Prejudice In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Words: 1060
Pages: 5
Open Document
Chapter 19-21: Truth
Atticus brings his witness Tom Robinson to the stand for his cross-examination. Tom describes the events mindful and after it’s clear that Tom is the real victim. He is a nice man who only had good intentions. He would often go to help Mayella because she constantly had to do the chores around the house without the help of her father or her siblings and even though he too was poor, he didn’t even demand to get paid for doing the work.
The night of the alleged crime, he entered the Ewell’s house to help her fix a door. While he was doing it, Mayella initiated physical contact by grabbing his leg and hugging him. Tom was actually innocent. In fact, he even didn’t want to push Mayella who was preventing him to leave because he didn’t want to hurt her. Then, Mr. Ewell arrived and the truth is that once he saw Mayella kissing Tom, it was him that beat her because it’s unspeakable for a white to kiss a black person. The proof is that Mayella received someone’s fist on her right eye, meaning that the person who punched her must have been left handed, which Mr. Ewell is. In fact, Tom couldn’t have been the one that did it. His left arm is visibly shorter and to put his hand on the Bible, he “ran his fingers under his left arm and …show more content…
Therefore, Jem, who thought that the jury would do what is morally right was especially shaken when he witnesses the reality. This forces him to see that life isn’t all just good. However, the adults already knew what the verdict was going to be. “‘Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard-’ ‘Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man…’” (279). It’s also the reason Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra thought it was inappropriate for them to attend the court; they knew the prejudice the jury would
Show More

Related Documents: Prejudice In Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'

Harper Lee Influence On To Kill A Mockingbird

conscience."- Harper Lee (Jackson and Jackson). Harper Lee stood by her word and never let anyone influence her thoughts (“Harper Lee.” Bio). Lee changed people's views of each other, their treatment of one another, and their accusations toward one another. She altered people's perspective toward the African Americans for the better (Kenya). Harper Lee is an outstanding author whose childhood experiences, and development as a writer, influenced her writing, To Kill a Mockingbird (“Harper Lee.” Bio)…

Words 1291 - Pages 6

To Kill A mockingbird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird is a powerful book. It tells us about historical American culture back in the 1930s. This was the time when discrimination was very harmful. Harper Lee published this book To Kill a Mockingbird. Despite being published fifty years ago, it still manages to send us the main reason why her book is still significant. To Kill a Mockingbird is an accurate historical representation of the culture of American South during the Great Depression. The Ewell family symbolizes the type…

Words 616 - Pages 3

Examples Of Racial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Racial Prejudice is a rigid and unfair generalization and assessment which is done by certain people toward the other people without knowing clearly about them. Prejudice is a common problem during the early quarter of the twentieth century. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird this problem is evident in Maycomb. Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson are all victims of prejudice, and all three characters are plagued by this. It affects them all differently; crippling them and disabling them from…

Words 2008 - Pages 9

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…

Words 698 - Pages 3

Discrimination In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

the Great Depression, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men encompass a time when outright discrimination was prominent. These award-winning novels depict the many forms of oppression/discrimination prevalent in society. Both authors emphasize the inherent prejudice against various minorities to bring about change in the reader. Lee and Steinbeck illustrate the pervasive nature of racial discrimination in society. Tom Robinson of Lee’s novel and Crooks of Steinbeck’s…

Words 392 - Pages 2

Essay about Racism and Harper Lee

AP English: To Kill A Mockingbird Quote analysis “It’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(90). Discrimination erects a wall among people’s emotional communication. Especially, in 1930s, racial tension establishes a gulf between the blacks and the whites in south American society. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses Atticus’s voice “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”(90) to indicate the horrifying situations within the townsfolk in Maycomb. The term “Mockingbird” is a symbol of…

Words 672 - Pages 3

Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

always been the case. When reading, To Kill a Mockingbird, it is easy to decipher just how much society in the 1930s differs from that of today’s, which is why it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature. Through Harper Lee’s work of literature, it is apparent that she conveys the theme that injustices are experienced by those thought to be different and that there is a potent inequality present amongst the characters in the novel. Furthermore, Harper Lee uses symbolism to highlight many…

Words 1056 - Pages 5

Essay on To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice

To Kill a Mockingbird Practice Essay How does Harper Lee convey the difficulties in overcoming prejudice in her novel? Harper Lee wrote the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird during the 1930s, a time of immense racial and class prejudice towards coloured people. Throughout the novel Harper Lee demonstrates many difficulties that coloured and white people had to overcome when confronted with prejudice. Another prejudice explored by the novel is that against those who simply do not conform to society’s…

Words 1453 - Pages 6

Mrs Maudie's House Fire Symbolism

In Harper Lee‘s To Kill A Mockingbird, Mrs. Maudie‘s house fire symbolizes prejudice. For instance, the fire, at first, is only on the first floor of Mrs. Maudie‘s house but quickly spreads to the second floor and to the roof (Lee 93). Prejudice spreads just as the fire spreads. It starts off as a small amount but spreads to other people quickly and, soon, destroys a person‘s thinking of what is right just as the fire is demolishing the house. Also, when the fire is still small and contained, the…

Words 200 - Pages 1

how to kill a mocking bird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was immediately successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature. The plot and characters are loosely based on the author's observations of her family and neighbors, as well as on an event that occurred near her hometown in 1936, when she was 10 years old. The novel is renowned for its warmth and humor, despite dealing with the serious issues of rape and racial inequality. The narrator's…

Words 396 - Pages 2