The Effects Of Prejudice In To Kill

The Effects Of Prejudice In To Kill A Mockingbird Essay, Research Paper Prejudice is a common problem during the early quarter of the twentieth century. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird this problem is evident in Maycomb. Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson are all victims of prejudice, and all three characters are plagued by this. It affects them all differently; crippling them and disabling them from acting as they wish. In the novel, Boo Radley is a victim of prejudice. Boo Radley is not accepted nor does he fit into Maycomb society because he is different from others. He is not normal so he is punished by a society that is very judgmental. Boo does not act like a normal person. In society, his actions are mysterious and abnormal. One day Boo was cutting the

newspaper with scissors, and when his father passed “Boo drove the scissors into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants, and resumed his activity”(Lee, 11). Boo just sat there after stabbing his father. He did not apologize or feel remorse for his actions. Boo Radley isolates himself from the people of Maycomb. Boo stays inside his home all day and nobody ever sees him. After some trouble with the law, “Mr. Radley’s boy was not seen again for fifteen years”(10). If Boo chooses to go outside, he will be unfairly viewed as a visitor from abroad because of his mysterious ways. Boo stays inside his home because he knows that his society will ridicule him. After being isolated for so many years, Boo is developmentally challenged. Boo has lost his basic

social skills and will not survive outside of his home. Boo is the object of rumors and is viewed as the towns erratic figure. The town speculates what he does inside his home. People believe that Boo “went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows? any stealthy small crimes committed in Maycomb were his work”(9). The town would blame or accuse Boo for any little crime or unexplained phenomenon. Children speculate as well as the adults. Jem speculates to Dill “Boo was about six and a half feet tall, ? there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time”(13). This is an example of prejudice in the novel because the children speculate and fabricate ideas of what

this human does. The town portrays Boo Radley as a monstrosity in their society when he is just an individual who made mistakes and is a little bit diversified. This is an example of the crippling affect that prejudice has on a person. Atticus Finch is another victim of prejudice in the novel. After the appointment to defend Tom Robinson, a black person, the town exhibits prejudice towards him. The townspeople believe that Atticus should not present a proper defense for a black person, but Atticus fully intends to do so because he believes in equal rights and does not believe in prejudice or racism. Atticus Finch is the object of vicious comments by the townspeople. Many do not believe that Atticus should defend a black person in court because, in their biased opinion, a black

person is guilty before the case is brought to trial. Mr. Bob Ewell confronts Atticus after the trial at the post office corner, spits in his face and says ‘Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin’ bastard?’? ‘No, too old’(217). This does not bother Atticus because he knows that he is doing the right thing defending Tom properly. Atticus’s children have to confront comments by family and people in their neighborhood throughout the novel. In an incident at a family gathering Francis Finch tells Scout ‘Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he is turning out to be a nigger-lover? he’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’”(83). Scout is confused about these comments and is not sure what they mean. One evening Scout asks Atticus