Prejudice and Inequality Prevalent in Society

To Kill A Mockingbird meets The Help

Harper Lee’s award-winning classic “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help” are both timeless stories about perspective and loss of innocence set in an era of deep-seated racial and social prejudices. These themes are woven into the two novels and help us to understand the life people led in the past. These two books are both stories of racial inequality, a struggle for social dominance, loss of innocence and viewing the world as a good and untouched place and then having that idea ruined by someone. Both novels also highlight the dangers for people in the more privileged classes in challenging the status quo, and the prejudice surrounding African-Americans.

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that follows the adventures of a five-year-old girl named Scout, her brother, Jem, and her neighbor’s nephew in Maycomb County, in the American Deep South. It is set in the 1930s, a time when blacks and whites lived segregated lives and prejudice against colored people was widespread and tolerated by authorities. This novel tells us about Tom Robinson, a kind-hearted, African-American man falsely accused but ultimately convicted of raping a white girl and Atticus, Scout’s father, who represents him in court, to the dismay of many members of white society in the county. Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, the use of symbolism, imagery and metaphors help us to understand the importance of innocence and how it plays a role in the society in which Lee was living when she wrote the book.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett is a novel also set in the Deep South but in the 1960s. To Kill A Mockingbird has a strong influence on this book and some of the issues raised by Harper Lee have been translated into this novel. This story follows Skeeter Phelan, a young, aspiring, caucasian journalist who was deeply inspired by her black maid Constantine while growing up. Skeeter enjoyed a privileged upbringing in the high society of Jackson, Mississippi, with a lot of friends and a position in the very sought after Jackson Junior League Club, run by her best friend and antagonist of the story, Hilly Holbrook. After watching her friends and mother treat their black maids poorly and learning that her old maid Constantine dies, she feels that it is time to make a change and progress towards racial equality. She gains the friendship and trust of a black maid named Aibileen Clark and Aibileen’s best friend Minny Jackson. Her dream is to write a collection of stories from a dozen maids and their experiences working with white women. Through much persuasion and time spent building the trust of maids and other domestic workers, she gathers two dozen women willing to share their stories.

We can connect these ideologies to real life issues. Today we still face the complex issues of racism, sexism and blatant inequality of gender, race, and religion. As the two books are set in different time periods than they are today, the lasting effect that this era had on our society is still very visible. The divide between black and white people, specifically in the Deep South of United States of America, is what is stopping our world from progressing. African American children and adults are still getting gunned down by police, Muslim children of color are still receiving hate and being blamed for ISIS and women are still earning less money than men for the same job.

In To Kill A Mockingbird, the title gives us a hint of the most significant symbol in the story, mockingbirds. Mockingbirds are the symbol of innocence and childhood. It helps us to remember the feeling of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. As Atticus explains to Jem in chapter ten why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird whilst giving him his first rifle, he says. “I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. “Shoot all the bluejays you want if you can hit’s, but remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. […] They don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.” Characters like Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Jem Finch can be compared to mockingbirds and are walking metaphors throughout the story. The reason for this is because they are all innocent people who only had intentions to help people throughout the story. Tom Robinson tried to help a woman in need, Boo just wanted to be an accepted member of society and Jem became aware of the amount of evil in the world instead of seeing it as a good place for the first time.

On the night Tom is convicted, Jem becomes finally aware of the evil that has taken place. Even after every single person in the courtroom knows Tom is innocent, yet they sentence him guilty anyways. He says to Atticus. “I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep. Good night.” This helps us to understand that even though Atticus believes that what the jury has done is wrong, there is not much that he can do to reverse it and change people’s minds.

This can be compared to the characters in The Help. Although it is set in a different time period, the characters in The Help still face the same struggles that ostracized members of Maycomb faced back in the 1930s. For example, Treelore Clark died an avoidable death while trying to earn a living. “One night he working late at the Scanlon-Taylor Mill, lugging two-by-fours, splinters slicing all the way through the glove. He too small for that kind of work, too skinny, but he needed that job.” Because of his color when he was injured he was not treated with the same urgency that a white person would have been shown. Aibileen, Treelore’s mother, explains her son as a quiet, thoughtful twenty-four-year-old man. A person who was about to start his life with his fiance. Aibileen recounts what he was doing and how it happened. “He was tired. It was raining. He slip off the loading dock, fell down on the drive. Tractor trailer didn't see him and crushed his lungs fore he could move. By the time I found out, he was dead.” This shows the working conditions that African Americans had no choice but to work in.

A similarity between To Kill A Mockingbird is how alike the contrasted characters from both books are. For example, in The Help, Skeeter often compares herself to Boo Radley. On page 101 she says. "I've become one of those people who prowl around at night in their cars. God, I am the town's Boo Radley, just like in To Kill a Mockingbird." Common traits that they share are that they are both seen as outcasts, people who do not fit in with the social norm.

Skeeter is an independent, awkward young woman who does not believe in relying on a man and living your life quietly as a housewife. She has aspirations and wants to reach them and feels that people are equal, and for this reason, she is seen as a stain in her bloodline and not a proper lady. For example, when Skeeter is born her older brother Carlton explains. "It's not a baby it's a skeeter!" Thus showing that she is not your average, pretty young woman. Skeeter is almost 6 feet tall and has incurable “kinky” hair and was teased by boys for her looks during middle school. She turned to her maid, Constantine, who told her a life lesson she never forgot. “[You] gotta ask yourself this question. Am I really gonna believe all them bad things them fools say about me today?” This helps Skeeter to remember that she is not what other people say she is. Boo Radley is seen as a murderous and dangerous person by many citizens of Maycomb, adults included while in reality he is actually an awkward but kind-hearted man who wants nothing more than to fit into society. This lesson applies to Boo as well. He is not the rumors about him, but his own person.

The treatment meted out to Boo Radley, Scout’s tormented next door neighbor is another metaphor for the racial prejudice prevalent in society. He is a person who only ever wanted to contribute to society but was ridiculed by his neighbors, ostracized by his community and demonized by children. Everything that was not right in Maycomb was traced back to Boo. For example, when azaleas freeze in a cold snap, it was Boo who did it. “The Maycomb school grounds adjoined the back of the Radley lot; from the Radley chickenyard tall pecan trees shook their fruit into the schoolyard, but the nuts lay untouched by the children: Radley pecans would kill you. A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” Even adults would partake in the rumors, egging on the children and feeding them with lies about how Boo Radley was a bad person who went to prison.

This is very comparable to the treatment that Skeeter is given. As The Help carries on, Hilly Holbrook decides that Skeeter is no longer welcome in the Jackson Junior League and tries her hardest to turn everyone against her. Given that Hilly has a powerful command over one of the major social events and network in Jackson, her influence is enormous. Facing the prospect of losing their social status by upsetting Hilly, even Skeeter’s closest friends turn away from her. Much like Boo Radley, Skeeter quickly becomes ostracized by the other ladies. This goes to show that even though Boo and Skeeter are both white, they are still treated as divergents thus showing that you are still not safe even if you look the same as your enemy.

The vibe that Skeeter and Boo receive for being different really makes us question how our society functions. Just because we are different means that we are not allowed to be accepted? This lesson that was taught years ago has translated into our society today, and people are paying the price for it. Skeeter’s actions highlight the poor treatment given to African American domestic workers and because of the discomfort that causes, Skeeter is ostracized by her friends. It is easier to ignore the inequalities and bad behavior of a certain race when it is your own than to go against society’s prevailing norms. 

Inferring from the text, it is explicit that some of the citizens of Jackson, Mississippi know that the way they treat others is wrong, that it is unfair to put yourself as a race above another and that to act like you are better is completely unjust. However, they do it anyways, and why? Because people feel it is easier to root for the “winning” side, it’s easier to go with the flow and not cause a ripple in the water. Skeeter and Scout prove otherwise, that even though things will be harder than just sticking to the norm, the results are more awarding. 

The Help and To Kill A Mockingbird are stories that make you think about the impact that our behavior has on society. Lee and Stockett have both written stories that put racism into words. These books help us to understand why people feel the need to show dominance and the way that they assert their power, through fear, judgment and strong yet misplaced beliefs. This helps us understand why in today’s society we still have to deal with racist and sexists beliefs, and the reason is because of our past. These two novels show that in a world of hate and prejudice it only takes one person to start a movement, but that the challenges facing anyone who does so remain enormous.

The Significance, Relevance and Complexity of Prejudice

Prejudice is a complex and intricate issue that has existed for a large part of human history. Because of this, many authors and musicians have written their own individual pieces in an attempt to make sense of it and its impacts. Many of these follow along the lines of believing following prejudice is somewhat of a choice. In some cases, a moment of awakening causes the prejudice to dissipate, whereas in others this awakening has no impact and prejudicial views continue to cloud one’s judgement. Two pieces that help to illustrate this are “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, a 1960s novel expressing bias in law and the awakening points that follow and “White Privilege 2” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, a 2016 song in which the narrator questions how modern day prejudice affects him. Despite their obvious differences, in both, the writers use various methods to educate us about the complicated emotions associated with prejudice, the complexity and seriousness of the issue and that it isn’t just the victims who end up being impacted by it.

Both writings explore the same theme of prejudice and it’s awakening points, however, do so in slightly different ways. In “To Kill A Mockingbird” Scout and Jem start with no idea about prejudice and are naive to how their society functions. However, after the trial of Tom Robinson, they have their awakening points, realise the effects of prejudice on their own mindsets and how “it ain’t right”. In “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice, however, is unaware of how exactly it affects him as a white man in the 21st century. The song starts with the narrator attending a black lives matter riot. He “wants to take a stance because we are not free” but then later questioned if “it was okay for [him] to say” because “we are not we”. This means that he believes since he’s not being personally victimised by prejudice he has no right to protest it. However when he sees “a line of police officers that look the same as [him],” he has his awakening point and realises that just witnessing prejudice can cause one to evoke it someone else. Here the differences are obvious. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” the residents of Maycomb realise the existence of prejudice during their awakening point whereas in “White Privilege 2” the narrator is aware of prejudice and realises the extent of its impacts during his awakening points. However despite these differences, there are still many connections between the two. Besides both pieces referring to prejudice’s awakening point their protagonists also become more aware of how society works in their time periods and how everyone is affected by it.

Another similarity between the two is the author’s use of analogies. Macklemore uses the analogy of burning houses to explain the thinking behind the black lives matter movement. He states that “If a house was on fire, the fire department wouldn’t show up and start putting water on all the houses because all houses matter. They would put water on the house that is burning because [they] needed it the most.” This explains the movement, giving an explanation for many who have heard about the movement online but are yet to understand what it is fighting for. It goes against the alternative the “all lives matter” movement which many have offered up as an alternative movement since they believe it is more inclusive of all. However as Macklemore believes, in the present time, it is not all whose rights need fighting for. Harper Lee also uses various analogies that connect parts of her story to real life situations in order to help better explain her theme. For example, she relates what happened during the Tom Robinson trial to Hitler and what he did during World War Two. Miss Gates, Scout’s teacher, made sure to tell them in class about “how bad it was [Hitler] treaten’ the Jews like that.” However after the trial, Scout then overheard her say “it’s time somebody taught [coloured people] a lesson” and that they “were gettin’ way above themselves.” This caused Scout to have somewhat of an awakening moment and wonder “how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home.” By somewhat comparing or relating the two to each other, this provided context for the situation and to why the theme was so relevant. These analogies also help the reader to understand that not everything around prejudice is simple and cannot be explained in a simple sentence.

Both pieces have points where they mention prejudice in, and the unfairness of, the judicial system. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is based on a trial in which a wrongful conviction is awarded due to the jurors having their opinion blinded by prejudice. It sparked controversy in its fictional setting of Maycomb, Alabama causing the mindset of its residents to change. Similarly, in “White Privilege 2” the narrator explains that he is a “product of the same system that let of Darren Wilson, guilty.” Darren Wilson was a white police officer from Baltimore who was let off innocent on the murder of the coloured Mike Brown. While it cannot be proven whether Wilson was, in fact, guilty, much of the evidence is pointed towards it. His verdict sparked controversy and riots around the country, invoking debates on the existence of racism that still exists in the United States. This shows how serious of an issue prejudice still is. If the judicial system, which is supposed to be the voice of reason and truth, cannot look past their own biased mindset, then there is still a long road to the abolition of prejudice.

In both pieces, the authors use first-person points of view to do various things. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” Harper Lee does this to show the mindset of a child (Scout) in that time period and also to show her growth through the story. It is clear the struggle that she goes through as the trial goes on and also what she is thinking as her awakening point occurs. In “White Privilege 2” Macklemore does the same in order to show the inner battle his narrator was facing, to help emphasise his points and to express deeper emotions. His narrator questions himself, wondering “if it’s his place to give two cents,” and his own motives which add to the emotionality and theme of the song. Some may argue that the use of the first-person narrative creates a shrouded view and limits the reader’s understanding of the full topic to what the protagonist sees. However despite that being partially true, in these cases, it was a good thing. Often the points most important would’ve been missed if first person narrative wasn’t used. For example, when the trial was ending only Scout could “see something only a lawyer’s child could be expected to see” and states her inner thinking on the trial’s proceedings. Her following statement on Atticus ends up be beneficial to understanding his motivation and that all would not have been possible without the use of first person narrative. This first person narrative also helps to give us an insight into the inner contemplation that the characters have when they experience their awakening point, be it on how they’ve been affected, or the issue as a whole.

Both stories are similar in the fact that they are extremely relevant to and caused controversy in the time period in which they were released in. “To Kill a Mockingbird” was released during the height of 1960s civil rights movement when coloured people were still struggling for their voice and the prejudice was only starting to come to light. This time period was a pivotal point in American history and this book helped to address many of the issues on display. It educated the public including children on the issue in a way they were able to understand. However despite currently being referred to as a classic of modern literature, upon its release, many schools outlawed “To Kill a Mockingbird” due to its controversial themes and use of explicit language. In fact, it still remains banned in various classrooms across the world. “White Privilege 2” was also released at an interesting time period in which many of the issues discussed in the civil rights movement were making a recurrence. The new black lives matter movement addresses these disparities. Macklemore also name drops several people of controversy including the aforementioned Darren Wilson and the phrase “rest in peace Mike Brown” referring to the unarmed coloured man who was supposedly accidentally killed.

In conclusion, despite their obvious differences, “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “White Privilege 2” both share the same theme. In order for prejudice to dissipate, one must first have an awakening point. The similarities also continue to extend beyond just the theme, including in elements of craft and the events occurring in the time period they were released. Both Harper Lee and Macklemore saw something they disagreed with in society and wrote their pieces with the intention of educating other about it. They were not wrong. The issues described in their work need to be addressed, let us as readers use their messages and make a difference. Prospective awakening points are everywhere, it just takes one to open your mind and make a change.