small minded and convict Tom of a crime he did not commit because of
his race. They perceived all blacks as sexual beasts and frequently
refer to blacks as ‘niggers’ and ‘trash’. Tom Robinson was found guilty
of raping Mayella because of prejudice towards him due to his
race. Atticus tries to give a fair defence and gets us to think of Tom as a
‘human being’ and not as an ‘animal’. Atticus hopes that his children
will be able to watch the trail ‘without catching Maycombs usual
disease’
We also see how the people of Maycomb see Blacks , as they
are segregated from whites in the courthouse but Scout and Jem
disregard the views of Maycomb and go and sit in the ‘coloured
balcony’ ,this shows that they have no prejudice towards blacks.
Jem and Scout are still shown respect due to the colour of their skin
as ‘four black adults’ gave up their seat for them.
Tom Robinson loses his faith before Atticus as he knows the white
race is stronger, and that justice would never be served because of his
race. Atticus tells Tom not to lose faith but soon after he loses faith
himself in the justice system.
Atticus shows Scout how to get ‘along better with all kind of folks.
You never really understand a person until you consider things from his
point of view’. I think this is the most important quote in the book as it
teaches Scout not to prejudge. The novel is about far more then racism
as it is about accepting people.
Atticus does not care what anyone thinks of him as he employs
Calpurnia to care for his Children. Calpurnia was black and the people of
Maycomb think very little of her. They are small minded and don’t
like anything out of the ordinary. Atticus says ‘Calpurina is a faithful
member of this family’. ‘Calpurina is not leaving this house until she
wants to’. This is what atticus says to Aunt Alexandra when she
confronts him about Calpurinas race. Aticus stands up for Calpurina .
A community as small as Maycomb leads to prejudice and
divisions we see this when Calpurnia who is seen as a Mother figure
takes Jem and Scout to a blacks church. Lula confronts Calpurnia, ‘you
ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here they got their church,
we got our’n. The Whites like to dominate the Blacks as they show little
respect for their place of Worship.
Through out the novel there is great prejudice and divisions
between the whole town and Boo Radley. Boo Radley is portrayed
as a ‘Six and a half foot blood stained animal which will haunt the ‘old
tired town of Maycomb’. He is described as ‘dining on raw squirrels and
any cats he could catch’ he is also described as having ‘a long jagged
scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten;
his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time’. The Radleys house
was eary and nobody dared even to put their little toe into the Radleys
front garden. The yard that surrounded the house was wild and
overgrown. Boo Radley is perceived as an unsociable withdrawn
character. Scout has a great deal of prejudice towards Boo Radley but
after the trail her feelings change, as she has matured she sees Boo
for who he really is. We see that Scout is no longer afraid as she takes
‘him by the hand, a hand surprisingly warm for it’s whiteness’. Scout
has over come her prejudice unlike much of the society of Maycomb.
Both Tom and Boo Radley can be compared to a Mocking Bird
as they are both gentle, innocent people. They have done no harm but
have only tried to help others.
Stephanie Crawford is the ‘neighbourhood scould’. She informed
Jem and Scout all about the Radleys. She claimed she ‘knew the whole
thing’ about Boo Radley. Scout made several references to Ms. S.
Crawford when talking about the Radleys ‘Miss Stephanie Crawford
said…’. She made Boo Radley out to be a violent manic, dangerous
man. Miss Stephanie Crawford adds to the children’s fears of Boo, she
has an enormous amount of prejudice towards Boo Radley. ‘Aunt
Alexandra assured us (Jem and Scout) that Miss Stephanie Crawford
Tendency to mind other people’s business was hereditary’
Atticus does not join in with the village gossip about Boo Radley.
When he catches his children immating the Radleys he tells his ‘children
to stop tormenting Boo Radley’. This shows us that Atticus does not
want his children to prejudge Boo and he does not want them to join in
with the village gossip.
There is also prejudice towards the Cunningham’s but Atticus
shows his generous side when he lends Mr. Cunningham some money.
he explains to his children that ‘cash hits them the hardest’. Atticus is
shown as a loyal man who does not care what the society of Maycomb
thinks.
The people of Maycomb have very rigid ideas about men and
woman’s way of life. Men believe that women shoundn’t have rights and
have little or no independence. They are expected to cook, clean and
care for the children. Many people perceived women as possessions.
Scout was expected to be lady like and feminine. Scout is the
opposite to how women are prejudge in the novel. She is a tom boy ,she
attends school and is already well educated by her father. Scout is
asked ‘You want to grow up and be a lady don’t you’
Scout replies ‘not particularly’. Scout would join in with games but was
reluctant to go to the Radleys House because of the rumours she had
heard. Scout was disobedient in school as ‘she was
hauled to the front of the room, and hit with a ruler across the palm of
her hand’. Scout finds it an huge insult to be called a girl, she refers to
herself, Dill and Jem as the ‘boys’. Jem says to Scout ‘I declare to the
lord your getting more like a girl everyday’. This comment
offends Scout.
Aunt Alexandra tells Atticus that Scout ‘should act like
a little lady’. She wants the Children to know the importance of there
family to Maycomb. Aunt Alexandra wants them to ‘behave accordingly’.
Scout emotions rose and she began to cry. She soon realised that it
wasn’t the thoughts of her loving father but that ‘Aunt Alexandra had
put him up to this’. Aunt Alexandra wanted Scout to act like a lady as
she was worried about what the rest of the society of Maycomb was
thinking.
There is also a huge division in the novel between Maycomb
And the Ewells. ‘No economic fluctuations changed their status
People like the Ewells lived as guests of the country in prosperity
as well as in the depths of depression’ this is an example of many
people not liking the Ewells because of their lazy attitude and economic
position. The Ewells were perceived as a lower class of white people.
They were commonly referred to as ‘trash’ they were seen ‘as the
bottom of the social strata’. The main reasons for prejudice towards
the Ewells is that the people of Maycomb believed that white people
should not get involved with blacks, but Mayella broke this rule.
Mayella did not intend to hurt Tom she was lonely and only wanted
To seek affection. Mayella does not see blacks the same as the rest of
Maycomb.
‘There are four kinds of folk in the world. There’s the ordinary
kind like the neighbours, there and us’s the kind like the Cunningham’s
out in the woods, the kind likes the Ewells down at the dumps and the
Negroes’. The blacks are still shown below everybody else this shows
the social barriers, which exist amongst the people in Maycomb .
To kill a Mocking Bird is more then a book about racism it is
about accepting people for who they are. Through out the novel we see
how prejudice leads to discrimination. We see how people prejudice
because they fear something that is different.
