Social Class In To Kill A Mockingbird Argumentative Essay Example

become a prisoner in his own home for 20 years due to careless behavior in his youth. As a result, Maycomb's society portrays him as a "monster" and victimizes him based on social prejudice. Similarly, Tom Robinson is another "mockingbird" character who has been falsely accused and convicted of raping a 19-year-old white girl without causing harm to anyone.

The case of Tom, in which Atticus Finch defends him as innocent with solid evidence, demonstrates how racial prejudice in the town prevented them from acknowledging the truth and letting a black man go free. It exemplifies the injustice perpetuated by society where a white man's word prevails over a black man's. Harper Lee utilizes the symbol of mockingbirds to convey how they represent the oppressed across all races and beliefs, highlighting the vulnerability and suffering of the innocent by those in power. The snowman also serves as a significant symbol to illustrate the main theme of racial prejudice.

Following a light snowfall, Jem embarks on a mission to construct a snowman. A shortage of snow leads him to utilize mud for the snowman's interior, which prompts Scout to express surprise about a "nigger snowman." However, Jem proceeds to cover the mudman with snow in order to give it a white appearance. This represents the oppression of African Americans by the white-dominated Maycomb society.

Harper Lee uses symbolism to depict the racial prejudice in Maycomb. The white snow covering the dark mud metaphorically represents how black people are overlooked, and the white people are deemed superior. Regardless of someone's attitude, if they were black, they were treated intolerantly. This illustrates the mistreatment of minorities. The mockingbird and snowman symbols

in the text highlight the themes of prejudice and innocence. These symbols reveal how injustice exists within a community and the impact it has on innocent individuals.

The novel has universal relevance as prejudice still exists in modern society, albeit not as extreme as depicted in the story. It illustrates how prejudice can negatively impact a person's ability to fairly assess innocent individuals.