The book To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in a setting that is known for its racism. In the 1930’s and in the town of Maycomb, Alabama, the people are very racist and see no equality between anyone, especially those of different races. In the book, It seemed that everyone in Maycomb had their own role in society, their own personal caste system of sorts. From the rich whites, to the farmers, to the poor blacks who slaved away for them.
While prejudicial behavior gave some residents of Maycomb a sense of superiority, it actually limited their ability to develop fully as humans.
One could argue that the people of Maycomb were just set in their traditional ways and turned out just fine despite their racism, because that was just how they lived in that setting and with that tradition. I’d like to propose the idea that just because something is tradition doesn’t mean it does any good. I once heard a story about a woman who swore by starting with frigid cold tap water if you wanted to boil your water faster. If you think about it, that’s not logical at all. To raise water to a set temperature, it …show more content…
Aunt Alexandra sees herself as very right and mighty. She comes barging into Atticus’s family’s life without call or invitation. She is concerned with raising Atticus's children "properly," and appears during the summer of Tom's trial to stay with them. With her “proper” ways, she had a missionary circle, like any “proper” southern lady. One of the missionary circles members, Mrs.Merriweather, said, “Not a single white person’ll go near ‘em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett.” (Lee 215). The group seemed to be able to identify racial problems, but does not address the issues or chose to act upon their realization. Instead, they sit, drink tea and pity others. They believe they are good Christian women acting out of love, but in reality their racism and hypocrisy makes them ignorant
While prejudicial behavior gave some residents of Maycomb a sense of superiority, it actually limited their ability to develop fully as humans.
One could argue that the people of Maycomb were just set in their traditional ways and turned out just fine despite their racism, because that was just how they lived in that setting and with that tradition. I’d like to propose the idea that just because something is tradition doesn’t mean it does any good. I once heard a story about a woman who swore by starting with frigid cold tap water if you wanted to boil your water faster. If you think about it, that’s not logical at all. To raise water to a set temperature, it …show more content…
Aunt Alexandra sees herself as very right and mighty. She comes barging into Atticus’s family’s life without call or invitation. She is concerned with raising Atticus's children "properly," and appears during the summer of Tom's trial to stay with them. With her “proper” ways, she had a missionary circle, like any “proper” southern lady. One of the missionary circles members, Mrs.Merriweather, said, “Not a single white person’ll go near ‘em but that saintly J. Grimes Everett.” (Lee 215). The group seemed to be able to identify racial problems, but does not address the issues or chose to act upon their realization. Instead, they sit, drink tea and pity others. They believe they are good Christian women acting out of love, but in reality their racism and hypocrisy makes them ignorant