Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

When people hear about prejudice, they unconsciously think about racial prejudice. When it goes way deeper than just that. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee. A girl called Scout, her brother Jem, and their father who is a lawyer, Atticus Finch, who lives in Maycomb County. Atticus Finch decided to defend Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Many examples of prejudice and discrimination appear to us throughout the novel. The most obvious type of prejudice that is repetitive throughout the novel is racism. However, there are many other types of prejudice people just forgot.. Economic status or social class, fear of the unknown, and gender roles play a big part of in the novel. Social class

Mr. Dolphus is an illustration of that. His way of life is different from others. He is not racist and in fact is married to a black woman, and has mixed children. According to him, he says that he just drinks coca-cola and not whiskey. He acts drunk to give reason to the people, something they could latch on. As to why he lives that kind of life. He is not bothered to explain it to the ignorant people. However, he explains it to the children because they are innocent. They have always questioned why black people are treated in a certain way. Another example of that would be Boo Radley. In chapter 6, Scout describes her fears towards Arthur “ Boo” Radley. "Every night-sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified threefold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge, every passing Negro laughing in the night was Boo Radley loose and after us; insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley’s insane fingers picking the wire to pieces; the chinaberry trees were malignant, hovering, alive. I lingered between sleep and wakefulness..." Being a child Scout is terrified by the stories that people made about Boo. and fear. The fact that he never leaves the house only serves to reinforce all the stories. Later, Scout learns that rumors and gossip are not

In general women in Alabama suffer inequality. In chapter 23 Atticus explains “”For one thing, Miss Maudie can’t serve on a jury because she’s a woman -’‘You mean women in Alabama can’t—?’ I was indignant. ‘I do. I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s. Besides,’ Atticus grinned, ‘I doubt if we’d ever get a complete case tried—the ladies’d be interrupting to ask questions.”” It is obvious that women, like miss maudie, had no equality in that era, where scout grew. Women had no rights as men did. They couldn't vote and they no rights almost as much as black people. This quote Atticus explains how other people make an excuse that they are “frail ladies.” Women are also expected to act in a certain way, if they don't they will be condemned by society. Scout have set a precedent example. Girls like Scout were expected to wear dresses and be ladylike, and many of the women--particularly Miss Stephanie and Aunt Alexandra--reminded her repeatedly that she would never become a lady if she wore overalls all the time. This shows how people are narrow minded. They have to be like that, there is no freedom of expression and speech for the women. Also, most women did not work, that is why Scout’s school teacher, Miss Caroline is an outcast. Along with race, Lee discusses gender throughout her novel. She hints how women are treated unfairly in that era. Which definitely