Examples of Prejudice in “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Introduction

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee explores how hypocrisy, or the lack thereof, adds to or detracts from a person’s character by revealing his or her true feelings. A classroom discussion of Hitler and the Missionary Tea meeting characterize the dangers of hypocrisy, while in contrast, Atticus exemplifies personal integrity. Most people can agree that Adolph Hitler was a terrible person who did terrible deeds. Scout’s teacher at school, Miss Gates, is no exception.

Hypocrisy and True Character

One day in class, while discussing Hitler, she talks about prejudice: “‘Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody.

Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Prejudice,’ she enunciated carefully. ‘There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me'” (329). In her first statement, she blatantly denies any persecution that happens in the United States, but she goes on. She also says that the root of persecution is prejudice, so, by association, she is also saying there is no prejudice in the United States and Maycomb, which is a ridiculous claim already, but the absurdity of it is further illustrated later. She ends by condemning Hitler for what he does. The reader realizes that these statements are incredibly hypocritical and detract from Miss Gates’s character later in the chapter. Scout shares with Jem her observation of Miss Gates after the trial: “I heard [Miss Gates] say it’s time somebody taught [blacks] a lesson, they were gettin’ way above themselves, and the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad and then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home—'” (331). The reader, with this quote, fully understands the character of Miss Gates. She may hate Hitler, but she is alright with the horrible prejudice in the town of Maycomb. This is because the tacit prejudices of the South so blind her that, as seen in the first quote, she does not even believe that racism even exists in Maycomb. The theme that hypocrisy, or the lack thereof, adds to, or detracts from, a person’s character by revealing his or her true feelings is exemplified here because the reader thought that Miss Gates was against Hitler and possibly racism overall, but her actions after the trial showed otherwise. She is shown to be a hypocrite. An equally hypocritical person in Maycomb is Mrs. Merriwearther, and her hypocrisy changes the reader’s perception of her character. She is at the meeting of the Missionary Group when she makes a very passive-aggressive remark: “‘I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town. Good, but misguided. Folks in this town who think they’re doing right, I mean.

Conclusion

Now far be it from me to say who, but some of ’em in this town thought they were doing the right thing a while back, but all they did was stir ’em up. That’s all they did. Might’ve looked like the right thing to do at the time…'” (311). In this statement, she is obviously talking about Atticus (“‘good but misguided people'”) defending Tom Robinson (“‘doing the right thing a while back'”). She says that all “they,” Atticus, did was “stir ’em up.” She means that he isn’t doing any real good by defending Tom, but he is just putting ideas into African Americans’ heads that they are equal to white people, which, to her, they are not. But what makes her truly hypocritical, and what makes the reader see how little character she has, is what she said before. 

References

1. “The Mockingbird Next Door: Life with Harper Lee” by Marja Mills

2. “Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee” by Wayne Flynt

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