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 a young age, the harsh reality of the world forces Scout to mature at a fast pace, making her digest the facts that prejudice, hypocrisy and malevolence truly exists in society. In the novel there are many examples of which demonstrate the terrible discrimination people of Maycomb present, from racism to sexism and even classism. An example of racial discrimination that lurks around in Maycomb’s people is how even though Atticus had done everything he can for the case; Tom Robinson still lost the trial because of his skin colour. Atticus had a remarkable defence compared to Mr. Gilmer’s. However, since the all white jury was narrow minded, and Tom Robinson was a black man accused of raping a white woman, it would have been a miracle for Tom to win the trial. As Scout states, “Atticus had used every tool available to a free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of the men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee, 323). This proves that Scout clearly recognizes the racially prejudiced actions of the people in Maycomb. Besides the people in Maycomb who are racially prejudiced, what is more is that, there are also people who expect others to act a certain way, according to their gender. For instance, Aunt Alexandra only wants Scout to wear dresses over overalls and tea sets over running around. Aunt Alexandra wanted to change Scout’s boyish nature and turn her into a “Ray of Sunshine” in order to please Atticus. However as Scout has stated, “I suggested that one could be a ray of sunshine in pants just as well, but Aunty said that one had to behave like a sunbeam, that I was born good but had grown progressively worse every year. She hurt my feelings and set my teeth permanently on edge...” (Lee, 108). It is hard for Scout to be herself in Maycomb’s society because people like Aunt Alexandra expect and assumes too much, not even respecting the way other people are. Furthermore, people in Maycomb’s society are not only racist and sexist, but people in Maycomb also carry out classism. One example of social prejudice is that Mr. Dolphus Raymond is not really, what many people of Maycomb assumed him to be. Mr. Dolphus Raymond actually puts up an act of being a drunkard because people of Maycomb cannot grasp the mere fact that he, a wealthy white man, coming from ‘old family'), part of the highest class in society, is treating black people with real love and respect. As Mr. Dolphus Raymond explains to Scout, “Secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they (society) could never, never understand that I live like I do because I do (loving black people).” (Lee, 268). Confirming the reality to Scout, that people are in fact, filled with classism, as they cannot admit the truth that a man from the highest class, is spending his life with people who are inferior and disfavoured. In the tender age of childhood, Scout becomes aware of the narrow, discriminating minds people in the world posses. Not only does Scout realize that people can be prejudice, but Scout also realizes that there are of people who are hypocritical as these people judge without looking at themselves first, choose to be righteous to one group but cruel to the next, and hate the way others treat them wrongly, however they do the same wrong back. As Scout apprehends, there are people who are so self-righteous they judge other people before
