You can find many examples of ignorance and racial
intolerance in the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird. Mrs. Dubose is a
particular example of ante-bellum Southern attitudes in a modern world. Though she
trusts Atticus to handle her financial affairs, she refers to him as "no better than the
niggers and trash he works for." Aunt Alexandra considers the Finches much better than
other families in Maycomb, refusing to allow Walter Cunningham Jr. to play with Scout
because "he--is--trash!" The prosecutor, Harry Gilmer, repeatedly adresses Tom Robinson
as "boy" while he is on the witness stand. Bob and Mayella Ewell both call Tom a
"nigger" during their testimony. Mrs. Merriweather, "the most devout lady in Maycomb,"
was willing to give her full support to the un-Christian Mruna tribe in Africa, but she
was ready to fire her black maid, Sophy, because she was unhappy with Tom's guilty
verdict. Racial prejudice is not restricted to Maycomb's white inhabitants, however.
When Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to the all-black First Purchase Church, they are
confronted by the angry Lula, who tells them that
"You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun
here--they got their church, we got
our'n."
Perhaps the best
quote comes from Scout when she speaks of the "secrets courts of men's hearts" that
caused the jury to find Tom guilty in spite of the evidence presented by
Atticus.
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