How does To Kill A Mockingbird raise our awareness of social prejudices in the Southern States of America in the 1930s?
How does To Kill A Mockingbird raise our awareness of social prejudices in the Southern States of America in the 1930s?
North America has always had the division of Northern and Southern states within the continent. When Negroes were imported from their native country, most of them ended up in the Southern states, working mostly on cotton plantations. In 1850, over three million blacks lived in the slave states, the vast majority of them being slaves to white men. Generally, it was accepted by Southern whites that 'all Negroes lie, all Negroes [were] basically immoral beings' and that they were heathen, lazy and stupid.
The Civil War, most of which took place between 1861 and 1865, was fought between the Northern and Southern states. The North states were more industrialised and the South states were agricultural. This meant that the North depended less on slavery, so they criticised the South. Robert E. Lee surrendered on behalf of the South in 1865 which led to the North imposing laws on to the South. Possibly the most significant law passed was that which gave civil rights and freedom to all blacks. The law may have been passed but it did not mean that everyone would agree with it. This is one of the many issues covered in the novel.
To Kill A Mockingbird is set in the fictional town of Maycomb County, a town very similar to that in which Harper Lee grew up. It is set in the 1930s, at the time of the Great Depression. In Maycomb County, it merely means that life goes from bad to worse. Born in Alabama in 1926, the author experienced a childhood similar to that of Scout, who narrates the events taking place in this novel. However, the novel is not an autobiography, it is merely an attempt to condemn racism and other social prejudices including ageism. This must not be mistaken with the condemning of white society and the novel contains the fundamental advice that people are not necessarily evil, we just need to understand them. Atticus is the character that shows the reader this, and his does this by saying that 'you never really understand a person...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'.
Atticus is also one of the few characters in this book who give the novel a sense of hope and this does not make the book depressing, as we are aware that not all hope is lost. When everyone in the community and the school are calling black people 'niggers', Atticus tells Scout not to use this term as it is 'common'. This is because he is an educated man and knows that it is right to call them 'Negroes'. Another character who gives the novel a sense of hope is Miss Maudie, who, in this particular instance, claims that 't's morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life'. She is referring to Tom Robinson here and unlike Stephanie Crawford who is going to the court house to have more to talk about, Miss Maudie is not a member of the community who spreads gossip based on ignorance, and therefore does not sprout further prejudice.
Atticus' wisdom, which comes as a result of his education, is a key feature throughout the novel. He leads by example which is evident in his speech and his actions. Mrs. Dubose insults the Finch family, especially Atticus, but he is the character who talks to her and admires her for her bravery despite what she says about him. The reader can tell that he leads by example and influences his children as Scout says that it is at times like these, when she thinks that her father who hates guns and who has never been to wars, ...
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Atticus' wisdom, which comes as a result of his education, is a key feature throughout the novel. He leads by example which is evident in his speech and his actions. Mrs. Dubose insults the Finch family, especially Atticus, but he is the character who talks to her and admires her for her bravery despite what she says about him. The reader can tell that he leads by example and influences his children as Scout says that it is at times like these, when she thinks that her father who hates guns and who has never been to wars, is 'the bravest man that ever lived.' He also influences the rest of the society in this way and an example of this is Mr. Underwood. He 'hates and despises all Negroes' but still, he protects Atticus when the crowd of Cunninghams confront Atticus outside the jail with ' a double-barrelled shotgun'. This demonstrates the influence that Atticus has had on Mr. Underwood as the Maycomb Tribute editor is compelled to protect the man who is defending a Negro, a member of the race which he loathes. Therefore, he has shown some compassion towards the Negroes as a result of Atticus' actions.
As Jem and Scout have been brought up by Atticus, Miss Maudie and Calpurnia, none of which have racist views (or if they do, they conceal it from the children), so they do not influence the children and cause them to be racist in turn. Upbringing, both then and now, is very important in determining the outcome of the child or children. The main examples of this are Scout and Jem, brought up by their father, a well-educated man, and Francis, brought up by Aunt Alexandra. Though Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are brother and sister, they have very different views and opinions. Aunt Alexandra considers Negroes to be much lower in society than herself and this is reflected in the comment shouted at Scout by Francis calling Atticus 'a nigger lover'. Francis does not know what this means and he is not to blame for this, it is his influence from Aunt Alexandra that causes him to make such comments. In contrast, Scout and Jem have been brought up with the idea that everyone within the society is equal. A major impact on this view is Calpurnia, the black housekeeper. As the children have been brought up by her, they accept her as part of the society. Again, this gives the novel a sense of hope as Scout and Jem can, in turn, pass on this education to others as Atticus has done, and in this way, social prejudices can be abolished.
Although the Finch children have been brought up in the best possible way, they cannot be shielded from the prejudices of the society. A prime example of this is the Cunningham family. Early in the book, when Scout goes to school, both Miss Caroline and the reader become aware that the Cunninghams are much lower down in the society of Maycomb County. When Scout explains that Walter is a Cunningham, she thinks that she has 'made things sufficiently clear'. The reader becomes aware at this point that even the most educated children accept some prejudices within the society without question. Scout and Jem clearly have not questioned why the Cunninghams are considered 'trash', they have learnt to accept it. Such innocent children cannot be shielded from the views of the society in which they live, and the two children are excellent examples of this. Though they have been brought up by Atticus, Miss Maudie and Calpurnia, they are still under the influence of prejudice in the society. While outside the court house with Dill, Scout makes a comment that is not expected from a child brought up in that fashion:
'Well, Dill, after all he's just a Negro.'
This clearly demonstrates the effects that the society has had on her, which cannot be avoided even when they have been brought up in a very educated environment. Scout should know better but this cannot be avoided. Even Atticus knows this and he says that he hopes 'that Jem and Scout come to [him] for their answers instead of listening to the town.'
They also seem to accept many things which are so ingrained in society. For instance, when they enter the balcony in the court house, 'four Negroes [rise] and [give them] their front row seats.' The children accept that it is right that this should happen, as the Negroes are considered lower in society. The reader knows that it is wrong but this is what happened at the time. Dolphus Raymond is a character who demonstrates how ingrained things are in society. Scout describes Mr. Raymond as an 'evil man' even though she does no know him, and again this sudden conclusion comes as a result of the influences of the society.
We can tell that the white people still looked down on Negroes, as they are looking down on members of the white race. The people most affected were those classified as 'trash', the lowest in the social scale, those like the Ewells. Bob Ewell has reason enough to hate the Negroes as it means that he and his family are now at the bottom of the scale. Before, though they were 'trash', they were accepted because of the colour of their skin and they could look down on the Negroes. Now, they cannot look down on anyone as there no longer is anyone considered lower than them, so they hate the Negroes.
To Kill A Mockingbird raises our awareness of the social prejudices at the time in the Southern States of America by considering many issues. Scout and Jem experience ageism from many members in the community including Uncle Jack, who has not 'stopped to give [Scout] a chance to tell [her] side of it' and when the burly man grabs 'Jem roughly by the collar' to 'send him home'. This shows that younger members of the community are looked down on and not treated with as much respect as they deserve. The older members of the community (with a few exceptions) generally consider themselves superior to those younger than them, which is an accepted principle, as no one questions it. Mrs. Merriweather is one of the 'childless adults who find it necessary to assume a different tone of voice when speaking to children.' Scout's attitude towards this seems to be quite disapproving and indeed wearied by this, which shows that she must experience this quite often.
The main social prejudice targeted in this novel is racism and this becomes apparent mainly in the trial of Tom Robinson which is the central point. Nevertheless there are many other references to this prejudice during the novel. Negroes, in this novel, commonly called 'niggers', slang that is used to describe the black people. Atticus tells Scout not to 'say nigger', and says that it 'common'. Therefore, this word should not be used as it is an insult. The black people, other than Tom Robinson, are not called by name, they are merely referred to as 'niggers', the social group that is lower than everyone else. In the court room, Mr. Gilmer calls Tom 'boy' which implies that he has no respect for him at all, as he is depriving him of any courtesy and indeed, of his name.
Another form of social prejudice comes from the idea of gentle breeding. This is the idea that the children 'are not from run-of-mill people, that [they] are the product of several generations' gentle breeding'. Aunt Alexandra believes in this; that the better the family history, the better the family. For instance, the Finches have been literate for such a long time that this makes them better than other families. On the other hand, the Ewells have been living in the same place for years in the same conditions, which means that they are all 'trash'.
Hypocrisy is a key feature in this novel. The second grade teacher, Mrs. Gates, says:
'Over here, we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.'
This is very hypocritical as there is prejudice within the society in Maycomb County, but evidently the teacher is not aware of this. This supports the fact that prejudice stems from ignorance as she is not aware of this and genuinely believes that there is no prejudice in her town. Mrs. Merriweather is another example of this, as she calls people 'born hypocrites' when, in essence, that is what she herself is doing.
There is prejudice towards the Radley family in this novel. Members of the community make up stories about the family, none of them pleasant, and this leads the children to believe that the Radley family are monsters. Though Boo Radley is an innocent man, brought up in a house, hardly seeing the world, he is thought of as a monster by the residents of Maycomb. As it is not normal for people to shut themselves away from the world, people become prejudiced towards this idea.
The title of the novel must be considered in order to answer the question. It is first explained in Chapter Ten, where Atticus explains that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, as they do not harm us in any way. It is easy to tell that Tom Robinson is the mockingbird in this story as he has not done anything wrong, but is merely a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The title summarises the main points in the novel as it demonstrates that victims of prejudices are all mockingbirds in themselves, as they have not done anything wrong, but are condemned because of their race, age or their social status. Some bring it upon themselves, like Bob Ewell who is discriminated for his position in society, but he could improve his position by improving his attitude. However, in general, most victims to prejudice are mockingbirds. For example, Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond, the Negroes and even Scout and Jem are all mockingbirds, as they are all victims of discrimination for living their lives the way they want to, or through no fault of their own.
To Kill A Mockingbird places issues of social prejudices into a fictional context by using social and historical influences. All the characters have been affected by the history of the country at the time, as they have been affected mainly by the new laws passed by the Northern States which give the Negroes freedom. The white society lives with the fear that the black people could take over the town as they could with their knowledge of agriculture. This causes them to discriminate the Negroes as this is the only way that they can keep their power, so it causes racism within the society. Racism and other prejudices were embedded in society, just as some are today. This is why it is important for people to stand up and question it, and furthermore, it is important that such people exist. In this novel, the character that springs to mind is Atticus. He questions racism and tries his hardest to fight it. He does this by leading by example - he does what he believes is right. He treats everyone with equal respect and intelligence, and in doing so, he educates his children, Maycomb and the reader. People like this do exist and examples include Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Gandhi. It encourages the reader to do the same, and by standing up for what you believe, good will eventually be the outcome.
