Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

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Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird emphasizes the topic of prejudice throughout the story from Tom Robinson’s trial to the church that Calpurnia goes to that is all black. During the time when Scout was young, it was almost the normal for her to see black people be judged everyday due to her living in Alabama during the segregation era. Scout has lived through and seen in person the effect of prejudice in her town. The first main encounter the reader makes that involves prejudice is when Jem and Scout attend with Calpurnia by going with her to her church. Jem and Scout realize while they are in the service that the church is much different than what they are used to because they usually attend an all white church instead of an all black church. Lula is a member of Calpurnia’s church and doesn’t appreciate that she brought white children to a black church: “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church” (Lee 135). Prejudice is clearly being shown in Calpurnia’s …show more content…
Tom Robinson’s trial had a huge impact on Maycomb county because Atticus had a strong case to show that Tom wasn’t guilty, but he had the disadvantage of Tom being a black man convicted from a white woman. Atticus explains to Scout and Jem that black people almost never have the advantage in a courtroom due to their color: “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always win” (Lee 251-252). Atticus knows that Jem and Scout may not entirely understand how a white man could treat a black man in anyway that pleases them, but they do understand how wrong it is to treat anyone in such a way. Atticus also explains to his kids, “There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance” (Lee 252). Atticus is showing his personal feelings on prejudice and proving that he does not appreciate it in any
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