Classism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a coming-of-age story set in the Great Depression of the 1930s. During this period, racism was common, especially in small, southern village like Maycomb. As young children, Jem and Scout are suddenly forced to deal with the dark side of their quiet town as they go through the destruction of a black name named Tom Robinson. This racist trial opens their eyes about the evil side of humanity and how people are separated and discriminated against just because of their race and class. As Jem says, in Maycomb county “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 302). This system, especially in a fixed town like Maycomb, isn’t going to change unless something is done. By portraying the evils of classism and racism, Harper Lee presents the discrimination Blacks face and the hate-filled relationships between the classes of Maycomb.
Through the treatment of the Cunninghams by the Maycomb people, classism is shown as an accepted, unchanging problem in this county. Even …show more content…
Although the town may be divided into four different groups of people, Lee lets the reader know that “there’s just one kind of folks” (Lee 304). Although all may despise each other because of long-held prejudice, everyone is the same inside and deserve equal rights. Regardless of time, racism and classism have always existed. Even in present-day America, classism stills divides up the people and there is still racial tension among the different races of the country. In this book, despite being written in the 1950s, manages to teach an important theme of understanding and sympathizing with others no matter their background nor

Examples Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

discriminate against. Maycomb, Alabama is no exception to this rule. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee writes about the people and how they discriminate or how they are being discriminated against. Scout realizes the rights and wrongs of classism, sexism, and racism and how these isms hurt society. In the tiny town of Maycomb, everyone knows everyone and everyone is put into a class. Scout realizes the rights and wrongs of classism through her school and home life. Jem tells Scout that there are…

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Effects Of Sexism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Racism, Sexism, and Classism in To Kill a Mockingbird Prejudice and discrimination are ongoing issues that affect various types of people in a society, as everyone has different identities and it is impossible to avoid judgment towards them. Prejudice created in a society affects the mind of a person as they struggle to conform or to reject these assumptions. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird clearly depicts a time, presumably in the 1930’s, where the Jim Crow system, gender roles and class distinctions…

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Gender Inequality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee brings the issue of racism, classism, and sexism in the 1930’s to life in To Kill a Mockingbird through the narrator, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch with her brother, Jem Finch. Scout and Jem are going through their childhood with many different expe-riences, such as the situation when they go to Cal’s church (for black people). Another time, Scout was told by her brother that she was acting too ‘girly’ day by day. As most of the places, Maycomb has three classes: upper class, middle class…

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From Innocent To Exposed To Kill A Mocking Bird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel about youth seeing evil, hypocrisy and injustice in an adult society. Compared to many her age, Scout is exposed to the unfairness of humanity as she learns how prejudice people can be and that discrimination is typical in Maycomb at an ingenious time. She is also aware of how deceitful and insincere people are from what she learns through everyday experiences. Another entity that corrupts Scout’s naivety is the people who are so heinous they can become deadly. At…

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Examples Of Provincialism In To Kill A Mockingbird

have a perceived sense of structure and avoid chaos. It is a prime example of provincialism, which is defined as a narrowness of mind resulting from lack of exposure to cultural or intellectual activity. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee elaborates on the effects of provincialism and classism on Maycomb’s society by using diction, and artfully uses her characters to be the embodiment of these ideals. Whether it be through promoting racism, or grossly exaggerating individual traits based on family…

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To Kill A Mockingbird Appearance Vs Reality Analysis

appears vain and obsessed with money, but in reality, is only the thin veneer of a person made to conceal Batman inside. Bruce Wayne is the “mask” Batman dons to hide himself from the invasive spotlight of the world. Likewise, In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, many characters disguise their innate tendencies to avoid the scorn. Their obfuscated identities cause others to make incorrect assumptions about them. Good men appear complacent, and…

Words 1140 - Pages 5