The 1930s bestowed upon us the Great Depression and Jim Crow Laws. While textbooks give the facts, there is another literature that can display the emotion experienced in this era. The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” displays the experiences of the South, as racism is a prevalent and ongoing theme. Through inequality and the separation of races, social class differences and the right to equality, it is the overall fashion of the novel. The novel’s experiences are given through Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, daughter of Atticus Finch, offering her point of view on the happenings in Maycomb County. Atticus raised his children to be hale and hearty people, unlike the other residents of Maycomb. Racial appellation in this novel is crucial to showing the true means of “To Kill A Mockingbird”.
Within the novel, more than one conflict is created. In a town full of bigotry and racism, and in a time period of extreme economic issues, white lawyer Atticus Finch finds himself defending a black man, Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, a white girl, making his case extremely difficult to win. At this point, it was difficult to find anyone in Maycomb County that was not racist. Atticus was approached with an immense amount of criticism, including townspeople accusing him of being, “no better than the negroes he works for.” Atticus refused to conform to the popular opinion against blacks, and stood strong throughout the case. Atticus is a free-thinking individual, he Atticus turns a cold-shoulder to all of the criticism that he is receiving, and lets it further propel his personal goal to try to find equality.
In chapter 11, page 124, Scout asked Atticus what an n-lover was. Before giving a reply, Atticus’s face was grave. He asked her why she asks, and she says that Mrs. Dubose calls him that, and Francis called her that as well. ” ‘Scout,’ said Atticus, ‘n-lover is just one of those terms that don’t mean anything–like snot-nose. It’s hard to explain–ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It’s slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common ugly term to label somebody.’ When Scout asks him if he really is one, Atticus replied, ‘I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody.’ He continued to explain that it is never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It simply demonstrates how low that person really is, and the name-calling does not hurt. Atticus tells Scout to not let Mrs. Dubose bother her, or anyone else to add to that. Here, Atticus is helping Scout understand that she should not be provoked by minor things as such. She cannot lose her composure because it is exactly what the name-callers would want.
Equality is something that Atticus’s kids, Jem and Scout, are in search for as well. Scout does not act like other girls her age, she is always getting in fights with everyone. After a peer, Cecil Jacobs, calls her father a ‘n-lover,’ and announces that ”Scout Finch’s daddy” defends them, Scout gets ready to fight with him. At such a young age, Scout and Jem felt the pressure of racism. Accounting Scout’s age, it is ironic that she didn’t conform to be against her father and what he was doing. Children generally mimic and follow their peers, but in this case, she listened to her father. After remembering what Atticus told her, Scout ignored what people like Cecil Jacobs and Mrs. Dubose said. Whether they support his decision or not, it is up to him, and he decided to go on defended Tom Robinson. He knows he won’t win the case, but that will not stop him from doing his job as it should be done.
