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Many characters in To Kill A Mockingbird are isolated from mainstream
society. Discuss the ways in which Atticus Finch and one other
character are set apart from the society of Maycomb
To Kill A Mockingbird was set in the 1930s in the south of USA,
Alabama. At that period, slavery had already been made illegal. But
people in the south were a bitter about it because they still believed
that they needed the slaves to maintain their cotton farms. They
didn't treat the blacks as though they had the same social status as
them and basically still treated them as though they were still
slaves. This unfair prejudice was widespread throughout the south.
"Maycomb", didn't actually exist but was meant to be the embodiment of
a typical town in the south at that time.
In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, she has created characters who
seem a little different and thus, isolated from the rest of Maycomb's
mainstream society. Prime examples of this isolation are Atticus and
the Ewells; particularly Bob Ewell.
Probably one of the most important and obvious point to Atticus
Finch's isolation is his lack of prejudice towards black people.
Although this might not be seen as something unusual at the present
day, it was at that time. More obviously so because the story was set
in the south where prejudice against the blacks was something that was
taken for granted. The people in Maycomb knew that prejudice was wrong
and yet, they didn't think that prejudice against the blacks was
wrong. They saw it as a separate matter. An example of this would be
the teacher telling the children that "Over here we don't believe in
persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are
prejudiced." The irony in it is that the reader knows that the
majority of Maycomb are prejudiced against the blacks and to say that
Hitler was wrong in being prejudiced was hypocritical. Atticus though,
wasn't prejudiced and this was what made him different.
He lets Calpurnia, a black woman, take care and act as a mother to his
children. This though is not really seen by the people of Maycomb. To
the people of Maycomb, Calpurnia is merely a housekeeper; but she's
actually much more than that. As he told Aunt Alexandra when Aunt
Alexandra wanted to dismiss her, "She tried to bring them up according
to her lights, and Cal's lights are pretty good." Unlike others, he
appreciates what Calpurnia did for him. "We couldn't operate a single
day without Cal, have you ever thought of that? You think how much Cal
does for you?" He says this to Scout when she wanted Atticus to
The characters of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird are all different in their own way. Sometimes they can seem like the most infuriating people in the world, but then again they can be helpful, loving, and caring. The citizens of Maycomb County are stereotyped a lot throughout the book. They are labeled as many different things, but some of the stereotypes made aren’t entirely correct. A lot of people in To Kill a Mockingbird stereotype others by the way they look or talk based on what society considers normal. Two of the main characters in the book are stereotyped; Scout and Atticus Finch.
This was a time of racial segregation, where blacks were not permitted to go to the same schools as the whites. They could not sit in the same restaurants, sit in the same part of the courthouse, use the same public restrooms or drink at the same water fountains. Everyone in Maycomb, from children to adults, accused Atticus and his children of being "black lovers." Atticus, with all this turmoil, stayed calm. He taught his children to accept the differences between one human being and another.
For all of my elementary school years, I moved places a lot. I started at a new school every year. I never had my own bedroom. I was always leaving friends. I had to learn to adjust to my environment about 6 times, once a year. I left things unfinished. School years, sports seasons, and relationships. I was never sure whether or not this was common, but I just went with it. I never liked it, but had to go with it, the way Scout had to go with going to school.
A distinct conscience is formed by the values and desires of one’s unique identity. However, common beliefs of societal standards can influence conscientious desires. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces a young girl named Scout, who learns about the difference between social conformity and human conscience. Through this, she notices the conflict it brings: choosing to conform or stand with your desire. Through Maycomb’s discriminatory principles, Atticus’ actions against common beliefs, and Scout’s comprehension of Boo, Lee reveals how society’s standards and conformity hinders personal desires for righteousness.
are referred to in the novel. As I mentioned above, there are a lot of
“There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes” (Lee 226). Throughout the story of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses the citizens of Maycomb to show the diversity and isolation of specific groups or individual people. In the book, there are many different perspectives about people who have been shunned or isolated due to peoples views or opinions. There are also some people that try to break stereotypes and help these people fit in. Black or white, Finch or Ewell, everyone should be accepted no matter who they are.
The film To Kill a Mockingbird is based on a book by harper Lee. The film To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. During this time many people were suffering from the Great Depression. The film is being narrated by the main character, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, but as an adult who is recalling events of her childhood from when she was nine years old. Her father is Atticus Finch, who is a town lawyer with high moral standards. Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill are spying on their repulsive mysterious neighbor, Boo Radley who has not left his home for many years and about whom many rumors circulate. The movie covers the undergo change in Scout and Jem lives. Atticus is appointed by the local udge to defend a black
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”-Martin Luther King Jr. This quote shows how racism is like darkness and hate and love and light are the only way to drive racism out. The story takes place at the time of the great depression. Scout lives in a very racist and judgement city in the south. A black male is accused of raping a white woman. Scouts dad Atticus gets appointed to be the defendant's lawyer. Racism is an antagonist in To Kill A Mockingbird because the white people of Maycomb discriminate the blacks and make them feel lesser. The theme racism can be harmful to everyone is shown by many characters throughout the book.
Sometimes, people think that other people from different races can’t or can do something simply because the people heard or saw the other race do it. People have sometimes believed that all black people are athletic or that all white girls like starbucks. Movies these days are almost always filled with stereotypes. I think that this story is from a child’s point of view is because some kids can be more observant of events that happen around them. Kids may see racism and people that were labeled.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…Until you climb his skin, and walk around in it.” (Lee 30) The story takes place in a small town called Maycomb, which is in Alabama. It happened and started in the late 1930s in “The Great Depression”. The main characters are Scout, Jem, and Atticus . Scout is the youngest and the most maturing one, the perspective was from her point of view. Jem is the eldest and cares a lot about everything that Scout faces. Atticus is the father of Jem and Scout, and he works as a lawyer in Maycomb, who helps black people. The trail in the novel “To Kill A MockingBird” affect Scout, Atticus and Jem because it taught them bravery, equality, and how to face injustice.
Outcasts have very influential roles in the development on children’s thoughts and values. For example in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout’s current and former neighbours give her valuable insight into the lives of others from the perspective of an outcast by showing her how they see the world. In particular, Dolphus Raymond and Arthur Radley demonstrate the importance of treating others as equals. Dolphus Raymond, a white Negro-lover, explains to Scout that Maycomb County’s prejudice forces him to constantly fake being drunk so others do not challenge him on his non-racist views. In addition, Arthur Radley’s contrasting lifestyle teaches Scout that rumours do nothing but harm.
Society leads to conform and people who choose not to conform appear as outcasts. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by harper lee, the idea of conformity is understood by the town of maycomb. Scout, a tomboy who is by maycomb because of her view of society, is misunderstood in her personality and independent ideas. Scout changes throughout the story, growing to recognize that Maycomb is a corrupt society and how the values of a conformist community negatively affect its people.
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.
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.
A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...