Examples Of Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

Muhammad Ali proclaims, “Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating.” He is explaining to not discriminate others no matter what race. Although, in To Kill a Mockingbird there’s prejudice because of people's races. In Maycomb County, most white and black people dislike to be associated with other races which shows hate against the color of people’s skin. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird shows racism and discrimination are present.

The first way racism is present is when Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to her church. Calpurnia invites Jem and Scout to attend her church because Atticus will be out of town. As Calpurnia, Jem, and Scout are entering the building a black woman named

Lula victimizes the children for their race. At this point Lula asked, “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillun here-they got their church, we got our’n. It is our church, ain’t it, Miss Cal? Calpurnia said, it’s the same God, ain’t it?”(Lee 119). After reading the conversation between Calpurnia and Lula one should notice the differences between them. For instance, Lula is an example of racism and Calpurnia defends another race. First, Lula is an example of racism because she had the common belief that public buildings need to be segregated. Besides, she doesn’t approve of Calpurnia bring white children to a black church. In fact, Calpurnia doesn’t have discrimination towards whites. For example, she brings Jem and Scout to her church and stands up for them in front of Lula. This is a superb example of racism in the novel and shows that different races can discriminate against different ethnic groups.
The second way racism is present is when Jem invites Walter to the Finch’s house to have dinner after school. Jem invites Walter because Scout was fighting him because he got her in trouble at school. At dinner there was an incident when Scout was saying Walter is ruining his food with syrup. Calpurnia the cook and housekeeper of the Finch’s house states, “Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothing the way you’re disgracin ‘’em” (Lee 24). During this conversation, Scout is having prejudice against the Cunningham’s family because she is referring to the social classes of Maycomb County. The social class is the townspeople of Maycomb, then the Cunninghams, Ewell’s, and black population. Scout is saying she is above the Cunningham’s and Calpurnia yells at her for disrespecting Walter and his family.
The third way racism and discrimination are present is when Jem is offended by Maycomb’s racist comments to their family .

When Jem and Scout were leaving town they walked by Mrs. Dubose house while she was sitting on her front porch. She said they needed to be in school, but it was Saturday and they don’t go to school on the weekend. In this part of the novel, Mrs. Dubose yelled, “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers! Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”(Lee 101-2). At this point in the novel, one may notice that Mrs. Dubose is discriminating because of the comments she made to Jem and Scout. Mrs. Dubose statement indicates she doesn’t agree with Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Most white folks living in Maycomb dislike the Finch’s because Atticus is defending a black man in a court case. That statement shows people in Maycomb County are racist and discriminators. After Mrs. Dubose said the racist comment Jem was furious and cut her white flowers of the bush. In Adam Smykowski’s novel, “Symbolism and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird" states, “Since camellia flowers are white, their destruction could exemplify Jem trying to destroy the ways of the prejudiced white people of Maycomb County.” Mr. Smykowski statement indicates that Jem is offended by what people say about his family and is against prejudices. Jem agrees with his father that is the right thing to do to defend Tom Robinson even though Atticus

will lose the case. Mrs. Dubose is an example that shows Jem will be outraged if people make racist comments towards his family. This example shows racism and discrimination are present in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
The fourth way prejudice and discrimination is present because in novel, Arthur (Boo) Radley was being discriminated by the children of Maycomb County. Jem and Scout were telling Dill about Boo Radley. Dill wanted to learn more about Boo Radley so Jem inferred Boo Radley appearance. When Jem is trying to convince that Boo Radley is a monster, Dill asks:
Wonder what he looks like? Jem replies to Dill’s question by: Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time. (Lee 13)
Jem’s statement indicates that he is being prejudice against Boo Radley because he has never seen him. He has only heard about him from Maycomb County. In the beginning of the novel, one may think Boo Radley is a criminal and an evil person by cause of many folks in the town believe he commits the town crimes. In the novel he saves Jem and Scout show he is a hero, not a ‘malevolent phantom.’ This shows that Jem and Scout were wrong about Boo Radley and the prejudice towards him. Boo Radley is an example how racism and discrimination are present in the novel.
The fifth and most significant way racism is presented in the Tom Robinson case. In the court case when Bob Ewell was up for trial, Mr. Gilmer asked him what happened the day Mr. Robinson raped his daughter. During their conversation, he screams, “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!” (Lee 173). Mr. Ewell’s statement indicates that he is racist because he convicts Mr. Robinson of a crime he didn’t commit. Including, he is racist because he doesn’t refer Tom Robinson as a person, more like an animal because of the word ‘ruttin.’ When Atticus was backing down from the case he states, “She was white and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man, not an old Uncle, but a strong young Negro man” (Lee 204). Atticus statement indicates that it was unacceptable to kiss a young black man. Atticus is inferring that Mr. Ewell harmed Mayella because he was upset with her by cause of kissing a black man. Mr. Ewell had to blame the bruises on someone else or he would get into trouble. He knows that if he says a black man raped his daughter the man will go to jail. The Tom Robinson case is the most noteworthy example of racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.
The important situation that shows racism is the Tom Robinson case.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, racism, discrimination, and prejudice are revealed in the novel through Lula, Scout, Mrs. Dubose, Jem, and Bob Ewell. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice are important because it can jeopardize our future. For example, Maya Angelou who was an author stated, “Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future and renders the present inaccessible.” Maya Angelou statement indicates that prejudice will destroy the future and in the present it is out of reach. One day will that explanation not be true? Will racism, discrimination, and prejudice be

terminated?