Aside from Tom Robinson, the one character who suffers the
most discrimination is undoubtedly Atticus Finch, the main character of the novel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Nell Harper
Lee.
There is a lot of discrimination in the novel, though.
Atticus is just an example of how people discriminate against those that opt to go
against the status quo and fight for what they believe in, no matter how much they
oppose the majority. In his case, Atticus is discriminated for defending a black man.
Yet, more characters also suffer from prejudice as
well.
The moment Atticus takes the case, his children are
direct targets of the people. Notice how Lula gets upset when Cal takes the children to
her church. However, they are nowhere near more detested as is the lowest ranking white
family in Macomb, the notorious Ewells.
Although the Ewells
were the black hole of Macomb, they still were thought to be victims of Tom Robinson
simply because they were white. However, even the white folk at Macomb secretly detested
the Ewells because of their nasty lifestyles, their dinginess, and their horrid social
behavior.
Additionally, we see discrimination from the
children towards other children. We know that Scout discriminated against her fellow
schoolmate because he was too poor and did not have table manners. She also
discriminated against Boo Radley because he is reclusive and has a weird reputation. All
that changes, but it is evidence of how discrimination can surpass the racial realm,
extending itself to social status, and financial
stability.
In all, To Kill a
Mockingbirdteaches a lesson on ignorance and how it can bring an entire town
into chaos. It is a novel that depicts how people view each other even though they do
not know each other. It is a wonderful illustration of the mentality of those who refuse
to accept change, and those who are too narrow minded to see beyond the superficiality
of appearances.
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