Life's Prejudices
For a moment imagine walking down the hallway at school and seeing Mr. Caswell approaching. As upbeat and polite as possible he is greeted by, “Hey, Mr. Caswell.” He responds to this with, “Don’t you say hey to me, you ugly boy! You say good afternoon, Mr. Caswell.” Now imagine the negative prejudice that would grow out of this encounter. That is exactly what happens to the main character, Scout, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, when she is confronted by Mrs. Dubose (Lee 115). Throughout this story Scout finds herself facing her own prejudices formed from all kinds of encounters she has with her family, friends, neighbors, and the local townsfolk. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the Maycomb community faces many different prejudices throughout the novel that affect everyone’s life in many ways.
The story of Tom Robinson is one of a number of situations that occur throughout To Kill a Mockingbird that deal with prejudice. Using this as the main premise of the book, Harper Lee was able to broaden the subject of her work and expand its theme addressing other prejudices found in society. “Lee adroitly exposes the turbulence underlying southern society and psychology while presenting the possibility of its elimination through the understanding of individuals” (Matuz 240). Atticus, Scout and Jem’s father, is endeavoring to give to his children and his community the power to empathize with others. He gives them courage to defend themselves against injustice and many prejudices in society. Atticus is the one who shows them that although different people have “tags” of prejudices that loom over their head, people can make a conscious decision to see beyond those tags. For instance, Scout has become prejudice toward their neighbor, Mrs. Dubose because of the treatment she and Jem have received from her. Yet, it is Atticus who insists on teaching them to respect Mrs. Dubose because of the courage she has in battling her addiction to...
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