Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird
Racism is the hatred and intolerance of another race and this eventually leads to inequality for all minorities. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows the effects of racism in a community and how it changes and affects the people in it. Racism, throughout history, has created inequality as well as affected the minds of the young. In To Kill A Mockingbird these two themes are played out in the small town of Macomb County and their effects are shown throughout the story. After a decision by the jury to convict a black man of raping a white woman, Jem breaks down and tries to understand the racist world. Children are not born racist, but they are molded by their community and become like the people they look up to. Racism is inequality and
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An example of racism affecting the young is seen through Atticus when he explains how he does not want his children to become bitter about the Tom Robinson trial. Even though Atticus tried extremely hard to keep his children from having racist thoughts, Jem develops his own feelings about the trial and racism, “I’ve thought about it Scout and I’ve realized that there are four types of people in the world”(226). After attending the trail and witnessing the racism of the jury, Jem becomes bitter due to his father's loss. Jem changes and becomes what his father does not want him to become, a racist. In trying to understand the world, Jem becomes a judgmental person himself. Jem begins to classify people and makes quick judgments about other people. The community around him affected the way he thought about the situation and he sought comfort in being like everyone else. Jem eventually becomes like the older people in his community, however due to Scout’s innocence, she is able to show him the wrongs in his belief. She shows him that he cannot just classify people because there are so many different types people in the world. Many things affect the way children grow up, and racism is no different. If one shows a young child racism, they will adopt the ideals of it. The effects of racism on young children can also be shown in modern day
An example of racism affecting the young is seen through Atticus when he explains how he does not want his children to become bitter about the Tom Robinson trial. Even though Atticus tried extremely hard to keep his children from having racist thoughts, Jem develops his own feelings about the trial and racism, “I’ve thought about it Scout and I’ve realized that there are four types of people in the world”(226). After attending the trail and witnessing the racism of the jury, Jem becomes bitter due to his father's loss. Jem changes and becomes what his father does not want him to become, a racist. In trying to understand the world, Jem becomes a judgmental person himself. Jem begins to classify people and makes quick judgments about other people. The community around him affected the way he thought about the situation and he sought comfort in being like everyone else. Jem eventually becomes like the older people in his community, however due to Scout’s innocence, she is able to show him the wrongs in his belief. She shows him that he cannot just classify people because there are so many different types people in the world. Many things affect the way children grow up, and racism is no different. If one shows a young child racism, they will adopt the ideals of it. The effects of racism on young children can also be shown in modern day