To Kill a Mockingbird Themes: Prejudice

Prejudice in To Kill a Mockingbird

Prejudice and Discrimination are very prominent throughout the whole especially towards the black members of society presenting ideas of fear, superstition and injustice towards them. This is mainly because whilst Harper Lee wrote this novel the world at that time, was also very racially discriminative.

An example of a heavily discriminative situation in the novel is the setting of Tom Robinsons trial.

• The courthouse physically separated the white people and black people. The black people sat on the balcony where as the white people sat on the ground floor. As well as this, only members of the white community were able to be part of the jury.

Maycomb and Prejudice

In Maycomb the black community is seen as the lowest of the lowest, even below the working class white community, for example, the Ewell family, who are also known as "White Trash". This can be shown clearly when during the trial Tom Robinson states that he feels sorry for Mayella Ewell, a lower class white member of the society. Mr Gilmer then notices that it is a lowest class citizen trying to overrule someone in a class higer than him. The Ewells would feel threatened by this because after the abolition of black slavery there would be no distinct different between both of these classes.
      Also, there is a prejudice against Boo Radley. He is not accepted by the community…