How Does Lee Use Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Throughout her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how unjust and racist American society was during the 1930s, and how dangerous racism can be. Through the characters of Mrs. Merriweather and Aunt Alexandra, Harper Lee shows how the people of Maycomb definitely didn’t favor blacks; they tried to avoid them.
Mrs. Merriweather and Aunt Alexandra are representative of how the citizens of Maycomb are prejudiced and don’t like blacks. Mrs. Merriweather reports on how she’s supporting the Mrunas, a black tribe far away from Maycomb, but describes the blacks in her own town using insulting terms such as “a sulky darky.” She also badmouths her own maid, saying that, “Their mouths go down to here. Just ruins your day to have one of 'em in the kitchen. ” (Lee, 310). Aunt Alexandra, on the other hand, is completely against the idea of Calpurnia being a maid for Atticus and the children. She prohibits Scout and Jem from visiting Calpurnia’s church, feeling as if she’s a bad influence on them just because of her race. When talking to Atticus about her, she says “you’ve got to do something about her...we don’t need her now” (Lee, 182). Thus, the actions and words of the two ladies reveal how unsupportive Maycomb is

The jury votes against Robinson even though Atticus puts up a strong case, revealing the naturally racist nature of Maycomb. Atticus describes the jury saying that, "Our stout Maycomb citizens aren't interested, in the first place. In the second place, they're afraid" (Lee, 297). Those selected to be on the jury for trials are frightened of losing businesses or relations because of how their expressed opinions and views are judged. Their fear leads to bias choices being made and final verdicts that are unjust. Although Tom Robinson is innocent, he is a victim to the discriminatory views of a racist society, and this leads to him