Deep Racial Prejudice In Their Town example essay topic

To Kill A Mockingbird has several themes included in this classic novel. The theme of a book is defined by the dominating ideas in a literary work. It is an abstract concept that is made solid through the author's use of action, images, and characters. The main theme in this work is the reality of prejudice. Class, sex, and race are some of the prejudices present in the town of Maycomb. Prejudice concerning one's class in society is dominant in the town of Maycomb.

Class structure in this novel is important because it creates a caste system for the people to follow. In this system, the black population permeates at the bottom. Families with the Finch's stature would be found at or near the top. According to the caste system people had a position to uphold for example, if you were of a Finch's status you were to act respectably and not act like trash. The Ewells' in this story are just above the colored folks only because they are white.

Most people look down upon them resulting in avoidance. This caste system exists because in Maycomb it is the way things have always been. Class structure promotes a sense of security for the people, and that's the way the people want it to stay. Since this story takes place in the 1930's there is also a prejudice towards women. Men believed that women were the weaker sex, and not equal to a man. A prime example of this is when the men believed they should protect their women from Tom Robinson because he allegedly raped a white woman.

This is another reason the jury could have used to charge Tom Robinson as guilty. Not only could they do it for upholding their white supremacy; they could also say they were just protecting their women from a predator. The author portrays the women who have tea with Aunt Alexandra as representatives of the way a lady was supposed to act. They were to drink and converse with each other. They were made out to look extremely weak, and not dependent.

Scout is also subject to this prejudice. Throughout the book she is constantly reprimanded and told to 'act like a lady,' ; because she wears pants or swears. Another example of this type of prejudice is the fact that women are not permitted to serve on juries solely because they are women. Atticus tries to explain to Scout with better reasons, but they aren't much better. He says it's to protect them from evil cases like Tom's case, which is another example of making women appear weak. His other reason was that women are too talkative, and it would hold up the courtroom with questions.

Racial prejudice runs deep in this novel. It is shown throughout the Tom Robinson trial. Even before the trial begins people were ridiculing the Finch family by calling them 'nigger-lovers,' ; and other epithets associated with this form of negativity. The town verbally attacks a white family just for defending a black person. More evidence of this extreme racism is found at the outcome of the trial.

It is clear that Atticus proved Tom Robinson did not rape May ella Ewell, and have been declared not guilty. Although he should have been found to be not guilty, the jury, which happened to be all white, charges him guilty because of the color of his skin. Some of the jury members may not have wanted to do this, but they were compelled to because of the deep racial prejudice in their town. The jury is forced to find him guilty simply because it is a white person's word against a black's. The town is forced to do this to maintain white people's assumed superiority. These three forms of prejudice are the major themes in To Kill A Mockingbird.

Their combination creates a restrictive society that is diminished because of pointless prejudices.