The Theme of Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay -- To Kill a Moc

The Theme of Prejudice in To Kill a MockingbirdTo Kill a Mocking Bird teaches us closely the deceit and prejudiceamongst the residents of Maycomb County, all of whom have verycontrasting and conflicting views. We are told the story through theeyes of little girl, Scout, and the twenty-four hour period-to-day prejudices she facesamongst society. Her father, Atticus, is a blank man defending aNegro, even though the town frowns upon such a thing. He is trying tobring order to the socially segregating views, both inwardly the courtand out. The most common form of prejudice, which is seen many times throughoutthe novel, is racism. The white folk of Maycomb County feel they havea higher status in society than the black community, and that theNegroes are there simply to be controlled by the whites. The views ofa Negro do not matter they are worthless to a white person. They areseen as dirty and beneath a white. This is true even in extremecases such as the Ewells being compared to the b lack community. horizontalthough the Ewells are seen as low class, shabby and disliked, they arestill given a higher status than any Negro. You find out the sideof the Ewells quite early on in the book, after Scout meets theyoungest child of the family, Burris. Atticus tells Scout the Ewellshad been the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of themhad done an honest days work. This statement from Atticus gives usanother form of prejudice class. By saying that they are a disgraceand have neer done a days work, degrades them and thus makes themsound lower class, which essentially they are. This topic is raised afew times in the book, but basically with the same view. The Ewellchildren however are treated... ...t the verdict will be guilty. Tom Robinsonhas been discriminated by a biased community, a community of Negrohaters. Tom is arrange guilty, even though the evidence given proves himto be innocent. Tom was never given a fair chance in the trial. Theguilty verdict i s the import of a racist community.As I have said, prejudice is a key factor in To Kill a Mockingbird.It sets storylines, gives people opposite opinions and makes peoplebiased towards different issues. It just shows how life was in the1930s, and the way that race, sex, class and religious prejudice haschanged over the years. People were scared to voice their opinions, terror-struck of what the community might say if they did. If this had beenchanged and people werent so biased that maybe that innocent manwould have lived, and people would not have been so discriminative toone another.