Theme Of Racial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a fictional novel revolving the life of a young girl growing up with the racial tension in the 1930s segregated Southern United States. Written from the perspective of young girl, Scout Finch, readers’ journey through a court case that attempts to prove the innocence of African American, Tom Robinson who was unjustly accused of rape. It shows the development of the relationship between Scout and Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbour considered a Mockingbird. Harper Lee uses multiple writing techniques to portray the theme of racial prejudice including; symbolism, setting and narrative perspective.
Lee portrayed the community’s madness surrounding racial prejudice through symbolism of the mad dog, Tim Johnson. Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson have strikingly similar names suggesting that the infected dog and “nigger” were related. It implies that the mad dog is an embodiment of the forecast events associated with Tom Robinson’s trial. When the mad dog entered the town it symbolised how the community was turning crazy after the supposed rape of Mayella Ewell. When Johnson died, the disease was still alive within him, “Don’t go near that dog you understand? Don’t go near him, he’s as dangerous dead as alive.” This showed the forecast events, even though Tom Robinson and Mr Ewell …show more content…
Scout recalls these events “When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them…” Scout doesn’t limit the readers to events she had directly experienced, although most of the story is written from her perspective, having the adult perspective in the background makes it possible for readers to contrast a young naïve girls perspective to that of an adult who has been exposed to racial tension in their county. Lee told the story from the perspective of a young girl because Scout had no exposure to the sexual fears or racial prejudice in

Show More

Theme Of Racial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird