Examples Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

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The worst kind of racist book is one that is supposed to be the opposite. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee and it was published in 1960, when racism and discrimination were fully accepted. It is famous for teaching valuable life-lessons and showing that all men are made equal. Despite this, some people are critical of the book due to the way black people are portrayed. At its time To Kill a Mockingbird was regarded as an anti-racist book. Nowadays many point out how most black characters are depicted as docile, passive people waiting for a white saviour. One of the mockingbirds in the book is a black man in distress. Tom Robinson is the catalyst of the story, already changing Scout’s and Jem’s lives and views on things before…show more content…
Calpurnia is the main black character in the book and the biggest stereotype. “Wise black woman” is a popular character used by white people to make black people happy. It is a strong black woman portrayed in a positive light, showing great wisdom and kindness. Calpurnia is this character in the book, displaying moments of affection and authority, but also her racism towards blacks. When she took the Finch children to church most people were happy to have Jem and Scout there, but one woman was not so willing to roll out the mat. In this awful society where black people were treated as second-class citizens the church was the only sanctuary. Lula is the only black person in the entire book who doesn’t accept the way she is being treated, and condemns Calpurnia for bringing the children there. “I wants to know why you bringin‘ white chillun to nigger church.” (Lee, 131). Unlike with all the white racists, Lula’s racism isn’t forgiven or explained but is frowned upon by black people too, even though her racism is much more understandable. Wise as she is, Calpurnia doesn’t reason with Lula or logically explain why it’s okay to bring the kids there. Instead she simply says, “Stop right there, nigger.” (131). Calpurnia uses the racist and dehumanising term towards a person of her own race, and somehow because she happens to work for the Finches it is acceptable for her to do so. If a black person admits that black people are trash,…show more content…
In To Kill a Mockingbird only white people ever stand up for a black person, like Atticus and Link Deas. The black people who were constantly fighting (and still are) to be on par with white people are completely denied their history. Even some racist white people are given heroic sides; Mr Underwood, who "despises Negroes, won't have one near him" (172), had Atticus covered during the night in jail and wrote an angry editorial about the outcome of the trial, showing that he still isn’t completely blinded by racism when making his judgements. "Mr Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they sitting, standing, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds" (265). The whole book is based on the metaphor “mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (99). Whether it was Lee’s intention or not, many people’s understanding is that the mockingbird represents black people in general. This interpretation would mean that black people are harmless and innocent people existing for the sole purpose of “singing their hearts out” and making life better for white people. Black people are not really people in this novel; they are there to determine the goodness of a white
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