Many people deceive others and themselves into believing they are righteous people, but a closer look reveals a startling reality. Unfortunately, most who claim to be pure and holy are quite the opposite. Most like this are actually very biased, intolerant people who care only for themselves and their personal prejudices. A great example of this is in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, where racism, hypocrisy and bigotry are shown by many “good” people and which are all very pressing issues today.

     One of the issues brought out in the book is racism. Though there are different opinions as to its definition it is basically an attitude that one’s race is separate from and usually superior to other races. A good example of this is when Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her church and is confronted by a disgruntled member of the congregation, Lula. She proceeds to demand from Calpurnia why Jem and Scout are attending church with her. “I want to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church.” “You ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillin here. – they got their church and we got our’n.” (Lee 119). Lula is expressing her anger at the intrusion of the Finch children who represent to her oppression and cruelty of the white population of the community. She is unable to see past the symbolism of the Finch children’s skin tone and see the real Scout and Jem. Her church is probably to her the last haven from the white community and the Finch children are trespassing on this sanctuary. Many instances of racism are like this in which fear can bring about intolerance and blindness.

      Racism can go both ways with victims being caught in the middle of a battle. Children born of a union between two members of different races are often rejected by both families and communities and are left with no group to call their own. Jem expresses this tragedy when he explains the life of some of the children in Maycomb. “…they don’t belong anywhere. Colored folk won’t have ‘em because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ’cause they’re colored, so they’re just in-betweens, don’t belong anywhere.” (Lee 161).

      Like many communities, Maycomb’s people express attitudes of superiority that are not necessarily of racial origin but still cause divisiveness. Aunt Alexandra demonstrates this when she asks Atticus to repeat to Scout and Jem her philosophies about their family origins and how to conduct themselves to uphold the family heritage. “Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations’ gentle breeding-” “…and that you should try to live up to your name-” (Lee 133). This implies that other families are not at the same level of value as them and that the behavior of others is to be looked upon with contempt.

      It is tempting to assume that bigotry is an ailment only of those in power, yet many in the oppressed groups are also guilty of this behavior. The Reverend Sykes makes general assumptions in his sermon about who is evil. The narrator of the book describes his sermon, “…he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women. Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse.” The narrator comments on here observation of the universal problem of bigotry amongst clergy, “Again, as I had often met it in my own church, I was confronted with the Impunity of Women doctrine that seemed to preoccupy all clergymen.” (Lee 122).

      When one is busy pointing out the faults in others, it is easy to not notice the faults in one’s self. This hypocrisy is very prevalent in racism and bigotry. Scout is confused about Miss Gates’ comments about the evils of Adolph Hitler and her earlier comments about the outcome of the trial, “ Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was—she was goin’ down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her—she was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, they were getting’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home–” (Lee 247).

      Occasionally hypocrisy can be replaced with empathy when one is confronted with the ugliness and the destructive effect his behavior is having on another person. Mr. Cunningham had gathered up several men to go with him to the jail to attempt to lynch Tom Robinson. Their intent was to eliminate a dangerous man from their community. Atticus waited outside the jail to confront them and remind them that it was they who were dangerous and not Tom Robinson. Scout, through her innocence, actually was the one who was able to make Mr Cunningham see what he was doing and he called off the mob and went home. Atticus summed up this incident when he said, “So it took an eight-year old child to bring ‘em to their senses, didn’t it?” “That proves something—that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they’re still human. Hmp, maybe we need a police force of children…you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough.” (Lee 157).

      Accepting differences in other people is difficult at best and a prelude to violence at worst. We have a dismal record of responding with fear and hostility towards those that appear unlike us. Harper Lee’s, To Kill A Mockingbird is a brilliant demonstration of how intolerance can get out of control and affect an entire community. We are doomed as a society as long as we assume that there are good people and that there are evil people. Only when we can acknowledge that all of us are vulnerable to the clutches of evil can we move beyond it and recognize the good in others and cultivate the good within ourselves.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Warner Books, 1960.