Racism on the Story to Kill a Mockingbird

Racism

In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, there are many examples of social inequalities and racial profiling. There is a strong social hierarchy in the town of Maycomb. At the top is the Finch family, due to Atticus' position as a lawyer. Beneath them are the white townspeople who have jobs such as the Cunningham's, who are farmers, and Ms. Maudie who babysits for Scout. Next are the white trash families like the Ewells. Despite being treated like trash, all of these white people still have a higher status than any of the black people. An example of how the Finch's are at the top of the social structure is when Walter pours molasses on his dinner and Scout criticizes him by saying, "He's only a Cunningham." This shows that even Scout, who is basically a good person, can be influenced by the town's social structure and say discriminatory things.

The two different churches are another example of social inequality. First Purchase is the negro community's church. The name comes from the money that the first African-American slaves raised. This is very different from the white's church because there are no holes in the roof. Even though there are noticeable flaws in the First Purchase, the humanity and togetherness of the black community makes it a very special thing for Scout and Jem to see.

In the 21st Century there are still many examples of social inequalities in the United States. Whites are still considered something of an upper-class and have higher incomes and education than blacks. However, there is a new emerging demographic in the social structure. Hispanics, especially Mexicans, are frequently treated less than equally. There are many reasons that contribute to this. Some of these include not speaking English, having low education, and being illegal immigrants.

Racial profiling is shown in To Kill A Mockingbird when Tom Robinson, a black man, is charged with raping a young white girl. Bob Ewell, who is above Tom in the social standard, accuses Tom of the rape just because he is black. Bob makes these accusations without any evidence. Atticus defends Tom Robinson because believes he is innocent. Atticus doesn't see color and teaches his children this strong moral value. The townspeople respond by calling Atticus a "****** lover." Mrs. Dubose, an old racist woman, shows disrespect towards Atticus and his children. She chastises the children for not acting and dressing appropriately when she says things like Scout should be wearing a dress. Mrs. Dubose feels Scout is disgracing the Finch name by not doing so. Therefore, the town is divided by racial profiling.

The year 2009 could be the dawn of a new era. Our new president, Barack Obama, is the first African-American President. Perhaps the United States is ready to adopt Obama's slogan of "Change" and put an end to social inequality and