To Kill A Mockingbird Stereotypes

Humans were made imperfect and we highlight other people's flaws as an attempt to hide our own. Stereotypes are a big part of our society and they never fade away with time. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the pressures of the stereotypical society of the 1930s are portrayed by the behaviours of the characters Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell and Tom Tom Robinson.
Born into poverty and shame, Mayella Ewell was an outcast in Maycomb. She wanted for somebody to love her, which was something she had never felt before from her parents. "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed", Atticus said to the court. Although she was at the bottom of society, she knew the advantage she had of being white. "She was white, and
Bob Ewell was in need of a break and when the opportunity came, he took it gladly. During the trial, Atticus said, "We do not know in part what Mr.Ewell did: he did what and God-fearing, persevering, respectable white man would do under the circumstances." Bob Ewell selfishly used his daughter's pride in order to strengthen his own reputation in Maycomb's society. He punished his daughter with bruises and cuts, but he was not angry. He was more interested in finding ways to use the circumstances to his advantage. Atticus explained to his son, "Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does." Bob's schemes were ruined by Atticus and his calculations turned against him. He had thought that he would gain something out of the trial, but instead he fell even lower than he used to be. People were sympathizing the black men more than him and that was an insult to him. Jem said to Scout, "I mean in Maycomb county. The thing about it is, our kind of folks don't like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don't like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the coloured folk." Everybody is compared on a regular basis to someone who is better than them and they take out their humiliations on
"The evil assumption that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women.." said Atticus. Tom committed no crime, but his only crime was the fact that he was born with the dark tone of his skin colour, which to the eyes of society was a punishable offence. "And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity 'to feel sorry' for a white women had had to put his words against two white people", Atticus dictated the only crime Tom committed. Just like the words of Atticus, Tom was only guilty of showing kindness and pity towards the lonely Mayella, but his thoughtful actions were returned with only hatred. Everybody inside the court room during the trial was shown of Tom's innocence by Atticus, but they turned a blind eye and kept silent. Atticus explained this fact to Jem, "Tom Robinson's a coloured man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world's going to say ' we think you're guilty but not very' on a charge like that." Tom was the victim of the cruel biased thoughts of a white society and he knew the outcome of the trial before it even began.
Being part of society comes with a set of instructions and the guidelines on the way you must think in order to be accepted. Today's world has not changed compared to the racist world of Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson, who were guilty of breaking the guidelines of their society.