Theme Of Segregation In To Kill A Mockingbird

“The worst prisons were not constructed or warped steel and stone. They were carved out of expectations and lies, judgement and corruption.” -Kelseyleigh Reber, If I Resist. To Kill A Mockingbird is written by Harper Lee and was published on July 11, 1960. The book is written about the prejudice and racial discrimination during the early 1930’s. At the same time, slavery has recently been abolished and The Great Depression had begun, when the US economy had crashed into economic recession. The story revolves around a girl named Scout, her brother Jem and their father, Atticus Finch. In Maycomb County, a town located in Southern Alabama, a man named Boo Radley has never left his home and is rumoured to be “six-and-a-half feet tall and dines

on raw squirrels.” The children fear him and are terrified to go near his house. A trial takes place in Maycomb county of a black man being accused of raping a white man’s daughter. Atticus Finch, a genuine and well-respected lawyer of the community, defends the black man on trial, Tom Robinson. Although defending a black man is against the views of society, Atticus emphasizes and represents Tom and the whole black community. Throughout the book, Scout and Jem explore the theme of empathy, racism, prejudice and imprisonment. To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee illustrates that the concept of imprisonment is made up of expectations, lies, judgement and corruption.
Society can make up expectations, lies and judgements which lead to the corruption and imprisonment. Boo Radley, Dill Harris, Tom Robinson, and Scout Finch all face imprisonment put up by society. For one thing, Boo is not imprisoned by steel or stone, but rather the lies and judgements created by society. Since the age of fifteen, Boo has stayed in his home to protect himself from society and the deal his father made with the court. After many rumours of Boo’s monstrous nature, he starts to fear and becomes hesitant of the town he calls home. Because outside his home seems dangerous, Boo never comes out except at night. The psychological aspects that lead to the imprisonment of Boo are created by the judgements and lies of society. Harper Lee suggests that malicious gossips can cause a greater source of imprisonment. Thus, forces Boo into social imprisonment, shunned away from the human community. Dill Harris is challenged by imprisonment through his parents’ lack of love and attention towards him. As a result, Dill runs away from his home to live with the Finches. During the trial, Dill becomes physically sick of the injustice made from the scene. For that reason, the imprisonment portrayed in the book leads to the act of escape.
Segregation and separation plays an important role within the book.

The tight-knit sense of community created by the citizens of Maycomb leads to the same values and beliefs of the whole town. As a result, the town has put many expectations and judgements towards people who are not the same. In particular, the black community is used as a scapegoat because they are black, therefore they are viewed lower than the white community. Tom Robinson, a member of the black community is imprisoned for most of the book. When Tom is put on trial, the community voted against him by the reason that he’s black- he is an outsider. Although he did nothing wrong, the community continues to blame him. During and after the trial Tom is thrown in jail and imprisoned. Knowing that he cannot do anything about the situation, Tom loses all signs of hope of freedom. As a last straw of hope, Tom attempts to escape from prison but fails to do so, and is shot seventeen times. Tom faces the injustice of Maycomb County due to the fact of judgements and lies formed from society. The lies and judgements has lead into the separation and segregation of the black community. Segregation and separation brings the black community into vulnerable position leading into psychological and physically imprisonment. Lee demonstrates that segregation and separation increases the sense of

imprisonment.
Today, the same problems of imprisonment exist.

Lies, judgements and expectations force people to feel trapped. Imprisonment is not only physical but can also be mental. From all ages imprisonment occurs, and are affected by the people who surround the home the most. In Maycomb County, a small and innocent white girl also is imprisoned. Through social restrictions Scout encounters imprisonment. From her aunt, Alexandra, Scout feels imprisoned because of the way Aunt Alexandra wants Scout to act. Scout grows up as an independent tomboy. Despite the way other girls her age acts, Scout prefers the company of her brother Jem and her friend Dill. She enjoys to dress in overalls but her aunt does not approve. Scout quarrels with aunt Alexandra of the difference of beliefs and values. “Who was the "her" they were talking about? My heart sank: me. I felt the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary closing in on me, and for the second time in my life I thought of running away. Immediately.” (Ch. 14) “...a pink cotton penitentiary” refers to the idea of becoming a lady, which Scout does not like the idea of. She alludes the act of becoming a lady to a prison. Scout feels imprisoned by the feminist ways of Aunt Alexandra. From this, Lee illustrates that the expectations brought up by society can cause the imprisonment of all

ages.
Harper Lee uses the concept of imprisonment to display the expectations, lies and judgements that are created by society. The concept of imprisonment is brings physical and psychological vulnerability to all ages. From separation and segregation, imprisonment increases through the mental aspects shaped by the community. In the world today, imprisonment has caused many incidents of depression and loneliness. Through expectations, lies and judgements, society has shaped the worldviews of people all over the world. Imprisonment is leads to the corruption of society.