Racism And Its Negative Repercussions - 992 Words

There are many destructive forces in this world, one of them being racism, the most powerful prejudice in society, as seen by Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. This small town in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression presents numerous examples of racism and its negative repercussions. As illustrates in the novel, racism is displayed in a variety of ways throughout the novel, however it is most present in the case of Tom Robinson’s trial, the prejudice that is displayed by the citizens of Maycomb, and the state of Calpurnia’s Church. The most apparent victim of racism in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is Tom Robinson, the black man who is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Falsely accused of the crime by Mayella and her father Bob Ewell,†¦show more content†¦During the 1930’s this situation would not be uncommon at all but looking at the situation from the perspective of modern times, this is a clear illustration of racism and its repercussions in action. Additionally, when Tom was sentences to jail time, he had tried to escape. When Atticus found out he told Calpurnia the news, hoping she would help break it to aunt Alexandra. When they were discussing what had happened, Atticus said, â€Å"I guess Tom was tired of white men s chances and preferred to take his own.† (Lee 315). It is clearly seen that the effects of racial prejudices on the trial led to Tom trying to escape in hopes of being free, which resulted in his death, all because of the colour of his skin. Atticus says in this quote that Tom would rather risk escaping than being around the white men that profile him negatively because of his race. Although we as the readers knew Tom was innocent, Atticus’ best efforts were not enough to persuade the jury to overlook the prejudice they have formed against the black population. The prejudice in this novel shows greatly that people were solely judged on only what people saw, and not the truth. Boo Radley is a victim of prejudice. Boo Radley is not accepted nor does he fit into Maycomb society because he is different from others. In society, his actions are mysterious and abnormal. Boo Radley isolates himself from the people of Maycomb, he stays inside his