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Analysis of Figurative Racism in To Kill a Mockingbird.

I

Introduction

To Kill a Mockingbird is a title of a book by author Harper Lee published in the year 1960 that became widely spread and immensely popular and was translated into more than 40 languages and managed to sell over 30 million copies all over the world and won multiple awards. The novel widely acclaimed because of the issues it raised above in the American South because of its sensitive ideas to prejudice and how it addressed racism. To Kill a Mockingbird as a fictional story is staged in a place called Maycomb, in Alabama at a time of great depression. The novel gained renown fame because of the humor and warmth though it was dealing with serious matters of racial inequalities and rape. The father of the narrator is painted as a moral hero and as a pillar of integrity. The primary themes addressed in this novel are mostly racial injustice and the erosion of innocence.

Harper lee chooses Maycomb town, Alabama as his fictional town. His creativity sets the town to be experiencing great depression at the time to which the scene happens. Jean Louise Scott Finch a protagonist is rather unconventional girl aged between six to nine years old throughout the book. Jean louse, her brother Atticus and father Atticus Finch lives together. The father is a widow and a very prominent practitioner of the law and as a lawyer insists to his children that they should always show empathy and just. He is recorded telling his children that they can kill any other bird but not a mockingbird because they are harmless and innocent. The theme of racism is highly analyzed, and the mockingbird in itself is a small bird that sings beautifully and mocks and imitates the sounds made by the other birds. The symbolism in the title is used to compare the mockingbird to certain characters in the narrative and to highlight the atmosphere that is created by the events in the book.

II

Scout, the narrator, believes that the world is a perfect place and their community and appears to have faith in them but as time goes by, she realizes that the people in the city may not be as good as she assumed them to be. There exist racism and hatred at the trial of another character in the novel Tom. Because of this factor, she gets a new perspective that helps her gain the intelligence to see the goodness of people but at the same time be aware of the evil they are also capable of committing.

The author quotes, “The trees were. Still, the mockingbirds were silent”, a clear sign that the trees were the jury and that Tom is the mockingbird as they surround and threaten the existence of Tom Robinson (Lee, 54). Afterward in the story, as Tom is found guilty and sent to prison to wait for his death while in jail. The events bring to mind a similar opinion as it shows the symbolic racism plus at the time when Atticus attempts to aim at the rabid dog and against all the odds manages to shoot the dog first time. This situation and when the family of the Atticus awaits the decision of the jury in Tom’s case. The silence of the mockingbirds during the two scenarios displays a degree of tension, and in Scout’s mind, the events are related. She links the two situations and the mental note, but she sees that the rabid dog was sick and Atticus claims that Tom does not suffer from Maycomb’s disease. This disease is racism and it is applied figuratively.

Mocking birds are also identified as a show of vulnerability. This case is depicted explicitly and implicitly. Mr. Underwood, the editor of Maycomb’s newspaper, coins an article on the death of Tom he compares it to the senseless slaughter of songbirds (Lee, 135). Therefore, the mockingbird is vulnerable to the individuals who seek to slaughter them. At this point, even the attitude of Mr. Underwood change because he starts seeing the innocence of Tom and discovers that his persecution is only because of his race. Because of the color of Underwood, he notices the difference between the mockingbird and himself.

III

In the entire novel Tom’s trial was the major incident of racism and it revolved around the same theme. A white woman named Myella Ewell was sexually assaulted and thus led to his arrest. The whole population of Maycomb turns against him due to the incident. Furthermore, he becomes a victim of racism after being exposed and the whole population judges him based on the skin color. However, Atticus is the only member of the society who does not believe the speculative rumors proving Myella’s side. He further faces hatred from the citizens of his co-existing community and also the court as much as there is no proof of him committing the crime. An opportunity to examine the racist stances he was being accused of was offered in the entire community.

The above illustrations were clearly shown in the conversation between Atticus and his daughter when he was asked what “nigger-lover” (Lee) meant. Atticus responds by claiming that “nigger-lover is just one of the terms that don’t mean anything-like snot-nose” (Lee). Therefore, illustrating that Mr. Atticus answered the question and illustrates an attitude on the issue at hand. He points out that there is no difference of using the name and one can use it freely although when he mentions it the girl becomes more terrified.

Atticus defended Tom and during this period another stance of racism was observed. He believed that Tom was innocent and thus decides to stand with him throughout the whole processing. However, the stand made the Maycomb society to be saddened with such actions and his actions were met with wrath. Cecil Jacob who was a classmate of Scout announced that Scout’s father was defending a ‘Negro’ and the announcement led to a brawl between Cecil and Scout. Therefore, during the situation at hand it is correct to proclaim that racism poisoned the atmosphere surrounding their environment such that Scout even forgets her promises and also loses her temper after the altercations. Therefore, we can note that the above associations led to racism incidents becoming prominent only due to supporting the innocent if he could have been wrongly convicted. “The mocking bird” (Saney, pg. 99-105) is a stance of symbolism thereby illustrating the second racism stand whereby it stands for the black man facing charges due to skin color rather than being processed on fairground basis.

To the dismay of the racist white community of Maycomb, Atticus takes up the defence of a black man called Tom Robinson and to make it worse, who has been accused of committing rape against a white woman. The decision of Atticus makes him and his family face discrimination. Both Scout and Jem suffer abuse from the other children, even during the Christmas celebration at Finch’s landing on the family compound. The Finches also have a black cook who invites the children and goes with them to a black church, and the close-knit and warm black community embraces them without discrimination. There is clear proof as provided by Atticus that Mayella Ewell and the father are lying to the court to cover the shame and guilt of sleeping with a black man. Even the wounds are self-inflicted as the father attacked her for being angry.

Boo Radley stabs his father with a scissor and thus during the incident racism was observed. He always remained in solitary and some members claimed that he was lonely as illustrated in the “Scout, I’m beginning to understand something…” (Lee) Despite the criminal act he had committed he is not locked up with the other black criminals within the prison cells. Consequently, he was locked up in the basement of the courthouse and the segregation at hand illustrates racism stances. Furthermore, the other white sheriff believes that if Boo could have been imprisoned with the other black people then it could have been harsh treatment. One is able to notice something sinister about Boo’s treatment since he receives a prejudicial treatment even after having confessed to committing the crime. Tom faces ill-treatment due to his skin color and therefore one can note the difference in treatment. Consequently, an incident of prejudice in discriminating Tom and how the authority loses sense of decision-making and justice process is shown clearly.

IV

Verbal abuse was used by Mrs. Dubose when she confronts both Scout and Jem by claiming "Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (Saney, pg. 99-105). Now the direct statement above illustrates how racist Mrs. Dubose was as he compares the black people to “trash”. She yells at both of them and expresses her anger. She is not pleased with their father’s action of defending the negro a rather black man (Tom) when both Jem and Scout pass by her house. She further moves and agrees with the many other individuals who claimed that Atticus was wrong of supporting Tom who was black. Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose’s Camellia bush after getting furious at the remarks presented by her. Therefore, the people of Maycomb have a negative attitude towards Atticus who loses his position after defending and believing that Tom was innocent.

The negative treatment experienced when Jem and Scout are in church is another instance of racism. They were taken to church by their caretaker, Calpurnia where they face social prejudice or hostile treatment. A black woman expressed her anger by claiming that the white people have their own worshipping stations. Therefore, Scout and Jem were viewed as enemies of the black community due to their skin color when they attended a church session full of black people. The manner in which dominant white members in the society were treating their black counterparts led to this hatred between these two groups in the society. It is correct to thus claim that the hostility in the attitudes of these two groups illustrate that racism was inherent between these co-existing groups in the society.

V

Atticus understands the importance of racial discrimination. Tom as his fiend and worker at his place is innocent of the case filed against him by Mayella Ewella. As a lawyer he decides to represent him in the court room. Mayella Ewella does not provide any proof in the courtroom against tom, but finally tom is victimized of the case lied against him. Claims lays it clear that anyone who finds friends without being bias to the color appears to successful in life. Atticus in this chapter chooses to help tom not because he is a friend but for the truth. Tom who is greatly affected just because he is black, Atticus pledges to the court because it is supposed to be a place free of discrimination and justice given despite the color and social caste of the people. (lee, 121) the court has many whites who are the racist and do not believe that blacks can deserve justice. The blacks are attached to prejudices that put their hands tied in the hands of the white courts. Their honesty cannot be proven. Although Atticus wanted to help tom, that was proven impossible in their courts, even his friendship with him was in a major threat. The case of tom added Maycomb court as a racism zone.

Chapter 23 of to kill a mockingbird, contains another incident where Atticus knowledge to judicial system after he struggled with toms’ trial. He tried his best to get a winning for Tom but all was in vain because it was proven in the white’s courts. Atticus staged a revolt against his society the moment he decides to help in the case of tom. Atticus in the courtroom is annoyed by the white girl. He says that tom was not responsible for the claims. The court rules according to the norms of the land. These norms do not allow for the white to kiss a negro. He also challenges the court whether they have any prove that they are not negros. And that the white girl Mayella Ewella is guilty of breaking the social norms of the law. Most of the following chapters, Atticus as a non-racist man has dedicated his life to teaching his children how to evade discrimination by persons color. Finally, the judgement is made and tom has no other option than face death by execution.

Conclusion

In the final judgement, Atticus concludes that the blacks will never get justice against the whites in their lands. He also insists that there will not come a time where the black wins a case against the white. In most cases, this is the situation in the ground today. Many of the people does not get their rights. There are other issues pushing justice against the blacks in the favor of whites. These factors include color, sex, and the people s different affiliations. This issue of racism has become more common that Africans does not seek justice in the courts but wait for the final decision from the racist judges. Africans have gone to a further step of creating their own churches to which they have full control and can manage by themselves without the white interference. Giving a clear guideline that they do not depend on each other at any point or way. In conclusion, according to the writer of the novel, to kill a mockingbird, issues like racism and segregation. some of the issues about racism are discussed in a detailed manner. Other sorts of injustice a deeply discussed in the book.

Work cited

Armstrong, Jean. "Critical Reception." To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1987, pp. 76-77.

Banton, Michael. "What We Now Know About Race and Ethnicity." 2015.

Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. Random House, 2010.

Saney, Isaac. "The case against to kill a mockingbird." Race & Class 45.1 (2003): 99-105