What Is The Role Of Racial Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Before I began reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I was aware that the setting (Southern Alabama in the 1930s) would play a significant role regarding the conflicts in the story. Although racial prejudice is the main focus in the novel, other issues that I found quite prominent were sexism and the firm enforcement of gender roles. Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, having been raised without a mother, lacked many feminine characteristics and mannerisms. In today’s terms, she would be called a “tomboy”. While being motherless played a large role in Scout’s boyish personality, it was fueled by Scout’s older brother, Jem and their childhood friend, Dill. Both boys repeatedly use the word ‘girl’ as a derogatory term instead of a simple statement of gender