| Is Just One Example Of Prejudice In ?To Kill Mockingbird? Dis Essay, Research Paper
Shashi
varsaniScout and Jems treatment of Boo
Radley is just one example of prejudice in ?To Kill A Mockingbird? Discuss. There are many examples of prejudice in ?To kill a
mockingbird?.? The deep hatred and fear
that exists between whites and Negroes means that violence can break out at any
time. The Lynch mob, made up of normally reasonable, respectable men, was ready
to kill and it did nearly succeed. Bob Ewells hatred of Atticus nearly results
in the death of Scout and Jem, but circumstances forced Atticus to use his gun
to kill the dog. Atticus does not want Scout and Jem to admire and encourage
violence. Atticus hopes to show Scout and Jem that the causes of violence can
be removed. I think Atticus was too idealistic here, because he misjudges the extent
of Bob Ewells hatred, he also hoped that the racial problem in Maycomb could be
solved by tolerance, which was perhaps a little idealistic. ????????????? A
dominant theme in ?To Kill A Mockingbird? was the cruelty people inflicted on
each other by rumours of pre-formed ideas ?the simple hell people give other
people?. These ideas that the people of Maycomb have of each other are not just
deep racial prejudice but they are intolerant and rigid behaviour, which they
wish to impose on each other.? People such as Boo Radley, Dolphus Raymond and Maudi
Atkinson are picked on and discouraged because they do not fit in with the
other people of Maycomb. Dolphus Raymond is regarded as an outsider because he
is a white man who chooses to live with Negroes and has half-cast children.
Arthur (Boo) Radley is just one example of prejudice in the novel. Arthur
Radley, or Boo as the children call him is seen as a figure of mystery and fear
in the eyes of Scout and Jem. Boo was locked in the house by his father for ?resisting
arrest? and for ?stealing a vehicle?. Boo is a monster, ghost or ?haint? in the
minds of the children. The children learn that when he was thirty-three years
he ?calmly stabbed his father in the leg with a pair of scissors? and had to be
locked in the basement by his father. The Radleys are regarded as outsiders
because they never mix with the townspeople, or attend church (Boo isn?t even
allowed to go to his mothers funeral). The doors are always kept shut; unlike
every other house, there are no screen doors so nobody can see inside. Boo?s
affection for the children was the only thing that tempts him outside. At the
end of the novel Scout and Jem feel regret because they think they gave him
nothing in return. Jem and Scout also realised that they were being prejudiced
towards Boo without knowing what he was really like. The people of Maycomb try
to exaggerate his activities by spreading vicious rumours about him like
poisoning pecan nuts in the schoolyard, eating cats and squirrels raw,
terrifying Miss Crawford by staring at her through her window at night, and
killing azaleas by breathing on them. Scout and Jem think of Boo Radley as a
horrible person just because they have heard rumours, but Boo gradually emerges
as a very different person from the one Scout and Jem imagined him to be
because he was very kind and shy and he even left presents for Scout and Jem in
the tree. There are many examples of prejudice in ?To Kill A
Mockingbird?. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley can be compared with the ?mockingbird?
because they have done nothing wrong but help others. Tom and Boo are
persecuted, one by the jury and the other by the children. Tom Robinson is an
admirable character and very brave. He showed these qualities in the trial by
speaking his mind and saying the truth, but this still was not enough to sway
the jury into returning the right verdict of Not Guilty. One of the worst
examples of prejudice came in the trial; nobody liked Tom Robinson?s answer
when he admits he felt sorry for Mayella, this showed how much racism and
prejudice there was between the people of Maycomb. Black people were not
allowed to feel sorry for white people; it was as if Tom was found guilty in
order to teach him his place. The jury was more sympathetic towards Mayella
because she was white. Tom Robinson went against the ?acceptable? behaviour of
a Negro and dared to feel sorry for a white person. Religion is one of the main differences between the two
communities. Hypocrisy abounds in the white community because many of them are
full of pride and prejudice.? ??????????????
Calpurnia underlines the cruelty of Mr Radley towards his son by her
comment ?there goes the meanest . . . ?. The children were very
surprised at her comment because they wouldn?t expect a Negro to comment on the
ways of white people; this was the first comment on the relationship between
Negroes and whites. Another example of prejudice in the novel is racial
prejudice. Jem and scout are made to feel unwelcome by Lula because they are
white. Scout was watching what was going on in the church with curiosity and
comparing it with the church she usually attends. The children had not yet
become aware of the racial prejudice in Maycomb; Scout did not understand that
in terms of status, all Negroes are regarded as being lower even then the
Ewells. For the first time Scout and Jem realised that Calpurnia leads a
?double life?, from her they learnt an important lesson that you cannot change
people against their will. Mr Raymond reveals his secret to Scout and Jem because he
respects their innocence. They might have understood him because they had not
yet been contaminated by prejudice. He can see the ?hell white people give
coloured folks?. Scout recognised the worth of people like the Cunningham?s
and she explained their differences as a lack of education. I agree with Scout
in saying this and I feel that Atticus would support her in saying this. When the people of Maycomb received the news of Tom?s
death I noticed that the repetition of the word ?typical? demonstrated how
easily they slotted the death into their own preconceived ideas about Negroes,
no matter what Tom did in there minds he had no human dignity. ?To kill a mockingbird? has many examples of prejudice.
Scout and Jems treatment of Boo Radley was just one of them. I think racial
prejudice was the main one in the novel, when Tom was convicted of a crime he
did not commit. The blacks resent Tom?s conviction but as they had been
second-class citizens from birth they seemed to expect it. This didn?t make the
way they were treated ?right?. The main reason I think is why people persecute
others is because they have not been educated and they do not know better. They
are also full of hate and they have to take it out on someone else. Justice is
?killed? when the jury followed her own prejudices and ignored the true
evidence. The innocence of childhood died for Scout and Jem when they realise
the adult world is often a cruel and unjust place.??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????? ??? ??? ?????????????????????
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