Many people throughout history have been not accepting of people who are different. This issue is very strongly portrayed in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Throughout the story, the reader can see the author clearly illustrating themes of racism, sexism, and judgement. This causes many issues and lots of tension in the Maycomb community- and, narrow minded thinking is one of the major factors that determines much of the book’s plot. In this book, the town of Maycomb is plagued by indignance and resentfulness.
One example of intolerance in Maycomb is how the community deals with Boo Radley. Not seen or heard from for several years, Boo Radley is a town legend. No one really knows who he is, or what he’s like. Rumor has it that Boo Radley stabbed his own father, and spent many years in the courthouse basement- making him seem like a vicious monster to everyone in Maycomb. Boo Radley is blamed for the death of crops, and for small crimes- just because the townspeople don’t know the truth about him. Throughout the story, Boo Radley rebels from the archetype of the monstrous recluse- he folded Jem’s pants, put a blanket over Scout’s shoulders, and even saved them from Bob Ewell. However, the townspeople are so judgemental that they won’t even give Boo Radley a chance when he so clearly deserves one. Page 9 of the text says: “Inside the house lives a malevolent phantom. People said he existed, but Jem and I had never seen him.” This quote demonstrates the amount of fear surrounding Boo Radley- even young children are being taught that he is a ‘malevolent phantom’. This proves that the people of Maycomb are unfairly judgemental, because they assume the worst of someone who deserves a lot of respect- only because he is different from them.
Another example of intolerance in Maycomb is the racism that runs deep throughout the town’s roots. The story is set in the early 1900’s, where racism was still a prominent issue in our country. This is very clear in the book. The word “nigger” is tossed around like common speak- Scout regularly heard it being used at school. Also, the government was extremely unfair towards negroes; often, they were punished for crimes they did not commit. Racism was also occurring in more discreet ways; for example, black people would cross the road when they passed the Radley house. Black people were inferior to whites in society, because they often worked as farm hands or housemaids in white households. Even Atticus, who is portrayed as extremely fair and liberal, had a black woman working in his household; it was simply the culture of Maycomb. Page 13 from the book says: “‘There goes the meanest man God ever blew breath into,’ murmured Calpurnia, and she spat meditatively into the yard. We looked at her in surprise, for Calpurnia rarely commented on the ways of white people.” This quote shows that black people were not expected to have opinions on the lives of whites, because black people were automatically seen as inferior- even to children. This proves that prejudice was extremely prominent in Maycomb.
One final example of how Maycomb is extremely narrow minded is the issue of sexism. Scout, the narrator, is faced with this issue many times throughout the book. Scout is a tomboy; she has lived her entire life with only her brother and their close friend, Dill, to hang out with. However, as Scout grows up, she begins to see people who disagree with her boyish ways. Scout is being told that she has to learn to act like a “lady”- even when this isn’t what she wants. The people of Maycomb have very rigid standards for how a girl is supposed to act. Scout is different from other girls, because she doesn’t immediately conform to the expectations that everyone has for her. Page 90 says: “‘Scout, you’ll get in trouble if you go around saying things like that. You want to grow up to be a lady, don’t you?’ I said not particularly. ‘Of course you do. Now let’s go to the tree.’” This quote shows how Scout didn’t want to be like everyone else- and that others were unable to accept the fact that she was different. This proves the intolerance that occurred in Maycomb, because girls were expected to act a certain way- and then, they were frowned upon for wanting to be different.
As these examples have proven, Maycomb is a very narrow minded, intolerant place. People are ignored, talked about, or treated as though they weren’t as good as others- just because they were different. As a result of this, many things that occurred in the story felt unjust, or wrong to me, because I am priveleged enough to live in a time period, and a community where everybody’s uniqueness is celebrated. Unfortunately, I know, it is not like that everywhere. This book has made me realize how lucky I am to be loved and accepted- but also, it has taught me to embrace my differences and stand up for what I believe in- even when others may disagree.
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