Theme Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird depicts a community deep-rooted in traditional southern values in the mid-1930s through the eyes of a young girl named Scout. Exposure to the inhabitants of Maycomb together with the skillful inclusion of symbols gives insight on the town’s ingrained racism and prejudice. Found within the novel are both perpetrators and victims of the subject. The characters Bob Ewell, Atticus Finch, and Lula all exemplify and convey the theme of racism and prejudice through their thoughts and actions, alongside symbols pertaining to white camellias and a rabid dog. Of the characters incorporated into the story, Atticus Finch is bestowed the major role of being Tom Robinson’s lawyer and becomes a subject of prejudice.

Being a poor white man with rude and unmannered conduct, Bob Ewell is the epitome of a racist. He accuses Tom Robinson of assaulting his daughter, believing Tom Robinson’s race to be all evidence necessary towards the allegation. During the trial, Bob Ewell throws out hateful and offensive words towards Tom, addressing only his race, never his name. Bob Ewell fits the template of a bigot well, distributing ill intent towards those who oppose him or his ideals. Following the trial, the reader is informed of various times of Bob Ewell’s evil intent and actions, one regarding Tom’s wife, Helen Robinson. He had forced her to take a long route to work because of his harassment and had “croon[ed] foul words” (p.249) directed towards her. Ewell unsatisfied with the results of the trial turns to torment others. The novel has Atticus elaborate on Bob Ewell’s reasons for doing so and explains that he “knows in his heart that very few people in Maycomb believed his and Mayella’s yarns” (p.250). Bob Ewell had set up his accusation against Tom Robinson trial based on Maycomb’s preconceptions on the black community and planned to take advantage of it. And while racism and prejudice did win the trial, a motion for change was triggered

The diseased dog, Tim Johnson, serves as a concrete representation of the individuals who have been affected by the discriminative aspect of the town’s people. Upon encountering the dog, the book describes the main street to be empty, with the residents secured in their home observing. Atticus then appears on the scene and kills the dog in one shot. This is a direct reference to Maycomb’s way of isolating people, as they did to Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, by their narrow-mindedness and ideals. Atticus’ symbolic action of shooting the dog represents his undertaking of Tom Robinson’s trial, an event which acts as a small step towards dispelling ostracism towards blacks. Prior to the events concerning Tim Johnson, Atticus holds a conversation with his brother mentioning “Maycomb’s usual disease” (p. 88) and outright discloses that the disease is