As well by his own nephew, Francis, Atticus is called a ‘nigger lover’ and, Mrs. Dubose, an elderly white woman repeatedly insults Atticus to his children, “ your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for.” This is relevant to us today because it shows us that everybody has a right to stand up for whomever they want to no matter where that individual comes from. This book shows us that by supporting people who are unlike the others from our society, you can also be discriminated against.
As the novel proceeds, the reader learns to see beyond first impressions. Mrs. Dubose is first portrayed by Scout as, “the meanest old woman who ever lived.” The word “meanest” evokes a sense of fear and suspense in the story. After Mrs. Dubose shouts racist comments to Jem and Scout about Atticus, Jem loses his temper and destroys all of her flowers. Mrs. Dubose punishes him by making him read to her every night for a month. The reading delays Mrs. Dubose from taking her morphine to which she is addicted. The children then learn that she achieved her objective to end her morphine addiction just before she passed away. Atticus uses this to teach them the fact that Mrs. Dubose was not just a disagreeable lady; she was really a courageous woman. The writer then portrays Mrs. Dubose as a woman of character. This is relevant to us today because it shows us that you should continue with what you believe is right even if you are in the minority. This is very similar to the court case that takes place later on in the book. Everybody in the courtroom, except for Jem and Scout, knows that Atticus is going to lose the case but he still perseveres until the very last line of his closing speech.
In Atticus’ closing speech, he talks about stereotyping and says, “some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral some Negro men are not to be trusted around women. But this is a truth that applies to the human race.” By referring to the ‘human race’ the writer is trying to tell her audience to see past accepted stereotypes. This is relevant today because it tells us why we should not typecast and that we should not blame people for doing things because they are different to us. We should also not blame a whole race when some members of that community have done far worse. Fundamentally it is wrong to generalise for it can lead to terrible consequences for all parties involved.
‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is also relevant today because it teaches us about family and how important it is for children to have role models. An example of an ideal role model is Atticus. Scout and Jem both look up to their father with great respect and admire every one of his actions. For instance when Jem says, “Can’t any Christian judges an’ lawyers make up for heathen juries? Soon’s I get grown-” I think the author is telling us that children will follow their parents’ footsteps and that we are all influenced by adults. Jem wants to be exactly like Atticus and wants to change the stereotypical views of his society. By referring to “Soon’s I get grown,” the writer is revealing Jem’s aim to break down the segregation in Maycomb, just like his father.
This book was written in the nineteen-thirties, a time when women were regarded as unequal to men. Young girls like Scout were expected to wear dresses and behave in a ladylike manner all the time, but Scout was a tomboy.
Throughout the novel, Scout learns about women’s status mainly from her Aunt Alexandra. Even in the Finch family, Aunt Alexandra demonstrates prejudice against Scout and makes her behave like a lady by saying things like, “Jean Louise, stop scratching your head,” and, “it would be best for you to have some feminine influence.” Mrs. Dubose also demonstrates prejudice against Scout when she says, “you should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!” This prejudice against women is relevant to us today because it shows us through fiction how unfair intolerance against people is. At the moment, in some countries, women are still considered as inferior and some women are not allowed to vote. In addition, some women have to wear items of clothes that cover up their whole bodies and it is prohibited for women to work.