Theme Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird

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“To kill a Mocking Bird” is an international bestseller along with its author Harper Lee. This novel takes place during the Great Depression in a city called Maycomb County. The story revolves around two white children, Scout and Jem Finch who live with their lawyer father, Atticus. In a racially segregated time, Atticus takes up responsibility to defend a negro, Tom Robinson, who had been accused of raping Mayella Ewells. Tom is wrongfully convicted even with evidence of his innocence. Racist acts of injustices against the coloured, such as this, are explored throughout the book. These acts are fuelled by biases and prejudices. “Prejudice is a disease with deep and far reaching roots” it is mentally impossible for an individual to let go of their biases to abandon wrong presumptions about others. Prejudice is a merciless infection, once it has taken hold and festered enough it cannot be removed-unless amputated. Prejudice has blackened the hearts of men, turning them into savages with fear and hatred, slowly poisoning their humanity and concealing reality from their naked eyes.…show more content…
An individual can be bent twisted and molded into thinking a certain way by others who have such prejudices it is propaganda. Mr.Cunningham for example, “even though he was basically a good man”, “he had his blind spot just like the rest of us”(Lee, 157). Mr. Cunningham was crafted into a racist shape by the infected people and went out of his way to grant Tom Robinson his certain death. Even though Tom Robinson was being protected by Atticus, Mr. Cunningham was willing to hurt a great and noble friend (Atticus) who had helped him at his time of need at the beginning of the book. The only reason Mr. Cunningham could possibly have for the attempt to harm Atticus was that he was guarding a Negro from harm. Mr.
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