Social Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

772 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of a mockingbird movie

Social Conformity

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. Actions of persecution and aversion are the result of society’s values. Many are accustomed to society’s beliefs. In Maycomb, they follow …show more content…

One of the values of Maycomb is racism. However, there are a few that does not believe in this value, including Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man married to a black woman and has mixed children. He does not believe in society’s ideology regarding racism and knows that some citizens of Maycomb antagonize him. However, he does not care, as he prefers the colored people over white. He knows how unfair society is, from the way he gets treated. Moreover, Jem realizes the falsities of society, due to the injustice he sensed. After Tom’s verdict, Jem’s first clear sense of injustice provided a new perception on the world. When he was young, he believed that the people of Maycomb are the best folks, but the outcome of the trial changed this thought. Furthermore, Scout’s realization of the falsehood in society is with the hypocrisy of Miss Gates. She was taught by Miss Gates how Americans do not believe in persecution. However, Scout saw Miss Gates talk about the African Americans in an adverse way. Learning about the falsehood in society is part of

Show More
Related

  • The Wisdom of Atticus in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    The lack of knowledge in Maycomb about the outside world and their opinions about black people ingrains ‘Maycomb’s usual disease’ into their minds as they have no other opinions about black people. This is shown by the crowd’s outrage as they gather to lynch Tom, not knowing that he was innocent, but blinded by their pre-conceived ideas about black people, thinking that Tom obviously did it as he was black. Their prejudice and ignorance blinded them to the fact that the Ewell’s had manipulated him for their own benefit. Also, this prejudice causes the people who are prejudiced to be as prejudiced towards people who are not. This is shown by Mrs Dubose’s statement to Jem, “Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for.”

    Read More

  • Courage and Empathy in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    566 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why is it important to have moral values? To know what’s right in a situation? To put the well being of others before yourself. For most people in the small fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, values and fairness are not important. The Maycomb townspeople only follow the social norms based on racism, and their decisions are influenced by these norms.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Ethos Analysis

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a black man named Tom Robinson who is being charged with the rape of a white girl named Mayella Ewell. While the lawyers are giving their closing statements, Atticus Finch, the lawyer for Tom Robinson, makes his closing statement using ethos and logos persuasive methods to show that Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell were lying. The logo is the principle of reason and judgment. Ethos is appealing to somebody's emotions. These persuasion methods were effective because Atticus uses this technique a lot one example of this is when he uses logos and asks Bob Ewell to put his signature on a piece so that he could see what Bob Ewell's dominant hand was because according to heck Tate her right side

    Read More

  • Breaking The Social Norms In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1155 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone essentially lives in their own little fishbowl, surrounded by friends, family, co-workers, etc. All these people influence the way we are judged and perceived. One action and your reputation can go from shining gold to rusty brown. The two novels, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie put this idea into context. Both novels have characters that break the social norms by using courage to overcome racial obstacles.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Inhumanity In To Kill A Mockingbird

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maycomb is a fictional town in which we are exposed to the brutality of people. We follow Scout and Jem’s journey, which slowly reveals to us that the world is not a fair place and if anything, that the world can be quite cruel. This is shown through the ways in which characters act in a despicable manner towards others. Tom Robinson’s trial further gives us an insight as to the lies and racism that people are capable of. We are constantly confronted with the harsh reality that that the world is made up of numerous people that are filled with hatred, fueling them to act inhumanely towards others. Yet, at the end of the novel we are given a glimmer of hope as both Jem and Scout understanding this predominant concept, means that the next generation of Maycomb citizens may well be more compassionate towards one another

    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

  • To Kill A Mockingbird: Influences on Scout from Interactions w/ Others

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scout learns that by yielding to prejudice, we often hurt and cause strife unto others. For example, Scout is harassed and becomes the target of insults when her father decides to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman. This is a plajurized essay. The hate felt towards black people by the majority of the Maycomb citizens causes them to bother and harass those who attempt to befriend the black people. Forgive me for stealing this essay. Scout realizes that the only reason she must undergo this torment is that her father is defending a black man, which has become taboo because of the corruption that racism has caused in many people. In addition, Scout watches Tom Robinson undergo unfair treatment and false accusations. Please dont tell my parents I stole this essay. Although Atticus provides the jury and the people of Maycomb with overwhelming evidence benefiting Tom, and ultimately proving him innocent, this is not enough to overcome the powers of hate and racism. Scout watches as the jury deliberates and convicts Tom Robinson of murder because he is a black man. This is a stolen essay. Although Scout witnesses a myriad of injustices occurring against black people, she also sees an exiguity of kind and compassionate movements towards black people.

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sum up, the social relationship between these people here, this old town Maycomb is complicated and pretty tense. This novel has taught us so much, thanks to Harper Lee – one of the greatest writers of all time. It has opened our eyes wider about racism at that time and compared it to nowadays it has become so much better. People are equally, no matter what skin color you are, what religion you have, or where you’re from, what you’re appearance looks like, we are all equal, and we are all the same – human. So instead of treating badly to one another we should all united and make the world a better place.

    Read More

  • Life Lessons in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill A Mockingbird

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    Racism presents itself in many ways in the town of Maycomb. Some are blatant and open, but others are more insidious. One obvious way that racism presents itself is in the result of Tom Robinson’s trial. Another apparent example is the bullying Jem and Scout had to endure as a result of Atticus’s appointment as Tom Robinson’s defense attorney. A less easily discernible case is the persecution of Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who chose to live his life in close relation with the colored community.

    Read More

  • Differences in Social Classes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    858 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is acknowledged by many readers that there are many different social classes in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ written by Harper Lee and published in 1960. One of the most obvious social class distinctions is between skin colors, which can be seen through this novel. Since most readers’ focal point of this novel is on the distinctions between skin colors, they are unlikely to pay attention to the difference in social class within the white community. Lee wants to illustrate a contrast in white society and how characters behave differently through the uses of character foil, characterization, and the theme of society inequality in order to emphasize the differences in social classes.

    Read More

  • The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a person grows to join society, they will inevitably run into the corruption of the world. The beautifully written To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a classic piece of American literature that explains this part of life. Maycomb County, Alabama is the home to southerners who seem friendly but are generally offenders of bigotry. Throughout the story, Lee describes the coexistence between good and evil in these people. People are sometimes considered either good or bad. In an imperfect world, there is some ratio between the two. Through her characters, Lee makes the reader understand the complexity of good and bad of people and society.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Maycomb In To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    Scout defends her father against Francis’s name calling. She gets into a fight with Francis because he calls “Atticus somethin’, an’ [she] wasn’t about to take it off him.” (Lee 86). Scout really respects her father and can not handle it when someone else says something bad about him. She will even go as far as a physical fight, if it means she is protecting Atticus. Next, during the trial, Mr. Link Deas stands up for Tom. He speaks out and says “that boy’s worked from me eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him.” (Lee 195). Mr. Deas knows who is allowed to talk in court and when, but still risks it all in order to defend Tom Robinson. He knows that what is being done to Tom is wrong and finds it hard to stay quiet. This shows that he is someone who thinks of everyone as equal. Third, Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell. When Scout is on the Radley porch and looking back at what happened, she realizes that Boo knew when his “children needed him.” (Lee 279). Boo risks his life in order to save both Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell trying to kill them. This not only shows that he has been looking after them, but also that he would go into a dangerous situation to help them. In conclusion, Maycomb is a nice place to live because people fight for each

    Read More

  • Social Class In To Kill A Mockingbird

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird expresses the ideology that the social standard of a particular individual, classifies their status in the world. Individuals placed in social classes are labeled to create a sense of social identity. The socio-economic class an individual is born into should not be the determining factor of how the individual is regarded and treated, however, their character and personality should be a primary factor in determining how they are thought of in society.

    Read More

  • Interracial Family In To Kill A Mockingbird

    343 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a major theme is that sometimes being an individual challenges society’s values and views. In the novel, Dolphus Raymond had an interracial family that many of the people of Maycomb couldn’t come to terms with. While the people of Maycomb gathered in the courtroom, Dolphus Raymond was spotted, “...He’s got a colored women and all sorts of mixed chillun” (Lee 214). Later in the same scene Jem says he lives like that because “ That’s just his way…” (Lee 215). Families in Maycomb were so confused by his love for his black family that they even made a fictional reason behind Raymond’s alternative lifestyle. The reason surpassed just being that way, many of the people in town believed that Dolphus was an evil

    Read More

More about Social Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

Open Document