To Kill a Mockingbird - Racism

A detailed Summary of To Kill a Mockingbird - Racism

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel rifle with references of racial prejudice and injustice. The South has never been a bastion for racial equality, and still can be seen by some to harbor the last vestiges of bigotry. Harper Lee does a great job demonstrating the effects of racial inequality, through the main character's reactions, and the overall outcome of the novel. The novel itself encompasses many of the feelings that were flying around during the time at which it was written.

The first racist event that occurs in the book, is the incident that ensues at Calpurnia's church. Calpurnia is a servant at the finch house, and is an African American. One Sunday when Atticus is not at home, Calpurnia has to decide what to do with the children. She does not wish to send them to church alone, because there was a mishap that occurred the last time the children went by themselves. After thinking about it, she decides to take Scout and Jem to the church she normally attends.

When Calpurnia and the children arrive, a black member of the church gets irritated, and wants them to leave. Segregation at the time was normal, and the whites and blacks went to different churches. Scout and Jem, not wanting to cause any trouble, were ready to le

One example of racism deals with Mrs. Dubose. She was a mean old woman who lived near Scout and Jem. Every time they would walk by her house, she never had anything nice to say. When the trial began, she began telling Scout and Jem that their daddy was a "nigger-lover." This greatly shows the effects of racism, because Mrs. Dubose takes it as far as calling little kids' father a "nigger-lover."

Perhaps one of the stronger examples of racism in the novel is the lynch mob. Atticus hears that a lynch mob might be going to hang Robinson, so he drives down in front of the jail. He stays there most of the night with his chair, reading a book. Soon, a group of people show up. They are an angry mob and want to hang Tom Robinson. Because he is black, they decide they are going to institute their own vigilante justice. Luckily, Robinson is kept safe, along with Atticus. Despite this, however, it is shown how deep racism actually goes.

The outcome of the trial itself is also a racist act in itself. It is clearly shown that it is a trial based on the words of two people, a white man, and a black man. It is quite obvious that Robinson was not guilty, but he is still convicted anyway. The fact that Robinson was convicted, despite the lack of evidence, shows that the jury was swayed by their own personal racial beliefs. This goes to show that no matter how small and close knit your town is, racism can still be a problem.

Another racist incident pertains to Dolphus Raymond. He was a white man that had an African American lover. At that point in time, this action was unspeakable. He had many children who were mulattos. Maycomb County looked down upon this man in shame. Just because this man had a preference for a female of a different color, he was considered evil, which is clearly a racial injustice.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Scout Jem, Atticus Despite, Harper Lee, Miss Maudie, Calpurnia Calpurnia, African Americans, Maycomb County, Reverend Sykes, Ewells Robinson, African American, scout jem, tom robinson, example racism, african american, black community, mob hang, father nigger-lover, examples racism, maycomb county, lynch mob,

Approximate Word count = 1220
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels