Racial Prejudice

One of the most salient thematic elements of the novel is the way in which it explores and illustrates racial prejudice. The novel consistently focuses on the immorality and injustice of such prejudice, and the main characters’ experiences add further emotional weight to these ideas. This idea is established very early in the novel, for during Atticus’ drive from Florida to Chicago, he experiences several instances of humiliation due to prejudice against him. A white mechanic denies him service, and when Atticus appeals to the fact that they are both war veterans, the mechanic says, “I wasn’t in Korea. I was at Guadalcanal, and Luzon. And there weren’t any niggers there” (3). Atticus is also stopped and harassed by a police officer simply because the officer is prejudiced on the basis of Atticus’ race. These instances of prejudice set the thematic and emotional tone...