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Student Paper #3 |
Examining The Theme of Prejudice
In To Kill A Mockingbird
by: Candace Mullineaux
Discrimination and prejudice were very common acts in the early and middle 1900's. Prejudice in this book is displayed by the acts of hate and misunderstanding because of someone's color. People of color were the majority that were treated unfairly. During this time in the southern states, black people had to use separate bathrooms, drinking fountains, sections in restaurants, churches, and even go to separate schools. Although much of the discrimination was directed towards blacks, there were plenty of accounts towards impoverished families by those that had money. Discrimination is prevalent when people that are different are called names. Some people thought blacks were automatically dumb because of their color. They weren't allowed to do anything but menial tasks (such as chopping wood) and hard labor because they were thought too dumb.
The novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee has numerous accounts of racism and prejudice throughout the entire piece. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. There are acts that are so discreet that you almost don't catch them, but along with those, there are blatant acts of bigotry that would never occur in our time. Lee addresses many of these feelings in her novel.
One subtle example of discrimination the reader sees is the treatment of Calpurnia, a black woman, the housekeeper/nanny for the Finch family. Although she is treated fairly, it is obvious that she is considered to be on a lower social level than the Finches. She calls Scout ma'am and Jem sir, although these are titles usually reserved for elders.
"Hush your mouth, sir! When you oughta be hangin' your head in shame you go along laughin'. If Mr. Finch don't wear you out, I will - get in that house, sir!"
When Atticus takes Calpurnia to Tom Robinson's home, she has to sit in the back seat so as not to appear as Atticus's equal. She does not eat at the same table with the Finch family although she has been a part of it since Jem was two. She is clearly loved by the family but by no means is she their equal.
"I said come here, nigger, and bust up this chiffarobe for me, I got a nickel for you."
The words "nigger", "darkie", and "boy" are seen often throughout the book. It is often used hatefully but sometimes it is used in a conversation where the speaker says it like they're saying colored.
"Do you defend niggers, Atticus?" "Don't say nigger, Scout. That's common."
This particular quote shows how far ahead Atticus was at this time. He knew that the word nigger was offensive to the blacks at this time. He showed the respect and common courtesy which was very rare of an affluent white male. Most of the blacks live in the bad part of town, or the "slums." Even if they had the money, they wouldn't have been able to live in an upper class neighborhood like the Finches. Blacks were considered dirty and unsanitary therefore, people didn't want them next to their houses. They feared that it would bring down their real estate value along with their reputations.
The black people in this era were not allowed to vote. Yes, they had the right to vote but there were such things as the grandfather clause. The grandfather clause allowed blacks to vote only if they had a grandfather that voted. If their grandfather was a slave, they couldn't vote. In that effect, no black could vote and no black would ever be able to. There were also the Jim Crow Laws. Blacks could not go into restaurants or other public places inhabited by whites. There were separate schools, water fountains, restores, even churches. Blacks had to sit in the back of buses and other forms of public transportation. If they had a seat and there were no empty ones left when a white person entered a bus or other seated area, the blacks had to stand or get off. This was evident when Dill, Jem and Scout were at the courthouse and there were no seats left in the front row. Three blacks stood so that the white children could be seated. There were also extensive literacy tests that had to be passed. Again, many of these "free" blacks had ancestors that were slaves. They were not taught to read, therefore they could not teach their children or grand-children to read.
These are just a few accounts of racism and bigotry against blacks. This is not so surprising and it is most definitely unfair but there were also times when whites were segregated against. Many middle to upper class people discriminated heavily against blacks but also against people of their own race. This was because of their fraternization with blacks or simply because of their social standing.
Mr. Dolphus Raymond was a white man who was a victim of ostracism because of his association with a woman who was black.
"Jem," I asked, "what's a mixed child?"
"Half white, half colored. You've seen 'em Scout. You know, that red-kinky-headed one that delivers for the drugstore. He's half white. They're real sad."
"Sad, how come?"
They don't belong anywhere. Colored folks won't have 'em because they're half white; white folks won't have 'em 'cause they're colored, so they're just in-betweens, don't belong anywhere."
He pretended to be a drunk so he didn't have to explain the fact that he was simply in love with a black woman. The alcohol, he said, gave the people an excuse to say he didn't know what he was doing. These sort of relationships were absolutely taboo at this time. It just wasn't accepted.
Aunt Alexandra displayed an act of discrimination against her own race when she forbade Scout to have Walter Cunningham over for lunch.
"I'll tell you why," she said. "Because he is trash, that's why you can't play with him. I'll not have you around him, picking up his habits and learning Lord-knows-what. You're enough of a problem to your father as it is."
The Finch family owned Finch's Landing and could trace their heritage back to almost the beginning of their bloodline. Aunt Alexandra thought, because of her heritage, that she and her family were better than everyone else. This showed that some whites of this era weren't only bigoted against the blacks; they felt the same toward anyone who was even a little bit different than themselves. People still tend to do this today. People with money are always suspecting of lower classes. If they have something that someone else can't afford but they want, they think that they would steal from them to get it.
The theme of prejudice is almost the sole basis of this book. Throughout the novel, we see each separate person and his personal narrow-mindedness. We also see how each person eventually opens his eyes and sees the light. For instance, Aunt Alexandra sees that Walter is as much a human and deserving of respect as she is. She also learns not to judge Atticus for the ways in which he raises his children and to let Scout be a child while she can. This is evident on both counts while in a conversation with Atticus Aunt Alexandra says, "I've been wrong, Atticus. I've been so very wrong." We see each character at his weakest and watch as he grows stronger and more accepting.
You can call it racism, narrow-mindedness, bigotry or intolerance. No matter how you sugar coat it with words, it is wrong. In this novel, we see a black man put on trial for a crime he clearly did not commit. This is an excellent example of how much this country has overcome and matured. We see how badly mistaken we were and how we never want to get back into that type of lifestyle. People were so afraid of what everyone else would've thought that they chose the verdict that the public wanted, not what they felt in their hearts. We have been faced with this problem since the beginning of time and we will face it until the end. You can rarely change the minds of others. Some people believe too strongly that what they are feeling is right. But you can take control over your own feelings and actions. Stand up for someone who is being mistreated and try to put yourself in their shoes before you pass judgment. Remember, one person can make a difference.
The Examination of Prejudice
in To Kill A Mockingbird
by: Kelly Snodan
Prejudice is a strong feeling a person may have for or against someone or something without knowing all the facts. Prejudice can be passed down from generation to generation. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee created several examples of prejudice. This became a dominant theme of the novel.
The theme of prejudice is shown by several characters. An example, of prejudice was shown by Scout. Because of her association with children at school, she called African - Americans niggers. The word nigger isn't even in the American Heritage Dictionary, but it was normal in earlier times for African - Americans to be called nigger. Therefore, Scout's association with other people who were prejudice made her believe that it was okay. One day Scout questioned Atticus saying,
" Do you defend niggers, Atticus?" Atticus replied saying,
" Don't say nigger, Scout. It's common."
After this, Scout realized that calling African Americans niggers was wrong.
Another way prejudice was portrayed was with the group of ladies, who called themselves Maycomb Alabama Methodist Episcopal Church South. Their main concern was supporting an African tribe, called Mrunas, and also to support a missionary, J.Grimes Everett, who helped the tribe. One day, the group of ladies met at Atticus' house. One of the group "leaders," Mrs.Merriweather, said,
" Oh child, those poor Mrunas." "Living in that jungle with nobody but J.Grimes Everett. Not a white person'll go near 'em but that saintly J.Grimes Everett." "the poverty...the darkness...the immorality - nobody but J.Grimes Everett knows."
They seem so mournful for these Africans, but, one can see that this group was very hypocritical, because these women were the same women who didn't lift a finger to help the Robinsons'. Furthermore, they thought it was necessary for Tom to be shot seventeen times as he tried to escape.
Throughout the book, and because of every day life, we learn that "it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks." The elders in Maycomb County were stuck in their own ways, and their prejudice was an everlasting cycle. They were brought up segregated, and were taught that African - Americans were not worthy to them nor any other white people, and they thought this is how it should and will be. When Harper Lee touched upon the topic of prejudice in the book, I believe she was showing that through the eyes of the inhabitants of Maycomb County, both black and white members, prejudice was alive in the time of the 1930's. The prejudice views were even more evident after the Tom Robinson verdict was known.
Through all of this, the reader learns most people have prejudices. Not everyone may be prejudice against "blacks" if they are "white", or visa versa, but people may be prejudice against a certain kind of person. Prejudice can be shown in many different ways, to the extent that it can be directed at a person who listens to a certain type of music.
Harper Lee, in her novel, attempts to educate the reader about the evil of prejudice and tries to show through Scouts' eyes that people are not always what they seem. She wants people to look at a person on the inside, instead of judging a person by their appearance.
Prejudice
by: Amy Stacy
Imagine living in a town where whites can only live in one part of town- the bad part, where you have to go to different schools- the old ones, and where the only white church is run down and nearly useless. Imagine if you couldn't vote and weren't allowed to rife in the front seat of a vehicle because of your skin color. What if you couldn't support a family member by sitting in the lower lever of a courtroom and the only job you could get was the one that no one else would do, like working in a field or being someone's maid? Throughout the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, this was exactly how life was portrayed - except not for whites, but for blacks.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the setting is a small town in Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930's. In this time period the deep south was overflowing with racism and prejudice, and only a handful of people were trying to make a difference. Blacks were referred to as "niggers" "darkies", and "boy" and had very few rights as an American citizen. The blacks were poor, no matter how hard they worked. They were criticized and looked down upon no matter how much they tried to keep peace. They were discriminated against no matter how honest and moral they were. Why? All because of the color of their skin.
The characters in the book dealt with prejudice in different ways. Scout fought prejudice while Jem tried to be more like Atticus in dealing with it. Atticus took a nonviolent stand against it, but much of the rest of the town was happy the way things were. And the blacks accepted the discrimination that the country folk executed.
When Scout goes to visit her cousin Francis, he calls here father a "nigger-lover" and even though she doesn't know what it means, she hits Francis in the mouth and beats him up - one of the many times when Scout uses violence to fight prejudice. While Scout is bust fighting, Jem is busy trying to ignore the taunts and names yelled at him. At one time, Jem and Scout are coming back from buying her a baton in town when they pass Mrs. Dubose's house. Mrs. Dubose starts yelling things at them racist. By teaching his kids he is taking a stand - unlike the majority of the town. The townspeople of Finch's Landing silently supported prejudice by not opposing or challenging their segregated lifestyles.
The country folk were the people who executed the racism and discrimination. Mr. Ewell and Mayella accused a black man (Tom) of rape and assault to cover - up their own sins, when in actuality, the accused was completely innocent of all charges. Mr. Ewell often times harassed Ton's wife wile she was a walking to work, and constantly looked down upon the blacks. Because blacks couldn't vote, they count' serve on a jury. Knowing there would be no blacks on the jury, what could they do to defend themselves against racism and discrimination? There was nothing they could do, so they were forced to accept it.
It is sad that in a country that stands for freedom and equlaity we have a history of slavery and prejudice. In To Kill A Mockingbird, our past is illustrated and proven through the words of Harper Lee. Through her words, we see how life was unfair and unequal for many. Today, prejudice is a lingering issue of everyday life, but with time, it has gotten much easier and opposed more often. prejudice against people merely because of the color of their skin has gotten less apparent through out the years, and by teaching the next generations it will hopefully be elliminated someday. Until that day, though, we will have to simple strive for equality and teach each other that, "We must learn to work together as brothers or perish together as fools." (Martin Luther King, Jr.)