Skin Color In To Kill A Mockingbird

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In the Novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses skin color, lifestyle, and jobs to symbolize judgment cast upon others. She talks about how you shouldn’t judge people you know nothing about.According to Lee, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Chapter 3). The author uses several points to reveal this concept. First Lee uses the idea of skin color. Lee says, "She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.” (Chapter 20). This shows that . Atticus is defending Tom, and he knows the case is hopeless because he is a black man, but decided to defend him anyways. The people of Maycomb think that just because he is black that he must …show more content…
She shows this through Dolphus Raymond and Boo Radley. Lee says, "When I come to town, […] if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond's in the clutches of whiskey—that's why he won't change his ways. He can't help himself, that's why he lives the way he does" (20.15). She says this to explain that Dolphus happens to prefer black people to white people, and to be accepted he must act like a drunk to give the people a reason for his lifestyle. He has to give them an excuse to live the way he does. The people cannot possibly understand that he might just have a different preference, and cannot fathom that he sees them as equal to everyone else. Boo lives his life inside, and has a reputation for being dangerous. Most people have never met him, but are scared of him because of what they hear. They won’t give him the benefit of the doubt, and just automatically assume what is said is true. They judge him because of his exclusive
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