Prejudice

"There‘s something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn‘t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it‘s a white man‘s word against a black man‘s, the white man always wins. They‘re ugly, but those are the fact of life." - Atticus to Jem (Chapter 23, p. 243)

• set in a Southern state in America in the 1930s, people still execute their resentment against the abolition of slavery towards innocent black people
• racial prejudice
  
  • although Tom is innocent and although he is proven innocent, he receives the death sentence based on the fact that he is black
  • Lula does not welcome Jem and Scout to attend Black Church
  • despite the fact that Boo has committed a more serious crime than other (black) inmates, he is kept apart from them in the cellar of the courthouse
  • Jem and Scout‘s aunt Alexandra urges Atticus to fire Calpurnia and wants to teach the children about the importance of heritage and class
• social prejudice
  
  • the town but also Jem, Scout and Dill have prejudices over Boo Radley since he is a mysterious figure and is hence used as a scapegoat
  • Atticus faces social backlash from the townspeople when he takes the side of the Negro Tom Robinson and defends him at court
  • also, Jem and Scout are victims of the prejudices of the townspeople because their father defends a Negro
  • the Ewell family is being prejudiced as well because of their low social status
  • still, the Ewells show prejudice towards the only group that is lower than them: the Negros

Innocence

"Remember it‘s a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father‘s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That‘s why it‘s a sin to kill a mockingbird." - Atticus and Miss Maudie to Jem and Scout (Chapter 10, p. 99)

• the novel shows that innocence is always impacted by society
• at the beginning, Jem and Scout still live in their innocent, somewhat naïve world that is fit for the children they are; yet, as the plot develops they get more and more insights on the cruel ways of life and thus, they loose their innocence being exposed to the prejudices others hold against them since their father defends a Negro at court
• both children do not realize what their childish game does to Boo Radley and that they, in fact, hurt him solely based on their assumption that Boo must be malevolent just because other people say so
• yet, they slowly become aware of the injustice and hypocrisy in Maycomb and they start to view Boo as a beneficient human who even saves them and as a victim of Maycomb‘s prejudiced society
• innocence is also mutilated by prejudice
  
  • both Boo and Tom are innocent people, yet their innocence is pushed away by the malice of the townspeople
  • they are both fundamentally good people (Tom helps Mayella, Boo aids Jem and Scout)

Religion

"We‘re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we‘ve got men like Atticus to go for us." - Miss Maudie to Jem, Scout and Dill (Chapter 22, p. 237)

• Jem and Scout are raised with Christian values and attitudes
• Atticus as their role-model displays ethical, moral, and just behavior and treats others with compassion, morality, and forgiveness
• he expects his children to do it the same way, yet, Scout struggles with that when others insult her or her family
• as a Christian, Atticus basically turns the other cheek when Bob Ewell spits him in his face
• Atticus appears to be a Christ-like figure, dealing with the poorest "creatures" when no one else stands up for them
  
  • shoots the mad dog when everybody else is too afraid to do so
  • defends innocent Tom Robinson
  • thus, he bears the sins of the community and endures the prejudices and the backlash of the community