Essay Sample on Racism in Maycomb: Whites' Superiority and Blacks' Oppression

Introduction

Maycomb residents are greatly affected by racism, but the effect depends on the race of an individual. The town is one that represents a typical environment where race supremacy is significantly witnessed. Whites tend to believe that they have more power and are entitled to better positions than blacks. The vice is carried out both informally and institutionally. Whites believe that being the majority, they are entitled to the best services, and they should be treated better than blacks (Lee 41). Also, they believe that black people should serve their interests failure to which they may launch vicious attacks against them. The effect of racism can be seen to be effective. It makes members of the black community lead despicable and impoverished lives. Racism also disintegrates families as some of the family members end up in jail. Racism in such an effective manner affects the black citizens of Maycomb, such as Tom and Helen Robinson. It even goes to the extent of enhancing wrong court decisions and obstructs justice from being delivered. Racism, therefore, is a strong negative force in Maycomb that perverts justice and leads to such instrumental oppression of the black society.

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Atticus Finch, while he represents Tom Robinson during the trial, realizes how hard it is to win the case that has been launched against his client by a racist white woman Mayella. In her everyday life activities, Mayella tries to rise and have power over other people. In this particular instance, she lands on Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Therefore, being the racist she is, Mayella makes advancements towards him and later claims that he raped her. Her racist ideology, when thinking about Tom are identifiable when she says, "That nigger yonder took advantage of me" (Lee 100). The effect of racism on her is favorable. Therefore, she obtains a ruling that favors her. On the other side, the verdict is oppressive of Tom Robinson, without having committed the crime, he is jailed. The prejudiced outlook towards the case makes the judge make a hasty and unjust decision. The judge ruins the life of Tom simply because he is a black man. Helen Robinson also suffers the adverse effects of racism, and she now has to lead life a single parent while her husband is in jail. Thus, she is also heavily victimized and receives scores of threats.

The Impact of Racism in 1930s Alabama: Chapter 9's Accurate Representation

The effect of racism in Alabama in the 1930s has been accurately represented in chapter 9 of the book. The vice has reached to a point where other than being used to oppress people in the social spheres, it is used as an element of power by others. People like Mayella, who want to assert control over society, manipulate the justice system. They make the inferior black people to suffering while they undergo unfair rulings in courts of law and as well lose their families and dignity. Besides, the suffering that was encountered by the black community, which is represented by Tom and Helen Robinson, among other characters in Maycomb, Alabama, is well represented in the chapter. It was such an unprecedented time for the blacks who, besides lacking social and economic power, had to stay knowing that they would be incarcerated and jailed without a fair trial. While racism was depicted as absent in the legal space and process of justice, it was very active, and it was one of the ways that people from the black community suffered the most.

Works Cited

Lee, Harper. To kill a mockingbird. Random House, 2010.