To Kill a Mockingbird racism essay

Racism remains one of the most painful topics of today’s culture. It is one factor that people must comprehend in order to comprehend the world’s effects. Racists are actively ruining the planet by their distrust of those of other races. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a tale of bigotry that has taken hold in Maycomb and is increasingly impacting its residents. Racism in this sense results from individuals lacking shared empathy or awareness about how to coexist respectfully with one another. A simple example is when Tom Robinson is arrested for something he did not commit and then wrongfully convicted. This paper analyzes the expression of racism as outlined in the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a story about racism rooted in Maycomb town and is gradually affecting its inhabitants. Racism in this context is as a result of the people not having a mutual understanding or the knowledge to coexist peacefully with one another. A good example is when Tom Robinson is prosecuted for what he did not do and eventually convicted wrongly. This paper analyzes the expression of racism as outlined in the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

The Symbolism of the Mockingbird

The readers of this novel are shown all things occurring through Scout’s eyes. Scout’s father tells her that she should instead shoot at tin cans placed in the backyard instead of the birds. He further reminds Scout that killing a mockingbird is sinful in spite of the fact that she has the freedom to shoot them (Lee 69). The mockingbird in this context symbolizes Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. The author relates these characters to a mockingbird that only copies or imitates songs of other birds instead of composing its own. It is possible to establish the identity of Tom and Boo by listening to rumors or true stories about them in the same way the mockingbird is identified through other birds. According to Lee (11), most stories depict Boo as an evil person hated by many people. These stories are created to show that Boo came from a wrong or undesired race.

Innocence in a Racist Society

The novel, according to Harper Lee, depicts a simple view of life in Deep South America in the 1930s and how racism gained root during this period. The story is as innocent and as humorous as told through the eyes of Jem Finch and Scout (Daniels par. 6). Scout is outlined as a young innocent adolescent growing up alongside the controversies that surround her father’s lawsuit. Atticus Finch, who is the father of Jem Finch, is a lawyer and is tasked with defending Tom Robinson who stands accused of raping a white girl. Racism is a theme that changes the lives of these characters through the movie, and this force develops all through the narrative.

The Impact of Parenting and Environment on Racism

In this narration, Scout is used to show how parenting style and the environment is a key factor that promotes racism. The character was brought up in a respectable African American society, and this is depicted in the manner in which she relates with Calpurnia, her house cleaner. Unlike many other children in the neighborhood who have developed racial prejudices, Scout remains liberal, and this is causing her many problems. The main cause of all these racial predicaments is advanced by her father’s lawsuit. Atticus isolates his children from the racists and for this reason; Scout is constantly haunted by the remarks of her peers in the playground. To this end, Scout resorts to violence which her father does not condone either.

The Deep-Rooted Racial Prejudices in Maycomb

As Atticus battles for justice, her children are continually affected by the societal prejudices. Scout is in constant defense of his father’s course, but the racial remarks seem not to be stopping soon. The continuous attacks demonstrate how cruel and deep the racial prejudices have been deeply rooted in Maycomb town. The city is crumbling to pieces because those who defend the black Americans like Atticus are seen as betraying their own race. Scout goes to the extent that she even feel her cousin Frank need to be educated to understand the course of her father’s lawsuit. Frank taunted her as well with some accusations. For instance, he called her a nigger-lover, to show disapproval to her relationship with African Americans. The very deep far-reaching roots of racism have severely affected the lives in this town especially the life of Scout. The racism is worsened by the discriminative and old-fashioned opinions of her peers.

The Injustice of Tom Robinson’s Trial

In this novel, the narrator explains a frosty relationship between a white man, Bib Ewell and an innocent black man, Tom Robinson. Ewell accuses Tom of raping and tormenting her daughter. The language used, including calling Tom a cruel animal, expresses how the accuser is bitter and hates people of color. The accusations made by Ewell against Tom are based on racial differences. Eventually, Tom was found guilty but not because of the evidence provided before the jury but on the basis that he was of a less superior race. For this, he was bound to serve a jail term for a crime he never committed. Back in the 1930s, the whites were dominant in the US, and in any competition, they would win against the Blacks. As a result, Blacks felt inferior to their white counterparts. These differences contributed to heightened racism, with some incidents depicted in the novel (Hagberg par. 3). It did not matter the situation. The case of Tom, for example, everybody in Maycomb town knew that he was innocent, but nothing could be done to save him from the wrath of the dominant white man. Atticus tried his best to defend Tom but this translated to him facing the racial prejudices as well. It was impossible to change the racial perspectives of people living in Maycomb at this period.

The Moral Decay Caused by Racism

Racism, in essence, does not allow for the collective contribution of people in the society. It makes it difficult for people to discuss development courses of the community in terms of economic, technological, and even medical platforms. Racism does destroy our morality in that regardless of the religious, or cultural beliefs; racism is pure hypocrisy (Jay par. 2). People can argue on ace related issues from the line of Christian teachings of love your neighbor more than you love yourself. Such a philosophy is supposed to govern the societal morality. However, in the modern society, Christians have a high level of hypocrisy with the majority of them being convicted of hate-related crimes. In Maycomb, even the Christian fraternity could not stand with Tom Robinson. Hence, in this context, racism is portrayed as all-powerful to the extent of turning the Golden Rule upside down.

Overcoming Racism

Often, individuals and as well as societies are made to think that racism dissipates in itself (Iannone par. 8). Promoting racism is ignorance, which comes because of continued hypocrisy. The fact is that racism is more dangerous to the young children in the society. Individuals can depict it in the manner and the levels in which the life of Scout was affected just because of his father’s lawsuit. Reverend Sykes, on the other side, seems to have suffered at the perils of racism and assumes that if Tom Robinson is accused falsely, then he and his family will not have to suffer the cruelties of racism alone.

Addressing the Issue of Racism

Issues like racism, slavery, discrimination, and segregation cannot be overlooked (Macaluso par 4). They should be addressed with the utmost seriousness they deserve. The societal perspective should be changed to the effect that all these ills especially racism is devastating to our culture and are threats to our democracy. Racism is not a disease with a defined treatment since it relates to set attitudes and developed opinions of a specific ethnic group. It is possible to overcome these elements starting from individual initiative to accept other races as they are. However, the current generation can end racist ideas by extending an equal treatment to all people.

The Message of the Novel

In conclusion, the message as outlined in the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” tries to compel members of the society not to knock (kill- literally) the souls who do not have a voice in the community. The main agenda of the author was to show the effects of racism and how it occurs in the American society. It was an unfortunate occurrence in Maycomb for the residents not to realize the unfair treatment subjected to Tom Robinson. To make it worse and more tragic is that the American society does not recognize the injustices, which the black race has faced over time. The only hope is that at one point in time, humanity will suffice and all elements of racial discrimination will be let to the past.

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Works Cited

Daniels, Anthony. “Harper Lee’s Loving-Kindness.” New Criterion, vol. 33, no. 10, June 2015, pp. 16-20. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=103029772&site=ehost-live.

Hagberg, Laurie. ”I Have a Dream/To Kill a Mockingbird.” Educational Leadership, vol. 71, no. 3, Nov. 2013, pp. 90-92. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=91736091&site=ehost-live.

Iannone, Carol. ”No Longer Black and White: A Forum on to Kill a Mockingbird.” Academic Questions, vol. 29, no. 3, Sept. 2016, pp. 243-278. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12129-016-9581-9.

Jay, G 2015, ’Queer Children and Representative Men: Harper Lee, Racial Liberalism, and the Dilemma of to Kill a Mockingbird’, American Literary History, 27, 3, pp. 487-522, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 8 November 2017.

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. , 2014. Internet resource.

Macaluso, Michael. ”Teaching to Kill a Mockingbird Today: Coming to Terms with Race, Racism, and America’s Novel.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 61, no. 3, Nov. 2017, pp. 279-287. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/jaal.678.