Essay Sample on To Kill a Mockingbird: A Deep Dive Into Racism in the Novel

Harper Lee’s depiction of racial injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird has divided readers as to its brilliance and ignorance. Nevertheless, it is an important aspect that cannot be ignored. It is reported that 70% of English classes require students to read a novel. Moreover, the BBC polled Americans to identify the most influential piece of literature in their lives, and To Kill a Mockingbird barely trailed The Bible. This is significant because it influences the minds of readers. The novel should be banned as required reading for students and most adults. There is no educational value to this novel, published in a time when wealthy white society would have appreciated a sugar-coated version of the atrocities.

Activists Outraged

Social activists say that To Kill Mockingbird is a book rooted in racism. Toni Morrison, a novelist, described it as “perpetuating a ‘white savior’ narrative, in which whites led the fight for civil rights, and blacks were helpless, passive actors.” Colin Dayan writes, “The popularity and heart-warming poignancy of To Kill a Mockingbird buries the very real activism and resistance of Black citizens in Alabama, and throughout the South right at the time that Lee wrote her story, its publication made invisible the very people it claimed to care about.”

Racism by Definition

Merriam-Webster dictionary defines racism as a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Many instances when the author imposes undertones of racism. Why was Tom Robinson killed off? Then having his death depicted by him shot in the back sixteen times implies to readers that even though the judicial system knew he was innocent, there would be no justice for him because he is black. This is wildly inappropriate given the incidents leading to the Black Lives Matter movement. The author could have left readers wondering if Tom Robinson would find vindication. Boo Radley confessed to stabbing his father with a pair of scissors, and the judge wanted to impose prison housing him with the Black people, but because his father protested, he was released and went with his father. This further implies that although white criminals confess their crimes, they face less enforced and less strict punishments. 

Distorted Perception

Authored by a privileged white woman and narrated through a privileged white child, it has a minimal perspective given the gravity of the subject with no attestation to the actual injustices of Black people because their roles are minimal, with no background history or depth on the black characters in the book.

Seeing Themselves in Literature

Today, teens deserve books about injustices experienced by Black people to be from their point of view. That this is required reading is outrageous. At what point does the line get drawn? Is The History of White Supremacy the next, as it teeters along with the same interpretation? Before comprehending and applying the material, students must-see “their faces” in the book’s characters and storylines. The novel is set during The Great Depression, and most middle and high schoolers find the terminology and period unrelatable. This book uses outdated, vulgar language that further divides us. When Scout uses nigger-lover, Atticus does not reprimand her. His response “Scout,” said Atticus, “nigger-lover is just one of those terms that does not mean anything-like snot-nose. It is hard to explain why ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody’s favoring Black people over and above themselves. It has slipped into usage by some people like us when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody. (Lee, 1970) The use of the nigger becomes common as Atticus puts in since it is written forty-three times within the storyline. The word is prohibited in it is used in the 21st century, and its use could reap the consequences of students not learning why it is inappropriate and leaving them with more questions than answers. 

Atticus Isn’t the Savior

Despite To Kill a Mockingbird being considered fiction, the characters and events mirror Harper Lee’s life so that it could have been a biography. Aside from the book’s main characters, supporting roles are all deemed inferior to the Finch members. The follow-up by Harper Lee, Go Set a Watchman, confirms that Atticus Finch is a racist and takes part in KKK rallies. Written in Chapter 7 but with themes of racism and bigotry in every chapter of the book, Atticus tells Jean-Louis, “The Negroes down here are still in their childhood as a people.” Later, he directs this question to his daughter, “Do you want Negroes by the carload in our schools, churches, and theaters? Do you want them in our world?” (Lee, 2016.) Although released 50 years after To Kill a Mockingbird, it was Harper Lee’s first novel. She could not get this published at the time. Upon release, supporters were shocked by the difference between Atticus in Go Set a Watchman versus Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird. The author knew Atticus was not a saint, but she camouflaged his racist views to sell books. Leaving Atticus fans heartbroken and disgusted. 

Not for Educational Purposes

Educators should assign young people literature that accurately accounts for what injustice and racism are. They must be exposed to information that expands their minds and opens the dialogue more tastefully. They must comprehend the material to teach change and life lessons. Education does not need to be uncomfortable to be effective. Nor does it need to be ignorant. This novel gives a one-sided poor account, and this is in its storyline. The only way to end racism and injustice is through education. To Kill a Mockingbird does not hold educational value. Instead, it vilifies and depicts Black Americans as uneducated criminals. Times have changed, and we have seen a Black American succeed at being elected and holding the highest office in the United States. Black Americans are educated, respected members of society, so the relevance of this novel in school is void.

Not Prize Worthy

This book would have never won a Pulitzer Prize. In today’s society would not have been published. Other literary books address the matter from the perspectives of those who endured it. One such fiction novel is The African by Harold Courlander. It, too, won the Pulitzer Prize; it educates and enlightens the reader on issues of racism and injustice. The novel is worthy of its acclaim. To Kill a Mockingbird should be banned from schools and bookshelves. Authors attest that winning such an honored award gives them a feeling of bliss. If ignorance is bliss, this would explain how To Kill a Mockingbird attained the privilege, and one can assume that Harper Lee experienced bliss through her ignorance.

References

1950 to 2000 - Books That Shaped America | Exhibitions - Library of Congress. (n.d.). The Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/books-that-shaped-america/1950-to-2000.html#obj8

Courlander, H. (1993). The African. Henry Holt & Co.

Lee, H. (1988). To Kill a Mockingbird(text only)by H.Lee. Grand Central Publishing.

Lee, H. (2015). Go Set a Watchman. HarperCollins.

Lee, H. (2016). Go Set a Watchman: A Novel (Reprint ed.). Harper Perennial Modern Classics.

Merriam-Webster & Inc. (2016). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Mass-Market Paperback (Newest ed.). Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Programs, N. E. (2017, October 24). The History of White Supremacy [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKn5swwsyaw&feature=youtu.be

Racism. (2022, June 11). In Merriam-Webster.

Spaeth, R. (2015, July 17). Is To Kill a Mockingbird racist? The Week. https://theweek-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/theweek.com/articles/566893/kill-mockingbird-racist?amp=&amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQKKAFQArABIIACAw%3D%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16549956042085&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftheweek.com%2Farticles%2F566893%2Fkill-mockingbird-racist.