mockingbird

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The Impact of Bigotry on the Altercations in To Kill a Mockingbird

In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the setting impacted on most of the actions taken by the major characters. Specifically, the altercations between the major characters were a direct result of the beliefs held by the people in the South during the 1930's. We see that this holds true in real life as well. Wherever people live, their setting influences most of the actions they make and how they act towards other people.

One place where the setting has most impacted on people is down South. In the South during the 1930's the setting impacted on everyone who lived there. According to Johnson, white people down south loathed and were very resentful of the colored people. They thought of the black race as God's curse. [20-21] Johnson gives us an excellent illustration of how everything was segregated in the Southern society. If white people were getting onto a bus, they would have to let them get on first. In addition, if there were only one seat left on the bus, the black person would have to get up and give it to the white person. That problem rarely arose because they also had a separate section of the bus where blacks had to sit. If th

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The author, Lee, also shows us what happens to Tom Robinson in the trial. She shows us just how racist people are and how they are not willing to change. All the black people had to sit in the balcony because they didn't have enough importance to sit on the bottom floor. There were no seats on the bottom floor, so Scout and Jem had to sit in the balcony with the black people. [164] Lee also tells us about all the people who took the witness stand. Heck Tate was the first on the stand. Heck said that he saw Mayella Ewell badly beaten up and she was lying on the floor. He asked her who did this to her and she said that it was Tom Robinson. Then Atticus asked him if he had called a doctor and he said no. Atticus then questioned the sheriff and asked him which eye had she gotten hit in. The sheriff said it was her right eye. That was all the information Atticus needed at this point in time. [166-168]

The author, Johnson allows us to see that blacks and whites were also treated by different doctors and dentists. They had separate waiting rooms in all offices and bus and train stations. African-Americans were also not allowed to shop in the same clothing stores as whites simply because they couldn't buy the clothes they wanted anyway.[84-85] Johnson also tells us that African-American women only worked as maids, cooks, or nurses in the houses of whites. When dinner time came, the black maids were expected to eat in the kitchen or on the back porch.[84] Johnson also tells us how Negroes were also not allowed to attend any colleges or any type of higher learning in the South. Blacks were also not allowed to be jurors and the qualifications to vote discouraged blacks from even trying to vote. African-Americans also suffered humiliation. Negroes, no matter what their age, were to addressed by their first names, even by children. [86]

There are several other examples of racism also. Calpurnia brought Jem and Scout to a black church. They were approached by a woman named Lula and she said, "You ain't got no business bringing white children here-they got their church, we got ours." [119] This just goes to show you how the blacks can be racist towards white people also. Lee also tells us how the day before the trial, Tom Robinson is moved to the county jail, and that evening Atticus quietly leaves for town, anticipating trouble. Atticus was sitting in front of the door reading a book despite all of the bugs that were bothering him. Then Scout, Dill, and Jem saw three dirty old cars drive around and stop in front of the jail. No one got out just yet. Atticus seemed as if he knew they were coming and folded his newspaper and tilted his hat back.

Another literary critic, Ford, tells us how Harper Lee does not lie about who the blacks are and tells us how the setting affected black people who lived in Maycomb county. He talks about how Atticus defended a black man in court and he received much ridicule for that because mostly everyone was racist down South in the 1930's. Ford also states that they are treated harshly primarily because they are black and they live in the South. [122-123]

ey sat in a white section they would be beaten.[15-17]

According to Beetz, a literary critic, says that there are many racial tensions and prejudices because of the setting. He says the racial prejudice is all that makes up Maycomb county. Beetz talks about how the blacks have their own sections in the courtrooms and how they are separated from everyday life in Maycomb county. He also states that you could never take a black man's word over a white man's word. [101]

My last literary critic, Bradbury, describes how racism

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Approximate Word count = 2515
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

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