“Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle still continues” (Harry Belafonte). During the 1930s when To Kill a Mockingbird took place, slavery was abolished, but racism was still prevalent in society. In the historical fiction novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that racism is demonstrated by a lack of equality amongst people and a common viewpoint during the time period the novel was written was seen in character conversations, actions, and trial proceeding. Racism was seen in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird by character conversations.
One example of racism being used in a character conversation was when Jem and Scout were talking about Dolphus Raymond’s mixed children. When Jem and Scout were talking about the mixed children Jem explained to Scout, ”they don’t belong anywhere. Colored folks won’t have ’em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ’em ‘cause they’re colored, so they’re just in- betweens, don’t belong anywhere” (Lee 215). This is demonstrating racism by saying nobody will accept mixed children because they aren’t one color. Jem is saying to Scout that Dolphus Raymond’s children don’t belong anywhere and nobody will accept them. Another example of racism is when Scout asks Jem “why’s he sittin with the colored folks?” (Lee 214).
Dolphus Raymond always sits with the colored folks because he is married to a black woman. Why should the color of a person’s skin be a topic to discuss? Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, various characters defined racism through their actions. During the time period of To Kill a Mockingbird racist views of whites towards blacks were widespread. One way this was demonstrated in the novel was by a group of men going to the Maycomb county jail and attempting to lynch Tom Robinson. As the group had a plan of lynching Tom Robinson when they arrived at the Maycomb county jail, “in ones and twos, men got out of the cars. Shadows became substance as lights revealed solid shapes moving toward the jail door” (Lee 202).
127 our experts are availableright now
This was one of the most common ways racism was defined, yet another way to explain racism is looking at it through the perspective of someone who is black. One obvious example of defined racism through the character’s actions is when Calpurnia took the kids to her all colored church and everybody in her church reacted the wrong way. This was portrayed when Lula questioned Calpurnia by saying “I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church” (Lee 158). This creates a clear definition of racism because it is being defined through an African American viewpoint.
Frequently through the novel, Lee defines racism through the character’s actions. From start to finish racism was presented in Lee’s novel with Tom Robinson’s trial being the culmination. By the end of the Tom Robinson trial, the audience knows that Bob Ewell was the person who raped Mayella. This was evident because Bob Ewell is left handed and the right side of Mayella’s face was the side that was beat up. However, according to Atticus, Tom Robinson would never have won that trial because “there’s something in this world that makes men lose their heads- they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 295).
The fact that it was proven Robinson was innocent yet still found guilty was a common outcome based on race. An additional example where racism is being displayed is the seating arrangement in the courthouse during the trial. As Jem and Scout walk into the courthouse “the Colored balcony ran along three walls of the courtroom like a second-story veranda, and from it we could see everything” (Lee 219). This explanation of the seating arrangement is a recognizable example of racism. The seating arrangement was described by the white sitting on the floor in seats where they get more room and the black sitting in the balcony where they were packed tight.
Through the Tom Robinson trial this exemplifies that racism was shown in the trial proceeding. To conclude, racism was a substantial problem during the time period the novel took place. Even though slavery was abolished, it did not fix the problem of racism. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee presents the idea that racism is demonstrated by a lack of equality amongst people and a common viewpoint during the time period the novel was written was seen in character conversations, actions, and trial proceeding.
References
- History: Civil Rights Movement
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Racism
- Teaching Tolerance: Racism
- NAACP: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Civil Rights Museum
- United Nations: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
