Differences In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mocking Bird looks at the ideas of difference. Discuss the different ways that is explored in the novel.

To Kill a Mocking Bird is a very famous novel written by Harper Lee set in the 1940s. Throughout the book, Lee is looking at the idea of differences. Lee used a comprehensive approach towards discrimination by exploring diverse characters. People were being treated in particular ways for having different skin, race or gender. The Black community were being treated less, Poor people were rejected from wealthy families and females were expected to act on set gender roles. To Kill a Mocking Bird teaches us a very valuable lesson about accepting differences in people.

Lee is trying to display the unfair issue of racism and segregation

in the early 1940’s, Maycomb County. The blacks were often viewed and treated less of a person than whites. We learnt that during Tom Robinson’s trail, Dill breaks out crying after witnessing the unfair advantage taken upon Tom. Scout comforts Dill by implying to him “Well, Dill, after all he’s just a Negro” (199). Indicating that the Blacks are inferior because their skin colour are unalike. If someone dated a person that’s not their own race. They would be considered a disgrace and would be placed in jail. Dolphus Raymond dates a “Negro” (217) women and pretends to be “Alcoholic,” (218) so people would accept the situation. Dolphus states that people “could never could never understand…that’s the way I want to live” (218). This is unjust because people shouldn’t be treated antithetically based on their skin. Atticus explains that favourism is wrong by telling Scout that “ignorant, trashy people” (109), use the word “Nigger Lover” (109). To “Bring themselves up” (109) by shaming people that’s divergent. Expressing that acceptance is a crucial trait shown by good people.

The way folks in Maycomb were treated dissimilarly based on the amount of money they have.

After the war, America was stricken with poverty and many unfortunate families were tormented. The Cunningham family is a typical example of a “Poor” (21). The Cunninghams were so poverty-stricken that Walter continuously came to school without lunch as “He had none today nor tomorrow or the next day” (24). Majority of people in the South treated the Cunninghams with less respect because they’re impoverished. Aunt Alexandra told Scout not to play with Walter. “I'll tell you why,” Aunt Alexandra said "Because- he- is- trash, that's why you can't play with him” (244). Everyone needs somebody to look down to, Aunt Alexandra is trying to lift her own self-esteem up through shaming the Cunninghams. Whereas Calpurnia is a fair women that believes people should be treated equally. When Walter “drowns his food in syrup”(24), Scout decides it’s normal to disrespect Walter because “Hes just a Cunningham”(24). Calpurnia responded to Scouts statement by "Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' company, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!”(25) Calpurnia shows Scout and the readers a significant message that wealth shouldn’t determine how we treat people. Lee is trying to persuade us to act more like Calpurnia’s manner towards rich and

poor.

Women and Men in the novel portrayed stereotypical gender roles and has the responsibility to follow the social norms. At the start of the novel Scout was an innocent young girl. As the novel progresses, she grows up and notices that everyone has set expectations based on gender. She found out that that being a girl, means she is suppose to behave differently. Scout discovered when “Jem told me I was being a girl that girls always imagined things, that’s why other people hated them so.” (35). Jem expressed that all girls act in a similar way. As well as suggesting that individuals hate a particular gender. There is a plentiful prejustice towards women. Atticus is a nondiscriminatory men, yet he still articulates sexist comments towards women. Defeating his morals of “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his view”(36). During the trail females were asked to leave the court when rape was mentioned and Scout questioned why. Atticus joked that “I guess it’s to protect out frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s.”(244). He implied that women are weaker than men. From beginning to end, the novel included many references that men were superior to females in the South. We attained that when Jem were told to “Hold your head high” (113) and be a gentleman’. By suggesting this term is saying women aren’t as worthy as men, therefore should to behave in a different way.

Harper Lee applies awareness of the theme differences by exploring in many contrasting ways throughout the novel. Yet many unjust actions and beliefs were shown in the characters such as inequality between the blacks and whites, the social shaming by comparing wealth and gender judgment. By exploring differences in people and the contradictory ways people were treated, readers learnt that acceptance is certainly important. The main idea in Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is to always put ourselves in different people’s shoes before judging them.