Essay On Jim Crow Laws In To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill A Mockingbird follows the story of young Scout as she’s confronted with complicated issues on race, segregation, and other difficult problems. The reader faces these dilemmas along with her. Jim Crow laws were strongly hinted throughout the book, and they affected the plot greatly. The history and policies of the laws were present in the novel and had an impact on many characters, specifically colored people like Tom Robinson.
The Jim Crow laws were a racial caste system created to segregate blacks and whites. It was named after an offensive character that mocked slavery created by white entertainer Thomas Rice. The set of rules basically forced blacks to become second-class citizens and treat white people as their superiors. Many …show more content…
Though To Kill A Mockingbird never directly mentions these terms of racial segregation, they’re implied by several character’s actions. For example, Mrs. Dubose says about the Finch’s, “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!” (Lee, 135). The colored people stayed in a different part of town than the white people save Calpurnia, but she only worked for the Finch’s and didn’t live there permanently. The family is very accepting of people both black and white since Atticus raised his kids with the belief that you should walk in someone else’s shoes before judging them.
In conclusion, the Jim Crow laws were reflected strongly in the story even if they weren’t directly addressed. Their effect on the colored people of America and the unfair rules aid the racist tale of Tom Robinson’s trial and rape accusation and explain many of the major points of the plot. While the laws have a rich history and played a large part in America’s past, To Kill A Mockingbird highlights the consequences of them. And while Scout was confronted with them, the reader was confronted with them right along with her. One can only hope the reactions were
The Jim Crow laws were a racial caste system created to segregate blacks and whites. It was named after an offensive character that mocked slavery created by white entertainer Thomas Rice. The set of rules basically forced blacks to become second-class citizens and treat white people as their superiors. Many …show more content…
Though To Kill A Mockingbird never directly mentions these terms of racial segregation, they’re implied by several character’s actions. For example, Mrs. Dubose says about the Finch’s, “Not only a Finch waiting on tables but one in the courthouse lawing for niggers!” (Lee, 135). The colored people stayed in a different part of town than the white people save Calpurnia, but she only worked for the Finch’s and didn’t live there permanently. The family is very accepting of people both black and white since Atticus raised his kids with the belief that you should walk in someone else’s shoes before judging them.
In conclusion, the Jim Crow laws were reflected strongly in the story even if they weren’t directly addressed. Their effect on the colored people of America and the unfair rules aid the racist tale of Tom Robinson’s trial and rape accusation and explain many of the major points of the plot. While the laws have a rich history and played a large part in America’s past, To Kill A Mockingbird highlights the consequences of them. And while Scout was confronted with them, the reader was confronted with them right along with her. One can only hope the reactions were