The Impacts Of Marginalized Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

Social inequality is an uncivilized ranking scale which was created by simple minded people who held the fear being surpassed. The argument made by Harper Lee in her work To Kill a Mockingbird is that social inequality is a hierarchy that is complex and affects everyone. More specifically, the author argues that the racial boundaries put between the black and white during the 1930’s caused great stress. This is proven in the novel multiple times. The people of Maycomb judge one another based on the background and wealth of their families. Not only do they judge each other within the community, they discriminate against anyone different than them. Social inequality does not only exist in the form of racism, there are many forms; some of the major ones appear in this book. Social inequality based purely on family background, social inequality based on the wealth of the individual and family, and racism. These are three of the major forms of social inequality that appear numerous times in the book.

The prejudice seen in the fictional novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee corresponds with the real narrow-mindedness during this time period. A fair trial would be unlikely during this time period between a white and a black man. Tom Robinson was presumed guilty because of his race.

An unlikely hero is someone who, despite being expected to fail, overcomes their obstacles and becomes a force of change. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee features many undervalued characters whose opinion is typically not respected. Despite facing harsh marginalization, characters like Calpurnia, Boo, Tom, and Atticus are still able to have major impacts on the way traditional stereotypes about racial equality, gender roles, and social class are seen through the eyes of Maycomb’s citizens and future generations, portraying them as heroes within the story.

People are not born prejudiced. “It is something that is learned". It can be learned in the same way other attitudes and values are learned, primarily through association, reinforcement and modeling. For example, children may learn to associate a particular ethnic group with poverty, crime, violence and other negative things” (2006 Anti-Defamation League). Also, prejudice in “children may be reinforced by listening to derogatory ethnic jokes, especially when others laugh along or think they're cool”. Lastly, children may simply imitate the prejudices of their older family members and popular friends. Prejudice is to pre- judge. “Prejudice is a baseless and usually negative attitude toward members of a group. Common features of prejudice

'Democracy,' she said. 'Does anybody have a definition?' ... 'Equal rights for all, special privileges for none' (Lee 248).

In the book “Street Sex Work and Canadian Cities: Resisting a Dangerous Order” by Shawna Ferris, she discusses the influence of mainstream media representation of street workers on the ever-grown urbanized population. Across the country, media sources promote an anti-prostitution bias and incorporate images and stories that portray sex workers as a nuisance to society. A study was that was conducted by Erin Gibbs Van Brunschot, Rosalind A. Sydie, and Catherine Krull, in regards to media related-news on prostitutes between 1981 and 1995 in Canadian newspapers discovered that their themes were all inter-connected. “There were four themes that were most prevalent in the years under review: nuisance, child-abuse, violence, and non-Western prostitution.”

. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows how fear and racism has characterized someone’s potential in to being a “mockingbird.” Harper Lee clearly sets up most characters as either a hero, or villain through unique ways without looking at a hero as “man with a gun” (112 Lee). Although, Atticus seems to be the claimed hero in the story, some other improbable heroes are evident such as, Arthur Radley and Mrs. Dubose. The actions they have done raises them into the unlikely hero status is also the one reason that hurts them so much. In “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee portrays true heroes as people who persevere through hardships, even though they will suffer the consequences of their actions.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee and was published in 1960. This novel is included in various curriculums to enable students to take this well-written novel to identify the themes and messages and be educated from their literature. Prejudice is defined as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. The different forms of prejudice that will be analysed are racial, class and social, thus, leads to the citizens of Maycomb to marginalises characters and treat them as an insignificant. It is evident that many characters in this novel suffer from different types of prejudice, which creates a sense of marginalisation. Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Arthur Radley are the important, main

Life is like a thrill ride; one never knows what will be in store for them. Many characters in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee feel the same way about life, having experienced many surprising and unexpected turns of events. This story is about a sleepy southern town filled with prejudice, and a lawyer’s quest, along with his children Scout and Jem, to take steps in ridding the town of its prejudiced attitude. Despite being a white man, a lawyer named Atticus, defends an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. However, everything does not go as was hoped, and the mindset of the society overpowered Atticus’s fair-minded argument. From this emerges a theme regarding the bigotry and bias overwhelming Maycomb: A

“But now he’s turned out a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruining’ the family, that’s what he’s doing’.” (Lee 110). The power of hatred is one so strong, that it imprisons the Finches and African Americans of Maycomb County. In Alabama of 1920 to 1930, segregation is an established action of the Southerners, it’s a lifestyle. The slurs passed from the mouths of white Southerners and ending with the shooting of a black man, the ways of Maycomb County are ones seen as either shocking or common in today’s eyes. To Kill A Mockingbird is an eminent novel by Harper Lee that illustrates the aspects of discrimination and prejudice, tolerance and courage during a time in America where racial inequality

Discrimination, it has been part of human nature for a long time, especially relevant subject in literature such as To Kill a Mockingbird. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the main character of Scout Finch was exposed to different types of discrimination as she grows up. Discrimination affected the lives of characters in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird because of society’s prejudicial views of race, gender, and class.

One goal of President Trump is to build a wall near the southern border. According to the LA Times, President Trump insists that,“We will build a great wall along the southern border. And Mexico will pay for the wall. One hundred percent. They don't know it yet, but they're going to pay for it. And they're great people and great leaders but they're going to pay for the wall. On day one, we will begin working on intangible, physical, tall, power, beautiful southern border wall. We will use the best technology, including above and below ground sensors that's the tunnels. Remember that, above and below”(LA Times 7). President Trump is claiming that if a border wall is established, Americans will be benefitting from it, even though he is kicking out immigrants from the U.S. in order to create those opportunities.

Inequality is a theme that runs throughout all of history. Harper Lee uses the theme of inequality in her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom Robinson must deal with inequality when he is accused of a crime he didn’t commit because no one will trust a black man over a white man. The Cunningham family must face discrimination because of their lack of money. Scout even faces inequality when she tries to play with Jem and Dill. The theme of inequality is a strong one in Lee’s book, and her use of inequality doesn’t only define racism, but also discrimination based on wealth and gender.

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, various characters are often forced into silence because of their race and where they stand in Maycomb County. Characters like Tom, Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, and even Miss Maudie are not given a proper voice in the novel but still demonstrate subtle heroic traits. Marginalized characters display as many heroic traits as voiced characters do, but are portrayed differently because of social class and race.

As previously mentioned, luck was not the only basis for survival; instinct, too, played a role. The thread of logic following this concept is quite simple. Jews who instinctively knew that it was in their best interest to leave the area of conflict might have escaped the holocaust, and would, therefore, have a greater chance of survival.