Hudson and Waugh
English I Honors
November 12, 2010
Men and Society “Around here once you got a drop of negro blood, that makes you all black,” (162). Racial tension continues to be an issue in society. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Lee uses racial tension to demonstrate the many conflicts that people face in southern culture, conflicts like Man versus Man, and different strains of Man versus Society.
When this novel was written, discrimination against women showed to be a part of society, which started controversy. “There are lots of reasons. For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman” (221). This quote has to do with man versus society because it says that women cannot do something a man does. Women care for children during this time and stay at home to tend to the chores. In southern culture, parenting seems stricter than it is today. Several times in this novel, Lee depicts parenting in a much stricter sense, which increases the tension. “I strongly advise you to go down and have a talk with Mrs. Dubose” (104). This shows man versus man because Atticus Finch basically says go to Mrs. Dubose and apologize for what you did, and he says this with authority, which gives it some conflict between him and Jem. “Atticus promised me he would wear me out if he ever heard of me fighting any more…” (74). This also has to do with man versus man conflict because Scout says her father, Atticus Finch, would spank her if she fought again. Not only did children have it bad, black men and women do, too. During this time period, racial discrimination against black people often creates disagreement. “She was white, and she tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man” (204). This has to do with man versus society because it says that it was unspoken to do what she did, to a black man. “’Do you defend niggers, Atticus?’ I asked him that evening. ‘Of