“ To Kill a Mockingbird ” by Harper Lee is a book that has been read by many people and is largely appreciated because of the themes it focusses on that are relevant even today. Themes such as justice and courage, morality and ethics, women and femininity, family compassion and forgiveness, racism and prejudice can be currently related. Presently, people across the world still face a lot of discrimination based on their race and gender. The Black community still faces segregation many women are also not appreciated as much as the men are. Women have to work extra hard to get to the same level as their male counterparts. They also face a lot of rejection and discrimination in their workplace. “To Kill a Mockingbird” has been read by many people and many relate to it because they face similar challenges. Families are important in our societies and so are compassion and forgiveness.
This thesis will focus on three characters named Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Radley Boo. Atticus Finch is a white lawyer who chooses to defend a black man name Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Boo Radley is a man who has lived most of his life indoors and many do not know if he is real or just a myth. The purpose of this research is to identify instances where the theme of race and prejudice is brought out in the book and how Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Radley Boo depict it. Themes related to racism such as discrimination and justice will also be mentioned since they go hand in hand.
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Racism is defined as the discrimination, prejudice or antagonism that is directed to an individual based on their race. The main reason why it takes place is because racists feel like their race is superior compared to the other races. Racism leads to inferiority and affects the development of people and their community. Racism leads to division among people. It also leads to unfairness and lack of humanity. Victims are affected emotionally as they are made to feel unwanted and unworthy. It also affects them psychologically as they are left wondering how come they are judged based on their race yet they did not choose to be born in that way. They are affected physically because some have been harmed physically based on their complexion. The fight for equality is still goes on and many are hopeful that a time will come when they will not be judged or condemned because of their race. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was written by Harper Lee who was determined to raise awareness of how racism among other themes are affecting the society.
Atticus chooses to defend Tom Robinson who has been accused to allegedly defiling Ewell. He describes the case as one that affects him personally by stating, “every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one’s mine, I guess.” He however faces condemnation by people because he is a white man defending a black man. His own nephew calls him a “nigger-lover” because he decided to stand up for justice and defend an innocent man (Priyanka, 208). This also shows the character of people who are racist. They are arrogant, proud and have very little or no regard at all for human life. This depicts how even white men can be affected by racism. Those who choose to stand up for justice and defend the victims of racial discrimination can be verbally attacked even their people and even family in order to discourage them and to get them to become racist just like them. Atticus mentions to Jem how a white man will always win against a black man, with or without any evidence. He states “They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life”.
Even now, these are still facts of life. This is why movements such as Black Lives Matter have been formed in order to make sure that the black victims get the justice they deserve. In the book, other characters are also brainwashed by their communities resulting in racist thoughts and notions about the ‘ Negroes ’ and Jem is such a character. This way of life where children grow up in environments where they are told of how superior their race is and shown how the justice system does not apply to other races makes them grow up to be racial beings. Those who grow up seeing actions such as the treatment that Atticus was subjected to for defending a black man, will avoid defending them and racism will never be dealt with.
Racism has no benefits whatsoever. This is because it causes more harm than good. The children of Atticus were almost killed because of his decision to defend a black man. This shows how his decision not only affected him but his entire family. His choice led to hostility and segregation of his family from many of the people in their environment (Hutami, 7). Bob Ewell was attempting to kill his children and this led to his own death. This is a clear picture of how racism leads only to tragedy.
The decision to defend Tom shows strong moral ethics in the life of Atticus (Priyanka, 207). This shows how it is possible for all individuals to stand out and stand up for justice and fairness in the society. His family was cast out and his children were almost killed but he still stood for justice. He was an honest man who looked beyond the race of the people he interacted with. His style of raising his children is also considered unique. He would tell his children the truth, and taught them the lessons and values of life (Wrigt, 2). He was respectful to everyone. Tom Robinson let Atticus be his lawyer and worked together to prove his innocence. It shows that individuals are able relate together and work efficiently to deliver what is expected. In an interview by in response to the Atticus character Wally Lamb who is the author of “We Are Water” stated that the Mockingbird invokes emotions in readers such as anger at racism as a social injustice. He also stated how the book is relevant to the society because these challenges are also faced in these present time. Racism has to be fought and many more people like Atticus have to stand up and fight injustices (PBS Newshour).
In the book, Tom Robinson is a black character and he faces racial discrimination in many ways. He is sentenced to life in prison for allegedly raping a character called Mayella Ewell. He is given the sentence in the book despite lack of evidence proving that he indeed did rape Ewell. It is unfortunate that the system is corrupt and unfair to him. The justice system that should be protecting everyone does not apply to him because of his race. This shows how people of color can easily lose faith in the system. He faces the life sentence because a white man was prejudice against the black community. It showed how the life of Tom Robinson did not mean much to them and as such sentencing him to life in prison even without evidence was fine by them.
Nowadays, many are judged because of their race. Some miss employment due to their race. Atticus makes a remark by saying when it comes to a black man against the white man, the white man will always win. This is the harsh reality of the world in this day and age in some places. Atticus manages to prove the innocence of Tom but the jury refuses to grant him his freedom (Priyanka, 209). This is shown in the statement made in the book by Mr. Underwood’s newspaper, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” This means the verdict was already made even before the case was heard.
Harper Lee uses Tom Robinson to show the bad effects of racism. Tom ’s life is cut short when he is sentence to life in prison. His reputation is ruined with the accusations made. He is unable to develop in life because of the sentence made. He becomes a victim of racial discrimination and not even a white man can help him. This is also seen presently when victims of racial discrimination are affected emotionally, physically and psychologically. They develop low self-esteem and view themselves as people who are inferior and with no value. Children from the communities of the victims grow up knowing they should not depend on the justice system. Some grow up knowing they will never experience similar treatment in the court of law as their white counterparts. This limits them in life as well. Racism has no benefits and only divides our communities. The balance of the society continues to be destroyed and the death of Bob Ewell only reflects on how racial subjugation has not advantage on anyone.
The formation of a mob wanting to kill Tom Robinson further shows how racism causes a lot of harm to its people. This is shown when they stated “You know what we want. Get aside from the door Mr. Finch (Lee, 202)”. Racism can lead to people losing their humanity and value for human life. Tom’s life is however spared. The eventual death of Tom is another reason why racism should not be encouraged. Racism leads to loss of lives. If breadwinners are killed based on their race, their families are left stranded in life. Other venture into bad habits such as violence. Many more seek revenge and this leads to a continuous cycle of people killing each other.
During his trail, Mr. Gilmer who is the lead prosecutor, talks down on Tom simply because he is black. He is treated unfairly and badgered in front of everyone. He refers to Tom as ‘boy’ during the questioning which is deeming and lowers his status since he is a man with a wife. The reference made is also a way that Mr. Gilmer used to show his superiority over Tom and a way to instil fear in him. Mayella and Bob Ewell give a false testimony against Tom and no matter how unbelievable it is. He is depicted as a person who violated and tormented Mayella. Despite, his innocence, the jury still convicted him.
The wife of Tom, Helen Robinson also suffers because of the false accusation made about Tom. She is unable to find work because of her association to Tom. If the false accusations had not been made then she would not have faced the tribulations that she did. Miss Merriweather refers to her as ‘That darky’s wife’ which shows how her gender, character and qualities did not matter. The only thing that matter was the fact that she was the wife of a black man.
The family of Radley Boo suffered from racial prejudice due to the rumors that were said about them. Their family was considered wicked and dangerous in the society. Information about his actions spread out and he acquires a negative label from the people of his race. This only shows how people can discriminate on each other regardless of race and it shows how inhuman individuals can be. The prejudices he goes through succeeds in getting people away from him (Hutami, 24). A statement made by Dill shows how Boo Radley stayed away from people for a long time. He said, “Well, how’d you feel if you’d been shut up for a hundred years with nothin’ but cats to eat?” The difference in the customs of Boo Radley and his family makes the people of Maycomb society to judge them and term them as aliens. This shows how people will sometimes judge and assess you depending on the family you come from. (Hutami, 45).
The people of Maycomb are quick to pin criminal activities on Boo Radley even without any evidence. The treatment he was subjected to was similar to the treatment Tom was subjected to. Boo Radley was a white man and Tom was a black man. The people of Maycomb County avoid him and do not touch anything from their place because of their mindset. In the book, statements like “A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night, he would cut across to the sidewalk opposite and whistle as he walked” (Lee 11), shows the intensity of the prejudice subjected to Radley Boo. However, as discovered by Scout and Jem, Boo Radley is capable of kindness when he leaves gifts such as gum, sop bar and pennies for them (Hutami, 51).
The effects of prejudice faced by Boo Radley led to him isolating himself from the rest of the world. He stays indoors and does not relate to many people. He has lost his social skills and fear that the people of Maycomb County will ridicule him. He was also constantly used in reference to racial discrimination. The line “The sheriff hadn’t the heart to put him in jail alongside Negroes, so Boo was locked in the courthouse basement” (Lee, 14), shows how the justice system was different for Boo and Tom because of their race.
Racial discrimination and prejudices affect the society immensely. Racism and prejudice have been well depicted in the book and their association with Atticus Finch, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The killings of people from the black community are events that people have heard of time and time again. The fight for equality wages on. Activists have come up to combat this injustice and many have died trying. Since the Civil Rights Movement to the Black Lives Matter Movement, people are determined to bring a society that is fair and just to everyone. Racial discrimination is associated with the many evils found in our society. Corruption and dishonesty are some of the injustices that people face due to their race. People of color were not accepted in certain schools and those accepted still faces challenges due to their race. Segregation is still experienced by many people. Corruption comes about when a person of color is not given fair justice or treatment in the society and those who are guilty of crimes are not charged. Some even bribe their way out of punishment.
Atticus Finch was subjected discrimination and prejudice for choosing to help Tom Robinson. His children were victims of this decision as there was an attempted murder on their lives. Tom Robinson was wrongly accused of attempted rape and had to endure racial discrimination. His wife was a victim of the vice as she could get a job. Boo Radley was misjudged and condemned based on his lifestyle. Rumors were made about him and many feared him. These vices do not bring equality and unity. Equality bring peace and harmony among people. In the book, Scout and Jem were able to accept Boo Radley after they got to know him and understand him. This is possible at the moment and it can help in the eradication of racism and prejudices. When people get to know each other they are able to know their strengths and weakness. They are also able to know their characters and qualities. This will give them an opportunity to base their opinions about their peers based on their qualifications and character, but not race. Equality gives room for development as individuals are able to focus on other important factors in life. This will lead to improvement in the economy of the society and it social aspect.
The eradication of social injustices such as racism begins with one person such as Atticus Finch. People who are able to view every life as important and worthy of justice. People who are able to stand out in the midst of resistance and threats for the sake of other people. These are the people who bring out change and inspire more to be like them. Individuals like Tom also help in the eradication of these vices. Tom is an example of a group of people of color who are able to work hand in hand with other people regardless of their race. Their ability to work together shows people can come together in one accord for a common purpose. The upbringing of Scout and Jem is also a way of dealing with racism. Children who are brought up in an environment that values all life, grow up with morals and learn how to treat other people. Further research is recommended for the other characters in the book such as Mayella Ewell and Maudie Atkinson in relation to the theme of racial discrimination and prejudice.
Works Cited
Hutami, Wening, T., R. Racial Prejudice Revealed in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird , 2014. Retrieved from http://eprints.uny.ac.id
Lee, Harper, To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1960, Print
PBS Newshour. Rediscovered book by Harper Lee promises new story of Scout 2015. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ghx3VDoNoTM
Priyanka Nair, A., N. “ Racial Elements in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird.” An International Journal in English , vol 5, Issue VI, December, 2014.
Wrigt Melonie. All Men Are Created Equal: Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, 2013. Retrieved from http://2sa1yix3hrbosu5q37jvj5h8-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com
