To Kill a Mockingbird: Exploring Perspectives and Prejudices

Harper Lee's book, "To Kill a Mockingbird," dives deep into life in the American South during the 1930s. It's about heavy stuff like racial inequality, unfairness, and losing innocence. We see everything through Scout Finch's eyes. She's just a kid growing up in this made-up town called Maycomb, Alabama. This essay is gonna look at all the different angles people have in the story. Why? 'Cause understanding where everyone's coming from helps us get what the story’s really about. And when we check out how each character thinks and their biases, we learn more about that time period and might even start thinking about our own prejudices.

The Moral Compass: Atticus Finch

One of the key moments is when Atticus Finch, Scout's dad, defends Tom Robinson. Tom's a black guy who’s wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Even though he's a white lawyer and knows folks are gonna be against him for it, Atticus takes on the case anyway. Through Scout’s innocent view, we watch her dad stand up for what's right—even when everyone else seems to be against him. He’s like this moral guide, questioning all the racism that's all over Maycomb. Isn’t it crazy how society talks about equality but then does something totally opposite?

Seeing Through Different Eyes: Bob Ewell and Aunt Alexandra

But it ain't just Scout's perspective we're dealing with here. Lee also shows us other characters’ views—like Bob Ewell and Aunt Alexandra—and they’re not pretty. Bob Ewell is the father of the girl who claims she got attacked by Tom. He’s all about hate and ignorance, representing what was unfortunately common back then. His whole deal is fueled by racial stereotypes and wanting to keep things as they are.

Aunt Alexandra? She’s different but still problematic in her own way. She stands for those old Southern values about class and race, obsessed with family reputation. Her viewpoint gives us insight into why discrimination sticks around—because people don’t want to shake things up when they're benefiting from it.

The Voices of Marginalized Characters: Calpurnia and Tom Robinson

Now let’s talk about Calpurnia and Tom Robinson—the marginalized voices we hear from too. Calpurnia works for the Finches as their housekeeper; she's black, so she sees both sides of society in Maycomb—the white part and the black part. Her experiences highlight how tough things are for black folks living in segregation times.

And poor Tom Robinson—his story breaks your heart! His trial? A total mess of injustice where truth doesn't matter because he’s black. Even though there’s evidence proving he didn’t do anything wrong, he gets convicted anyway just 'cause of his skin color.

The Bigger Picture

In wrapping up, "To Kill a Mockingbird" digs into all these different perspectives to show how messed up things were back then with race issues and justice—or lack thereof—in 1930s America. Harper Lee uses these varying viewpoints to push readers like us into thinking hard about our own biases today while facing some harsh truths from history.

This novel helps us understand society's complexities better through characters like Scout—a little girl seeing so much—as well as others who live through prejudice daily. It's a reminder that empathy matters; standing up for what’s right even when it's tough is crucial.

References

• Lee, Harper (1960). To Kill a Mockingbird. HarperCollins Publishers.
• Lombardi, E., (2021). Understanding To Kill A Mockingbird: A Student Casebook to Issues, Sources, and Historic Documents.
• SparkNotes Editors (2023). SparkNote on To Kill a Mockingbird.
• Pilgrim, David (2018). What Was Jim Crow?. Ferris State University.
• Morgan, J., & Allen C., (2020). The Civil Rights Movement: Striving For Justice From Reconstruction to Today.