To Kill A Mockingbird

Could you ever imagine living in a time or place where people were not treated equally? The novel, To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, could be thought of as a story about prejudice on racial identities in the town of Maycomb. Tom Robinson, a colored man, fights for his life with the help of Atticus Finch, a white man, and Boo Radley fights for the protection from life's cruel and treacherous deeds. Many people were subjected to prejudice according to their race, wealth, and/or past which formed this little town. Although prejudice is considered to be a negative concept, the town lived life this way even if it was wrong and unjust.

Race was an important issue in the early 1900's and in Maycomb this is one of the many ideas that predicts the status of a person and how one lived. A perfect example of this is when Mr. Raymond drinks out of coca cola bottles but makes it appear as if he's drinking alcohol so people have a reason for why he's with a black woman and has mixed children (170). People did not really become friends with Mr. Raymond or speak to him because they thought he was crazy but what he did is actually very clever. People kept their distance and did not question him about his life. For instance, Scout decides to listen to Mr. Raymond even though he has mixed children (170). This illustrates that being judgmental has become ingrained in our lives and that most people, at one point or another, judge each other even when we do not deliberately set out to do so.

Money can not buy you happiness. However, it CAN buy you respect from others. Few families, for example the Cunningham's and the Ewell's, display prejudice against the impoverished but still make it obvious that they are not alike. First of all, Aunt Alexandra calls Walter Cunningham trash because he is poor (191) yet Mr. Cunningham was going to be the one to be acquitted (189) and their family always pays back when they borrow money. On the