Examples Of Provincialism In To Kill A Mockingbird

A world of so many people brings so many different values and perspectives, yet human nature often prevents us from both accepting those who are different from us and wanting to learn more about them. Through the eyes of a young girl in a small southern town during the 1930’s, we learn that provincialism is often seen and heard, yet not avoided by most. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird establishes a newfound understanding of many people’s provincialist ways. People subject to provincialism are often prone to categorize and classify the people around them, yet this narrow mind- set can be changed through exposure to certain events and people excellent thesis+ strong, clear thesis . In the beginning of the story, Scout exhibits provincialism

similar to the rest of Maycomb, particularly towards certain families.

After exposure to certain events, like the trial, and more exposure to characters like Atticus, Scout grows less susceptible to such views and becomes more open minded than those around her.
Scout herself experiences provincialism throughout the story. ts- broad; needs to be more specific than intro. Mod When Scout starts school for the first time, her teacher, Miss Caroline, is an outsider to Maycomb, and thus does not understand the town’s ways. On one of the earlier days of school, one of the students, Walter Cunningham, does not have a lunch. Miss Caroline takes notice and offers him a quarter to go buy lunch, and tells him to just pay her back. This act of seeming generosity makes Walter extremely uncomfortable, and Miss Caroline is confused as to why. Scout later “[rises] graciously on Walter’s behalf” and explains to Miss Caroline that

“‘he’s a Cunningham,’” but she is still confused. Scout, however, “thought [she] had made things sufficiently clear” (Lee 26). The town associates certain qualities and traits with people based solely upon their family name. Due to these associations, Scout believes that by simply stating that the boy is a “Cunningham” she has provided Miss Caroline with enough context to understand why he acts the way he does. Later in the school year, Scout is walking home alone. On her walk home, she always passes the much feared Radley Place. As she passed by the house, she ran by “as fast as [she] could, not stopping until [she] reached the safety of [her] front porch” (Lee 44). Scout has a narrow view of the Radley’s, similar to the rest of Maycomb, seeing them as dangerous outcasts. Her characterization of the “safety” of her porch reflects her view that the Radleys are not decent and kind people, although she does not know them personally. In the later parts of the story, however, Scout’s mind begins to broaden.
Although in the beginning she is susceptible to provincialism, Scout, just a child, is able to evolve and open her mind faster than the adults in Maycomb.

One night, Jem, Scout, and Dill follow Atticus to Maycomb’s jail. When they arrive, they notice that there is a mob-like group of men surrounding Atticus. As Scout observes, she notices one of the men she recognizes, and greets him casually, simply stating li+ nice work setting up the context for this specific quote “‘Hey, Mr. Cunningham.’” Mr. Cunningham ignores the greeting, so Scout continues the seemingly one-sided conversation by asking about “‘[how his] entailment [is] gettin’ along’” (Lee 204). Many residents of Maycomb have well entrenched views of the Cunningham family, and would never attempt such a casual conversation, because the family name alone connotes that they are outcasts. Scout, however, simply says “hey” and attempts to spark a conversation with a member of this family, defying the town conventions. Her exposure to Walter Cunningham at school, and the advice of Atticus about the Cunningham family, enables her to think in this manner. Scout’s view of the Radley family also begins narrow, but expands as she is exposed to more of their experiences. At the end of the novel, Boo Radley saves Scout and Jem from an attack by Bob Ewell. While Scout used to be afraid of Boo, when she sees him near Jem’s room after the rescue, she notices and points out that he would “‘like to say goodnight to Jem.’” She then

tells him to “‘come right in’” and she “[leads] him down the hall” (Lee 371). Many of Maycomb’s residents would never even allow a Radley to step foot in their home, yet Scout and the Finch family do so and treat him like an equal. She allows him to enter Jem’s room and even leads him there. This ability to defy the stereotypes of many of Maycomb’s families is likely a result of Scout’s exposure to unequal treatment based on race during the Tom Robinson trial in which Atticus took part. These examples of events in Scout’s life demonstrate her mind evolving away from a narrow mind-set.
People subject to provincialism are often prone to categorize and classify the people around them, and form biased judgements. Yet this narrow mind set can be changed through exposure to certain events and people. Due to the important people and events in Scout’s life, she is able to move away from the contagious provincialism infecting her town. Provincialism is not easy to avoid, nor it is easy to overcome, yet the people who try hard enough are able to succeed and pass their influence on to others. If weare unable to avoid this closed mindedness in our world today, then we prevent ourselves from evolving as one whole race--the human race. We often take pride in our advancements as a society, but we cannot hope to make further progress if we fail to recognize and remedy our prejudices.