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Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird

The theme of prejudice is littered throughout Harper Lee's unblemished literary masterpiece "To Kill A Mockingbrid". Prejudice plays a major role in the lives of the main characters of Maycomb, Alabama. The story centers around two major instances of prejudice, and the way that the narrator (Jean Louise Finch - A.K.A. Scout) perceives these prejudices. The novel is a sweet love story told from the perspective of an older woman, fondly remembering her father, brother, and neighbours.

The major theme of prejudice in "To Kill A Mockingbird" is that of racial intolerance of a young African American man charged with the crime of rape and assault of a white girl. The story is brought to the forefront when the town judge chooses Scout's father, Atticus Finch, to defend Tom Robinson, the man accused of the rape and assault. Judge Taylor opts for Atticus Finch because he realizes that in the 1930's south, the only chance Tom Robinson has of being properly defended is by the morally just and socially responsible Atticus Finch.

Atticus Finch is a man above reproach. He instills in his children, Scout and Jem, the ethics and morals befitting respected members of society. Atticus does not consider himself to be better than any other man, including Tom Robinson, who is innocent of these crimes. The townspeople of Maycomb, Alabama, however, feel betrayed that Atticus would defend Tom, more than willing to send him to prison or death for his crimes. The racial intolerance in the 1930's was ubiquitous, and a fair trial did not exist. Atticus felt, however, that within the confines of a court room there should be equality and fairness.

Times were beginning to change, and the white people could sense this. In the courtroom, Atticus' children, Scout and Jem (along with a friend, Dill) sat in the balcony, a section reserved for those people of colour. This showed that Atticus Finch had raised his children properly, to not see those seats as only for coloured people, but merely as seats in which to sit beside a fellow Maycomb citizen.

Another prominent issue of prejudice comes in the form of a reclusive neighbour, Arthur 'Boo' Radley, a man considered to be a monster of sorts, and one that is never given a fair chance in the imaginations of Maycomb folk. Scout and Jem have heard all of the stories, yet Atticus constantly tells them not to bother him, and that you cannot truly judge a man until you step inside of his skin and walk around. These

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