To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - Themes :: Kill Mockingbird essays

To Kill a Mockingbird - Themes     Although the character of Boo Radley does not break up himself until the end of the novel, he is important to all of the themes present in To Kill a Mockingbird   One of the more dominant themes is prejudice. There are three primary(prenominal) types of prejudice that are explored in the novel racial prejudice, social prejudice and fear of the unknown.   Racial prejudice is present throughout the novel in the large number of Maycombs everyday life, as it is a novel set in the deep south of America in the 1930s. This is a period shortly after the American cultivated war, so slaverys abolishment had occurred not long ago. Beca office this had not been around for long, most peoples attitudes towards Negroes had not changed, despite efforts towards change.   The situation that shows the best examples of racial prejudice is the trial of tom Robinson. In his trial, tom turkey Robinson is misjudged and mistreated bec ause he is black. One of the most prominent examples of this is the way in which Mr. Gilmer, Toms prosecutor, calls Tom boy. He uses a tone of voice, which one would use when talking to the lowest creature on earth, towards Tom and makes him look foolish. This is all because Tom is Black.   The worst example of racial prejudice is Tom Robinsons trial verdict. whole of the evidence produced by Atticus makes it clear that Tom is innocent, yet Tom is found guilty. This verdict is clearly based on the fact that Tom is black, but also that he, a black man, felt sorry for a white woman. I felt right sorry for her This statement would have brought each jury of Southern America to outrage in the 1930s. To them it was not right for a Negro to feel pity for any member of the white community.   some other example of racial prejudice in the novel is at Aunt Alexandras ladys meeting. It also shows the hypocrisy that took place in Maycomb. Miss Merriweather goes on to exp lain the the pits and squalor that is suffered by those poor Mrunas and makes herself seem most ethnically aware, but the she refers to Helen Robinson as That darkys wife The way that Miss Merriweather uses this term as if it is everyday actors line shows that Negroes are not respected, and are given quite offensive names.