Theme Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee’s enduring and well-respected novel To Kill a Mockingbird uncovers the malicious social entities of prejudice, racism and power within Southern America during the 1930s. But why are we, Australians today, still finding relevance in the issues exposed in this novel?
The 1930s was the prime time for discrimination and white supremacy worldwide. Southern Alabama was a place where water fountains labelled “coloured” didn’t burst with colourful water as a naive child would imagine, but instead was a symbol of the ‘white Anglo-Saxon’ power over all minorities.
This is followed through into the novel where Lee expresses the hardships and discernments people faced in America through the roles her characters play. She indicates the right …show more content…
Treating everyone as an equal is one of the traits Atticus uphold throughout the novel. He believes no one is worth more than one another, and no one is looked down upon because of who they are or what they have been labelled as by society. He has been the positive influence on his children, reinforcing to not judge or discriminate on someone when you don’t fully understand their circumstances.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the perspective of a young girl, Scout, the daughter of Atticus. He makes a difference in the town by accepting the case of defending Tom Robinson, a black man who was falsely accused of raping a white woman. Although he didn’t volunteer to take this case, he knew he was more open minded than his community and believed in justice for all, if he didn’t help Tom Robinson, who would. So he accepted this request, providing a positive role model to …show more content…
The ‘all together now – erasing racism’ campaign states that 1 in 5 citizens of Australia today are still being racially abused, making it very clear that the issues revealed in the novel still have its relevance in society today.
One particular case that exemplifies racial discrimination, is the Cameron Doomadgee case occurring in November, 2004. A white police officer locked up an aboriginal man, who hours later died in police custody. This case is highly similar to that of the Tom Robinson case in To Kill a Mockingbird.
Cameron Doomadgee was arrested by a white police officer, with no visible injuries. Just one hour later he was found dead in police custody with countless staggering injuries. It was reported that the white police officer that arrested him off the streets of Palm Island was instrumental in causing Cameron’s injuries and his subsequent death. Following many years of court battles and public outcry the tall man walked free, leaving Indigenous Australians still fighting for

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