Topic > Social justice concerns in To Kill a Mockingbird

Since Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, she has received criticism for her controversial content and characters. However, this essay will refute such claims and explain why it is critical that our society address the concerns presented in this book. The main social justice concerns in To Kill a Mockingbird are racial, economic, and social and will be addressed in their respective sections of this essay. Racial issues are present throughout the book, but mostly at the end of the first half and the second half of the book. This depicts Atticus defending a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Economic issues are covered throughout the book, but this essay will focus on the opening chapters of the book where Scout goes to school and meets many different families with different economic statuses. Finally, the social issues this essay will focus on will concern Tom Robinson, the Ewells, and Boo Radley. In conclusion, this essay will discuss Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and how the various concerns in this book can relate to our society. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Racial issues are quite evident in To Kill a Mockingbird through many characters such as Bob Ewell, Calpurnia, and Atticus. Bob Ewell is the epitome of a racist, ignorant, mean-spirited person in the South in the 1930s. Her family is even described as the “disgrace of Maycomb” (16) by Atticus, who is Scout's moral teacher and a generally kind and ethical person. She blames her daughter's rape on Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, and then tries to get revenge on the people who weren't on her side. It shows the problems of ignorant people in relationships between different groups of people in communities like Maycomb. Just as Atticus tells Scout about Burris Ewell, people like Bob are unwilling to compromise and impose hatred on people who are not like them. Calpurnia is the Finches' maid and Scout's mother figure. He embodies the bond between whites and blacks in Maycomb, as he displays a linguistic dichotomy between when he speaks to whites (like Scout or Atticus) and blacks (like Lula from First Purchase). His character shows that different groups of people can be together without harboring hatred for each other. Atticus is Scout and Jem's father and is the moral backbone of Maycomb, as he agrees to defend Tom Robinson even though other people hate him for doing so. He represents an impartial and morally sound individual who does not care what society thinks is right and does what he believes is right and will help others. To summarize, the racial issues in To Kill a Mockingbird are represented by the characters in the book, and these characters provide a model for people in our current society that shows how not to be (Bob Ewell) and how to be (Calpurnia and Atticus). The economic issues in To Kill a Mockingbird stem primarily from the Great Depression of the 1930s, which left millions of people poor and unemployed. Building on this, there are many characters in this book that show economic issues that can relate to our current times. Some of these characters include Walter Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham, and Bob Ewell. Walter Cunningham is very poor, as shown in the opening chapters of the book. He has no shoes or lunch on his first day of school and cannot repay a quarter to his teacher, Miss Caroline. She also spills molasses on her food, which angers Scout, but Calpurnia teaches her a lesson about not judging others because they aredifferent. It serves as a gateway to the economic issues in To Kill a Mockingbird, which many others in Maycomb have. Mr. Cunningham is, not surprisingly, the father of Walter Cunningham and is also poor. He doesn't have money to pay for things like Atticus's legal assistance, so he pays him in crops instead. Although he seems like a good person, he is part of the mob that tries to lynch Tom Robinson the night before the trial. However, Scout mentions her son to Mr. Cunningham and leaves along with the crowd. This shows that Mr. Cunningham is a poor individual who cares for his son, but has flaws such as being prejudiced. Burris Ewell, Bob Ewell's son, is also a person who shows money problems in To Kill a Mockingbird. He is an Ewell, an even poorer family than the Cunninghams. He introduces the Ewells to the story as poor, ignorant, and mean people as he talks vulgarly about Miss Caroline at the beginning of the book and leaves school on the first day. He is the epitome of a less gifted person who does not care about others and has no ambition to change their lives. In summary, there are many economic issues in To Kill a Mockingbird which can be seen in some characters such as Walter Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham, and Burris Ewell. The social issues in To Kill a Mockingbird are perhaps the most important issues in this book, spanning both race and economics. Tom Robinson is a clear victim of social issues, because he is discriminated against because he is black. He is accused of rape and had a very biased jury trial. Although Atticus' defense was nearly flawless, he is found guilty and sent to prison where he is killed for trying to escape. He was powerless against the whites in his community who were prejudiced against him, and Atticus even says, "When you get older, you'll see white men cheating black men every day of your life." This shows that Tom Robinson is a victim of social injustice precisely because of his race. The Ewells, although they seem like a racist and ignorant group of people, are also victims of social injustice. This is because their father did not raise them right and brought them up in a dirty environment which made most of them illiterate troublemakers. Mayella, the most civilized of all, must endure her father's abuse and inability to do anything about her situation. These factors demonstrate that the Ewells are all victims of social injustice because of their father. Lastly, Boo Radley is a victim of social injustice as he is given a reputation as a murderer for little to no reason. Boo is locked in the house by his family so they don't have to worry about him, when in reality he is a kind person who cares for good people like Scout and Jem. However, he has a happy ending as he is shown to have saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell and his actions were justified by Heck Tate, the county sheriff. To summarize, social issues make up the majority of the problems in To Kill a Mockingbird, whether due to race (Tom Robinson), upbringing (the Ewells), or previous actions (Boo Radley). These three problems can relate to today's world, as they are still visible in society and others judge people for having these problems. The issue of social justice that my project deals with is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that is, the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century for control of the Holy Land (an area located roughly between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea in the Middle East). The points raised in this essay on the problems of To Kill a Mockingbird can be used to facilitate the peace process. First, the issue of race is an important issue in this conflict,.