The worst type of racial prejudice in the book is when the lynch mob tries to kill Tom before he could have a court hearing. Scout (an innocent young girl) prevented this by picking out Mr Walter Cunningham as one of the members of the mob. She doesn’t realise what they are actually trying to do. She asks Walter a few questions and he tries to evade them but she makes him (without knowing it herself) realise what he is doing is wrong. He tells his fellow companions to go home and the mob leaves.
Tom’s court case was racial and unjust. Tom stated in the case that he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell 'Yes suh. I felt right sorry for her; she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-'. This infuriated the juries because showing sympathy for class above you was an insult to the class above. Blacks were considered the lowest class of human beings. Tom loses the case, he was found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit. The only reason the juries found him guilty was because they would never take the word of a black man over two white people. If they did this could threaten the system they live in, the system of segregation. Jem and Scout don’t understand this, so they turn to Atticus and ask why he tells them “I don’t know how they did it tonight but they did it and they have done it before and they will do it again. And when they do it, it seems only children weep. Goodnight.”
Jem realises later on why Tom lost the case and about hierarchy. He says “There are four kinds of folk in the world”
Finches and neighbours: White middle class
Cunningham’s: Badly hit farmers.
Ewell’s: White trash
Blacks: Seen as the lowest class.
There is prejudice against Atticus as well. The Maycomb community are prejudice against him because he defends black people. After the court case Mr Ewell confronts Atticus and says “too proud to fight you nigger lovin bastard.”
The Mockingbird is the most significant symbol in the book. Atticus says “Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit’em but it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This can possibly be a symbol for Mr Ewell. Miss Maudie makes this statement more clear by saying, “Mocking birds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their heart out for us. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Blue jays are considered the bullies in the world of birds. They are territorial and are vicious evidentially a symbol for Mr. Ewell. On the other hand mockingbirds are kind and they are gentle, they don’t harm anything or anyone. It’s understandable that Tom Robinson is the Mockingbird of the story, a defenceless and kind man who is a victim of racial discrimination.
Also another part of what happens with Tom can be compared to a mockingbird. When he is killed because he tried to escape from prison. Mr Underwood says in his editorial.
He compares Tom’s death to the senseless killing of a mockingbird. Both are defenceless. So it is a sin to kill either of them especially Tom because he is crippled.
Other symbols are also used in the book. The snowman shows how superficial skin colour is. So Mrs Dubois chamilles representing deep rooted prejudice. That to be killed they have to be ripped by the roots. Courage, Mrs Dubois fighting at a battle she will not win but she still keeps fighting. Bravery, shown by Boo Radley when he saves Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell. Atticus also shows immense amounts of courage when he stands for what he believes. He stands against the racial prejudice in Maycomb County.
Boo Radley can also be seen as a Mockingbird. When he saves Jem and Scout from \Mr Ewell. This can only be confirmed at the end when the sheriff decides not to arrest Boo Radley for the killing of Bob Ewell Atticus asks Scout if she understood the meaning of this decision. Scout replied that she did. She said “well it would be sort of like shooting a mockingbird wouldn’t it”. Also another symbol for Boo Radley is when Atticus reads the book to Scout at the end called “grey ghost”. One of the descriptions were “face was as white as his hands and his grey eyes were so colourless” description fitting only a ghost and Boo Radley. And also before Scout falls asleep, she tells the ending that someone was accused of something that they never did. Exactly like Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.
