Prejudice and Racial

Environments
In
To Kill a Mockingbird
By: Anika Achari

Anika Achari
Teresa Kinley
Division 3 English
January 13th 2014

The term racism applies to prejudices against groups of people who may differ in looks, traits,
color, religion and beliefs. In American history racism was the force behind the transatlantic slave trade
which brought in thousands of people from Africa to work in plantations for rich white landowners.
These people were kept as slaves, treated poorly and were subjected to racial discrimination and
segregation. This part of American history aroused the imagination of Harper Lee and resulted in her
classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird which was published in 1960. Racial judgment leading to social
injustice was shown throughout the steady course of the novel. This novel focused on the prejudices
exhibited by humans and how a simple honest man will form a direct opinion of another racially
distinct man without knowing anything about the person and before thinking the facts through. In this
narrative the loss of innocence in black men and women due to prejudiced opinions and racism in
society will be deliberated.

Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird

Today harboring overt feelings of racism is avoided by most individuals in American society.
Not only in America but this is the common practice throughout the world in which we live in today.
However, lets rewind back to the 1930s when such civilized practice was not upheld. The 1930s was
the time of the Great Depression in the United States and also the time period in which the book is set.
Back then in America there were states in the Southern parts, where racism was greatly
practiced. For the white Americans the practice of racism was not a sin or wrongdoing. Back then all
individuals were classified into two separate groups: white and black based on the color of their skin.
This is how day to day life was lived. Black people were taken for granted, and any crime or serious
matter was blamed on them- innocent or not. They were lynched, killed and murdered and nobody
seemed to care, in fact the whites seemed to enjoy such cruel punishment. This is what was discussed
in the novel so lets have a clearer insight.
This book is set around the Finch family. A lawyer named Atticus Finch and his two young
children named Jeremy and Scout Finch lived in a fictional town named Maycomb Alabama. Atticus
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was suddenly asked to represent a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom was accused of raping the
daughter of the town drunkard Mr. Bob Ewell. Interestingly, when the people of the town came to hear
of this news they all go against the Finch family. According to the white society of this little southern
town, Tom is already a criminal without having stood a trail which proved him guilty. The society
discriminates even against the white Finch family for simply representing the black man. At school
and outside, Jeremy and Scout were insulted for having a dad who loved black men. They called him
an embarrassment to the town just because he decided for himself, and depended on his own
conscience. This is not an example of direct racism in the novel but it is a strong example of racism
through that of an individual who decided against the majority rule. It is an example of a person who
decided for himself what is right and what is wrong.
Racism was shown in many various ways. For example during the trial of Tom Robinson many
had gathered in the court to watch. The town drunkard Bob and his daughter Mayella were present.
During the trial, Tom began with his side of the story- the book depicts the black man Tom as an
honest person who was falsely accused. Next, Mayella approached the judge with what she had to put
forward. She said that she has asked Tom to do some work for her and then he unexpectedly entered
the house. This was a lie and furthermore there was no evidence to prove that such events took place.
Atticus, as Toms representative, presented significant evidence for Tom Robinsons innocence.
Despite this, Tom Robinson was convicted guilty and sentenced to jail. His innocence was not believed
simply because he was a black man trying to win a fight against a boisterous white man and his family.
Back then in a fight or serious matter between these two races the winner would always emerge as a
white never a black.

Loss of Innocence in To Kill a Mockingbird

When blameless people are falsely accused of a wrongdoing it leads to the destruction of lives
of innocent people. These are the honest men and women, the ones who have not done anything wrong
but are falsely perpetrated. The premise of this novel by Lee is based on senseless accusations towards
men and women of African descent. Lee has probed into such cases of injustice. Injustice is also a form
of racism and can also be shown in the sense of accusing one who you know to be innocent. This is
what we call the loss of innocence and Tom Robinson is the prime character in this book who greatly
suffered due to this.
Tom Robinson, a black man was wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman.
The people of Maycomb Alabama instantly decided that he was guilty because of his class and race
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without listening to his facts. To symbolize this innocence or loss of it a strong connection was made to
a mockingbird. Harper Lee ingeniously used this wonderful little bird as a sign of innocence. Tom is
symbolized to be a mockingbird for his innocence.
However, Tom Robinson is not the only example of a mockingbird. There are many other
characters in the novel that represent mocking birds. In the plot of this novel many signs of purity and
innocence have emerged from many different individuals. For example Dolphus Raymond is a strong
example of what is considered to be a mockingbird. This man drinks something that very much looks
like alcohol and every person in the town has formed an opinion about him stating that he is a drunk.
Well, he certainly acts that waybut why? When he meets Scout and her friend Dill he explains to
them that when he seems to be acting drunk, he is simply putting on a show. Dolphus Raymond
explained to the children that he does not care what others think of him. It turns out that his paper bag
which Scout and Dill thought had contained whiskey actually was filled with diet cola. This is another
mockingbird, someone who has lost his innocence due to prejudiced opinions of the towns people.
Thus every episode related to racism leads to loss of innocence.
Shoot as many blue jays as you want, but remember that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
-Atticus Finch

While reading the novel this is one of the most empowering quotes that connects greatly to what
the mockingbird symbolizes and why it is so significant, but more importantly how it connects to the
Loss of Innocence throughout the book. Atticus is saying to Jeremy and Scout when he hands them the
air rifles that you may shoot as many blue jays as you want but remember that it is a sin to kill
innocence. This relates to what we discussed earlier and the loss of innocence in some individuals but
not only was it a loss of innocence it was the destruction of purity and innocence.
There is one more character I would like to discuss, the reclusive Boo Radley. Many Maycomb
children believe that he is a terrible person, due to certain rumors of the trial he underwent as a teenager
and how he had stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. It is implied during the story that he is a very
lonely man who no one has ever seen and that he has not left his own home since the incident occurred.
Although this is what all children thought including Scout and Jeremy, Boo Radley continues to reach
out to Scout and Jeremy for love and friendship by leaving them gifts in the tree knothole. When Bob
Ewell tries to kill the Finch children, Boo is the one to carry Jeremy, who is unconscious back home.

This is another example of a mockingbird. Even though to others Boo comes across as a bad man and a
ghost that haunts the town he manifests himself at the right moments in just the right way.

Effects of a Prejudicial Society

Prejudice is something we all see, and being prejudiced is something we have all done. Being
prejudiced is not a crime but it is a hurtful thing and can cause great pain to others in society.
Prejudiced refers to pre-judgment or when a person forms opinions before becoming aware of the
relevant facts of any case or matter. This is often used to refer to predetermined judgments of people
due to their gender, social class, age, religion, nationality and many other personal and group
characteristics.
Prejudice appears in many forms and plays a big role of influence in the injustice shown
towards black people in this particular novel. I would like to discuss with you how prejudice played a
big role in the constant influence of the harsh punishment shown to the African Americans. Through
the course of the novel prejudice was shown by many varying individuals for example Mr.
Cunningham, the father of Scouts classmate Walter. Mr. Cunningham along with a few others is part
of the mob that tries to lynch Tom the night before his trial. Thus, Mr. Cunningham has regressive and
prejudiced values against black people. He had already formed such a strong opinion of Tom, without
hearing his story and understanding the true facts.
This novel does not only go in depth about how rough the injustice was but it describes why
such injustice was shown, it shows the reason and how the structure of society was based on such
prejudicial acts and thoughts.

Ignorance and its Influence

Ignorance is something that all of us possess, but in slightly different ways. Ignorance can lead
to harsh situations; it can destroy what is truly pure and can destroy what is innocent. This is what we
have noticed in To Kill a Mockingbird. There were many individuals in the story who were extremely
ignorant and due to this particular trait of theirs they caused good innocent people such as Tom
Robinson to be destroyed. They killed mockingbirds which is a sin by far.
Ignorance in To Kill a Mockingbird is represented by many different characters but one of those
characters is Nathan Radley, brother of Arthur Boo Radley. He lives in the Radley house and comes
out regularly to buy groceries from the town. There have been a few incidents where the Scout and
Jeremy have ended up in his presence. For example when Scout and Jeremy had started finding little
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gifts for them, in the knothole in the Radley tree, Nathan Radley had covered up the hole in the tree
supposedly because the tree was dying.
The actual reason for Mr. Nathan Radley to fill the hole with cement was because his intention
was to block contact with the children and his brother Boo, as he was the one leaving gifts in the tree.
By doing this he was cutting off an innocent man from the world and this is how his ignorance led to
the destruction of a mockingbird. Nathan Radley takes place of Boos and his father when he passes
away. But he is Boos protector- or jailor?
In this case, ignorance did not lead to racism as both were white but it did lead to the
destruction of innocence. Nathan Radley was an ignorant man as he ended the connection between Boo
and the children. He kept Boo in the dark which defiled his innocence and led to the townspeople
having misleading thoughts about Boo and who he actually was. By doing this he did not just snatch
away innocence, he destroyed it and hid it this is why it is a sin To Kill a Mockingbird.