Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird

1041 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Critical analysis on to kill a mockingbird

We all love that feeling of reading a seemingly life-changing novel...that emotion of not wanting to set the book down, due to the immense levels of imagery and pure intrigue throughout the novel. To Kill A Mockingbird is one of those types of novels. Written by Harper Lee in the 1960’s. The Novel is about a young girl who goes by the name of Scout. Atticus her father, appears to be her solo guardian as her mother passed away when Scout was just a baby. Scout’s brother Jem is a kind-hearted young boy with great intentions. The novel takes place in a town called Maycomb County and is based on the life of the Finch family and the coming of age time for Scout Finch. It is a heart-wrenching, and intense read about hypocrisy, ignorance, courage, …show more content…

Throughout the novel of To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs. Gates proves herself to be ignorant and seems to be hypocritical about how she perceives most all situations. It is ironic in the sense that Scout is so anti-hypocritical, and Mrs. Gates is really into hypocrisy and how to get away with it. Once again, in chapter 24, Mrs. Gates announces that, “it’s time somebody taught ’em a lesson, they were gettin‘ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us” (251). Previously in chapter 24, Mrs. Gates had been saying the virtual opposite of this statement. Thus causing her to be called a hypocrite. As I’m sure you can tell by now, Scout tries to fully grasp the concept of hypocrisy, she understands enough to know that it isn’t necessarily considered a good quality. She also now knows that apparently, Mrs. Gates is a perfect example of a hypocrite. Antecedently, in chapter 24, Mrs. Gates announced to the class, saying,”Now class, say it all together, ‘We are a democracy’” (249). This specific quote perfectly presents that Mrs. Gates is falsely leading all the students to believe that she, herself is an honest and trustworthy person that the students can believe in and cooperate with. This theory is most often treated as

Show More
Related

  • Atticus Finch Courage in To Kill a Mockingbird

    1356 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that was prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others.

    Read More

  • The Differences Between Children and Adults in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    When scout and Jem start to take on the bigger matters in life, they realize that not everything is as it seems. First published in 1960 Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird is about a girl’s childhood in the small southern town of Maycomb and how her life changed forever. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird illustrates the cowardice of the county adults and their ingrained prejudices and the braveness of their good hearted children.

    Read More

  • TKAM: Literary Analysis Paper

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in the depths of the Great Depression. A lawyer named Atticus Finch is called to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. The story is told from one of Atticus’s children, the mature Scout’s point of view. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch Family faces many struggles and difficulties.

    Read More

  • The Ideas of Hypocrisy, Prejudice and Dignity in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    695 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Ideas of Hypocrisy, Prejudice and Dignity in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird In Maycomb, the town in which Harper Lee's book 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is set, hypocrisy and prejudice are prevalent in most of its citizens. Although many of the characters morals are admirable, you soon realise that what people say and what people do are not always related. Mrs Grace Merriweather falls into this category. She is seen to be 'the most devout lady in Maycomb' and her eyes 'always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed' yet she is just as prejudiced to the black citizens or 'darky's' as the majority of the ladies of the 'Maycomb Alabama Methodist Episcopal Church South' are. Mrs Merriweather appears to be the most hypocritical character in this chapter.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: A Story of Empathy

    738 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the first lessons taught in Mockingbird is the power of understanding other people’s perspectives. Initially, Scout has trouble empathizing with other people, especially her first Grade Teacher, Miss Caroline, whom Scout becomes frustrated at for not understanding Maycomb’s complex social structure. After hearing his daughter complain, Atticus tells Scout that she'll “get along a lot better with all kinds of folks [if she] considers things from [their] point of view” (39). After ‘standing in the shoes of another person’, it is much harder to be prejudiced towards that person. Indeed, this may be because a key tenet of prejudice is disregarding the views of whoever is being judged. Nevertheless, it proves difficult for Scout to grasp this relatively simple concept, who begins to hear rumors of Boo Radley, an enigma who has not been seen outside his home for over 30 years. Thus begins Jem and Scout’s quest to make Boo Radley come outs...

    Read More

  • Essay On Courage In To Kill A Mockingbird

    750 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 by an author named Harper Lee. Harper Lee born was April 28, 1926 in Monroeville Alabama Lee had made 2 novels in the time she was alive she had wrote To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman. Harper lee had also illustrated a few children's books. So what is courage? To Kill A Mockingbird gives the readers a look into how terrible things were in the south during the 1930’s from prejudice to racism to morality and even youth. When an African American man named Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping a young, white girl a lawyer named Atticus Finch takes the case. Atticus Finch is the main character's father. Atticus is very different from most people in Maycomb county, Atticus believes in justice for all and that

    Read More

  • Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout History, men have looked down on blacks and women. But this does not justify the view that blacks and women are below white men. When people look down on blacks and women, they preform injustice. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is full of injustice. During this time period, everyone looked down on blacks and women, which makes Maycomb one in the same with the discriminators. In particular, the people in Maycomb looked down on Tom Robinson, and many others looked down on Scout. Around the Finch household, Aunt Alexandria always tries to do away with Calpurnia, the black housekeeper and cook as Alexandria says, “We don’t need her (Calpurnia) now.” (182). Injustices in Maycomb include the case of Tom Robinson, the way Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, and the way people treat Scout.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Scout is with The Ladies Missionary Club she starts to pick up on hypocrisy. They want to help the African kids, but they do not want to help the African-Americans in their own town! They are also they are prejudiced against the black community in Maycomb. Another time Scout becomes aware of hypocrisy is with her teacher Miss Gates. As Scout starts to pick up on hypocrisy, Harper Lee is showing another way Scout is growing up. “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced” (281). This quote is from Miss Gates is full of irony. She says this to her class as she is trying to describe persecution to her class. She does not think Hitler should victimize the Jews. However, Miss Gates persecutes the black community in Maycomb. She clearly shows her hypocrisy during the trial when she persecutes Tom Robinson. Therefore, Scout picks up on hypocrisy and prejudices in the people of Maycomb. Finally, Scout establishes an understanding of

    Read More

  • Examples Of Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a remarkable novel following the childhood of Jem and Scout, the son and daughter of Atticus Finch. Living in a small and drama filled town of Maycomb County they encounter a great deal of people who do not stand by their word. Hypocrisy occurs throughout this novel first by a man named Dolphus Raymond, then by two women Mrs. Merriweather and Miss Gates.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1983 Words  | 4 Pages

    Black and white, right and wrong; do decisions that simple and clear even exist? Does a decision ever mean gaining everything without giving anything up? Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are forced to make difficult, heart wrenching decisions that have no clear right answer. Harper Lee presents many of these important decisions in To Kill A Mockingbird as ethical dilemmas, or situations that require a choice between two difficult alternatives. Both of these alternatives have unpleasant aspects and question morals and ethics. A person is put in an awkward position, with their mind saying contradicting things. These dilemmas are presented in many different ways. The decisions in the beginning of the book are simple and can be solved quite easily, yet they are symbolic of later decisions. Other dilemmas place adult-like decisions in the lap of a child. One dilemma concerned a man burdened with the strict traditions of the South. Then there are the two biggest dilemmas, Atticus' decision to take the case and Heck Tate's choice between truth and the emotional well being of a man. Lee's ingenious storyline is established by these crucial and mentally arduous choices faced by the characters.

    Read More

  • Theme Of To Stand In Someone Else's Shoes In To Kill A Mockingbird

    548 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, one huge theme in the book is to stand in someone else's shoes, and look at situations from someone else's point of view. This lesson is mainly taught by Atticus, but other characters can be seen practicing it. First when Scout was upset about her first day of school, Atticus told her that “if you can learn a simple trick, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. 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” (Lee, 1960, p. 39). Although Scout didn't exactly change her views on Miss. Caroline, this lesson made her consider other people's feelings. Atticus is a great role model, he thinks about how other people are feeling before he comes to conclusions.

    Read More

  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Pain of Growing Up

    501 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scout is the narrator of the whole book. She is the young daughter of a lawyer, Atticus. They live in Maycomb County with Scout's brother and Aunt in the 1930's. At the beginning of the book, she doesn’t know much about the prejudice of Southern America. She basically knows nothing about prejudice. She thinks every person is the same as her. But she finds that out at last. She also finally finds out that most people are nice. She just has to put herself in those people's situations. "As I made my way home, I thought Jem and I would get grown but there wasn't much else left for us to learn, except possibly algebra" (Lee pg. #).  This statement shows that she understands the prejudice and people's thinking, at last. That makes her life a lot different.

    Read More

  • Hypocrisy and Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.

    Read More

  • Growing Up in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    950 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up is hard, but when you add in nosey neighbors, scary houses, a stuck up aunt, and taunting children, it becomes more difficult. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee that was published in 1960. The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Scout Finch is a six year old narrator. She lives with her father, her brother, and Calpurnia, their black cook. Scout spends her summers playing with her brother, Jem, and her friend, Dill Harrison. Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, is a lawyer and he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. The story is an account of the next three years of Scout’s life in Maycomb. Throughout the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, it takes a couple years for Scout Finch to grow and mature into an understanding, empathetic, polite, young lady.

    Read More

  • A Book Report For To Kill A Mockingbird

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about the coming of age by Harper Lee, in which she narrates the story through Scout Finch who describes her childhood. The novel begins with Scout living with her brother, Jem, and their widowed father, Atticus, in Alabama’s town of Maycomb during the time of the Great Depression, Atticus is a lawyer and the Finch family are rich in comparison to others. Jem and Scout befriend Dill, who came to Maycomb for multiple summers. They become fascinated with a house on their street called the Radley Place and the mysterious and spooky character of Boo Radley. Scout goes to school for the first time and hates it. Scout

    Read More

More about Hypocrisy In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document