Examples Of Racial Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is lauded as one of the most revolutionary novels on the subject of racial injustice in history, but many have begun to question if it is actually deserving of this title. Set in the 1930’s, a period of time between slavery and the civil rights movement, this novel tells the story of racial and social prejudice through the eyes of a young girl. While fans of the novel praise its messages against racism through a unique perspective, critics raise many questions of the true message of the novel in relation to racial injustice. This novel, though revolutionary for its time, has an underdeveloped idea of racial inequality and, complete with characters of weak morals, fails to teach a lesson of racism applicable

An opponent of the novel critiques Atticus’ most famous quote, saying, “‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’ Already in chapter three you see the simplistic and naïve ethos that animates Atticus Finch” (Giraldi). Atticus chooses to teach a lesson that there is no black and white definition of right and wrong, only that each person has their own reasonings for their actions which cannot classify them as 100% wrong or right. Though this lesson is applicable in certain situations, it is not in the matter of racism, which is a key focus of the novel. In the matter of race it does not matter how understandable a person’s situation is, racism is always wrong. In the novel, Atticus tells his children that “Serving on a jury forces a man to make up his mind and declare himself about something. Men don’t like to do that. Sometimes it’s unpleasant” (222). He can acknowledge that it is difficult to stand up and have an opinion about something because he has the same struggles. Though he clearly has sympathy for the people affected by the racism of the time, he does not feel strongly enough about it to declare himself completely against racism, he instead makes the choice to take

In the book, Scout’s teacher says, “That’s the difference between America and German. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship...Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced” (245). To most who read it, the hypocrisy in this sentence is laughable, but those who find it funny fail to comprehend the way that it mirrors the modern world. Society today will read this and pride themselves on their self-awareness and lack of prejudice while completely failing to see that race problems still exist and are just being ignored. Continuing the conversation about prejudice, Scout’s teacher says, “The Jews have been persecuted since the beginning of history, even driven out of their own country. It’s one of the most terrible stories in history. Time for arithmetic, children” (245). The way that uncomfortable topics are pushed aside is not reserved for the past. In today’s world problems of prejudice are still pushed away for being controversial and uncomfortable to talk about. In many ways the world of 1930’s Alabama mirrors the world of 2018 America, the context is just so different that people do not see it. In response to an idea of Jem’s, Scout says, “I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (227). This simplistic statement allows the reader to pat