Prejudice is the Most Powerful and Destructive Weapon of All Times
If you don’t know a person well, but believe that a person is a horrible person based on other people’s descriptions of the person, then you’re viewing the person through the lens of prejudice. Prejudice is dangerous, it can harm innocent people. Let’s explore this theme through the timeless movie “To Kill a Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee. Several characters have experienced prejudice, let’s examine prejudice’s effect on them.
Prejudice in To Kill a Mocking Bird
Let’s start with a introduction of the characters and the setting. The book was written in 1960s America, a period of deep rooted racism in America. The story took place in a small town named Maycomb where rumors spread easily. Jem, Scout, and their father Atticus Finch were the main protagonists of the novel. Atticus was a lawyer who stands against racism and any forms of prejudice, he played a huge role in shaping Jem and Scout’s worldview. There were two characters who were the victims of prejudice: Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Now let’s dive into the topic of today: prejudice.
The first character that we will explore is Boo Radley. Boo Radley is seen by many Maycomb town people as a mysterious, life threatening person who never comes out from his home. Prejudice comes hand in hand with rumors, people believed that he stabbed someone in the knee with a pair of scissors. The two individuals who think he should be left alone in peace and that he should stop becoming the subject of rumors are Atticus and Miss Maudie. At the end, it turns out that everything was a rumor, Boo Radley was just an innocent human being who people shouldn’t spread rumors about. Don’t judge a person based on rumors until you’ve met this person.
The second and last character we will explore is the biggest victim of this book. During the 1960s, racism was deeply rooted in America. Tom Robinson was a character with a black complexion who got accused of raping Mayella Ewell, the daughter of Bob Ewell. The Ewell family came from a poor area and had a bad reputation. Bob Ewell held that Robinson raped Mayella, since many in the town were racist people, they believed Bob Ewell instead of Tom Robinson. Atticus Finch, one of the protagonists of this novel is a just lawyer who believes in Robinson’s innocence. He insisted on defending Robinson. Although prejudice from town people led to the eventual failure of the defense, Atticus still publicly the public’s prejudice towards African Americans.
You never know if rumors you’ve heard are true or not, don’t believe in anything or spread anything before actually knowing a person. Prejudice is harmful, it can make the victims of prejudice helpless and desperate. It can impact a person’s life negatively so please don’t hold prejudice against anyone.