Themes of Prejudice and Tolerance in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by harper Lee is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It is set in the 1930s, a time when racism was very prominent. Harper Lee emphasizes the themes of prejudice and margin in her novel through the use of her characters and their interactions within the Maycomb community. The narrator of the story, spotter, comes across many people and situations with prejudice and tolerance, as her father defends a grim man.Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime moral is the tomcat Robinson case. tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. genus genus Atticus puts forward each(prenominal) evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), however Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that al l Negroes are basically immoral beings. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the token that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the completely important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him drop away all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope.The novel non only explores racial prejudice, but also prejudice against gender and social status. Maudie is a victim of prejudice agains... ... situation from their perspective, and in this case, Atticus reveals Mrs Dubose being a morphine addict. She wanted to die without having to rely on the drug and her escapades were what i t easier. Jem and Scout understood the situation and learnt the importance of tolerance.The themes of prejudice and tolerance are conveyed potently through the characters and their dilemmas. Jem and Scout learn of the prejudice of the town Maycomb to Atticus fend for a black man, Tom Robinson. However, Miss Maudie, Calpurnia and several others show that not everyone in Maycomb are so judgemental. Jem and Scout also learn how to bridge player with situations sensibly from their father, they learn how to be tolerant. Thus, the novel?s characters demonstrate both(prenominal) prejudice and tolerance.Works CitedLee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York City, NY J.B.Lippincott Company, 2008.