Prejudice and Discrimination in Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird
As human beings, we have the tendency to judge people based on their skin color, cultural beliefs, social status and past behaviors. Any kind of prejudice has a profound affect on the personal health and achievement of the victim. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, various kinds of prejudice has been witnessed within the town of Maycomb. Jem and Scout portray characters who witness three kinds of prejudice and its consequences on the victim’s family and personal health. Racial prejudice is the dominant factor of Maycomb, and results in a major division line between the whites and black's, this kind of prejudice was prevalent during the 1930’s. Prejudice solely due to differences was clearly exhibited with in this novel. The town of Maycomb, as well contained social prejudice, as seen through the caste system. The purpose of this essay is to examine the three main kinds of prejudice present in Maycomb, seen through the eyes of Jem and scout, which will be outlined through various examples.
To initiate, the first type of prejudice that I would like to outline and examine is racial prejudice. Within the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, many people were victimized by racism. Tom Robinson was the most apparent victim of racial prejudice. Tom was persecuted due to an ostensible reason. Tom Robinson was accused of raping a white woman. The evidences supporting this accusation were insufficient, but due to his race, he was presumed guilty. “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s words against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 220), this was said by Atticus Finch, the Lawyer of Tom Robinson. This quote indicates the enormity of racism with in the town of Maycomb, that even a fair trial that looks beyond race isn’t issued. Tom Robinson was falsely convicted and later killed from 17 bullets. Throughout the book, the words, “nigger” and “darky” were frequently used,...