“Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee #323) In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird racism is an important theme in the book. The majority of Maycomb are racist by calling dark colored people “niggers” and even though Scout’s father is white, Atticus defends a African American named Tom Robinson. Scout doesn’t understand why people use the word “nigger” at first she says it because children at school use it, and its common. Throughout the story Scout starts to realize how wrong racism in Maycomb is and that it is used commonly by others.

In the beginning, Scout was unsure why she shouldn’t say “nigger¨ but she hears it at school as a common word that everyone says. She asks “Do you defend niggers, …show more content…
Miss. Gates Scout’s teacher gives the class a lecture about Adolf Hitler and his dictatorship and his hatred for Jews. she states that “ Over here we don’t believe in persecuting in anyone.” (Lee #328) Miss gates is racist and Scout begins to realize that. Miss gates said she hates hitler for killing all of those Jews. But in the courthouse Scout over heard Miss gates telling Miss Stephanie “ It’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson they were gettin’ way above themselves.”( Lee #332). As a teacher that is not a good example to set for students. To tell you students one thing but mean another, is just confusing for children at that age.Finally the last chapters of the book, Scout comes to conclusion that Tom Robinson had no chance of getting justice because the color of his skin. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.” (Lee #323) at that moment she knew why. She know knew the word “nigger” and what it meant. In conclusion the novel To Kill a Mockingbird is based on racism and how scout realizes throughout the story. Scout starts to become aware of how wrong racism is she does not like, and she now knows why Maycomb uses it so