Prejudice is a negatively biased opinion based on stereotypes and ideas not proven to be true, which is a main theme in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice may make one feel excluded, dejected, or inferior to others in society, which is what three certain characters feel in this story. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book written by Harper Lee published in 1960. Within this fiction, the characters affected by prejudice are Walter Cunninham Jr., Scout Finch, and Tom Robinson. They all experience a different type of discrimination through contrasting ways which in turn affect their lives.
Walter is affected by social prejudice, Scout distressed by gender and age prejudice, and Tom troubled by racial prejudice. Walter Cunningham Jr. comes from an extremely poor family with little resources to survive off of, resulting in placement towards the bottom of society. In Maycomb, citizens will often treat those who live differently in a harsh manner, such as how Aunt Alexandra tells Scout she cannot invite Walter to dinner because “...he-is-trash” (Lee 301). Aunt Alexandra has a strong opinion towards the Cunninghams as she believes they are dirty and that the Finches should not associate with them as they are not their “kin.” Not to mention, she does not even want Scout to hang around Walter, as she fears Scout may catch onto his “dirty” ways.
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Another example of Walter Cunningham experiencing social prejudice is when he is eating dinner with the Finches. Scout criticizes Watler for pouring syrup all over his dinner, and when Calpurnia lectures her about it, Scout simply replies, “He ain’t company Cal, he’s just a Cunningham-” (Lee 33). Scout is showing prejudice towards Walter and thinks of the Cunninghams as people who are less fortunate and at the bottom of the social class. She is aware of who the Cunninghams are and their capabilities, knowing that they do now have much. Therefore, she treats them as people who are not living a life as good as her, saying that they are “just a Cunningham.”
This classism affects Walter Cunningham because since everybody treats him differently, he is often socially excluded. His social exclusion can be seen when he eats at the Finches’ house as he pours molasses all over his dinner, showing how he has clearly never been to someone else’s house, or invited to eat dinner. Walter Cunningham being socially excluded is because nobody wants to associate with him due to his different lifestyle. Another character that experiences prejudice is Scout Finch. Although Scout does not experience the same type of discrimination as Walter, she struggles with gender and age prejudice. Her own Aunt Alexandra continuously gives Scout prejudice in terms of her behavior as a girl. Aunt Alexandra expects Scout to be a stereotypical white Southern lady. However, Scout is the opposite as she is a tomboy. During one Christmas with the Finches, Aunt Alexandra tells Scout, “...[she] wasn’t supposed to be doing things that required pants.
Aunt Alexandra’s vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves, tea sets...I should be a ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life” (Lee 108). She is receiving prejudice from Aunt Alexandra because she is wanted to follow the typical white Southern lady stereotypes. However, when she does not follow them and has a different lifestyle, she receives harsh opinions for having her own ways, which is something Aunt Alexandra cannot understand, resulting in judgement. Scout is being condemned for being herself, which affects her as she does not understand why and is more confused and hurt to think that one of her family members does not accept her for the way she is. Not only does she receive sexism, but she also goes through ageism by her brother Jem. As Jem is growing older, he often perceives Scout as a younger, less intelligent sibling that does not understand concepts and ideas. Scout even narrates that Jem “...went so far as to tell me what to do. After one altercation when Jem hollered, ‘It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!’” (Lee 153). She soon cried and ran away to Calpurnia, showing how much Jem’s ageism had negatively affected her. Scout does not understand why Jem is acting so mature now, and Jem had never mentioned anything about the way she acted, so to see him prejudice her emotionally taunts her.
A third character that suffers from a form of prejudice is Tom Robinson, a black man who goes through racial discrimination throughout the novel even to his death. During Tom’s testimony, Mr. Gilmer presents racial inequality and treats Tom with little to no respect, calling him “boy” and not taking anything he says seriously. Mr. Gilmer especially shows disrespect towards Tom when he asks him, “‘Are you being impudent to me, boy?’” (Lee 265). Not only does he not call Tom by his proper name, but he also thinks Tom is the one being rude to him due to the stereotype that colored men are not mannered. This prejudice no longer affects Tom as he is so used to the racism that he experiences from white Maycomb citizens, showing how much he suffers from it. Racial inequality is also shown by Scout when she tells Dill, “‘Well, Dill, after all he’s just a negro.’” (Lee 266). Scout considers Tom Robinson as a man who is inferior due to him being a black man. She does not feel as much sympathy for a black man as much as a white man, using “he’s just a negro” as an excuse, showing racial prejudice. This affects Tom Robinson’s life as barely any white people will support or believe him due to the racism of Maycomb citizens. This will result in the jurors favoring a white man’s word over a black man’s word, which will be a major factor of Tom Robinson’s death.
Walter Cunningham Jr., Scout Finch, and Tom Robinson all experience a form of prejudice, whether it’s social, gender, or racial. Almost all Maycomb citizens are guilty of prejudice or being a victim of it. Often times when people don’t understand one’s lifestyle, they turn it into some form of prejudice, which is presented repeatedly in To Kill a Mockingbird. Prejudice will always have a harmful effect on someone as they are being criticized by false beliefs and stereotypes, which is why one should always have opinions based on proven facts rather than preconceived information.
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