“The Maycomb jail … it’s supporters said it gave the town good solid respectable look and no stranger would ever suspect that it was full of niggers” is an excerpt from Harper lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird illustrating the hypocrisy and inequality of the small town of Maycomb. Harper lee uses Maycomb’s bucolic and unsophisticated persona to create the ideal foundation to display a range of prejudices. In the following paragraphs I will explore how the town of Maycomb supports the theme of prejudice and bias.

Maycomb is a clearly segregated community , both socially and physically throughout the entirety of the plot. The white residents find solace in distancing themselves from the black community and vise versa. The African-american is regarded as a step below the lowest of society. Harper Lee creates Maycomb in a way that the African-Americans are segregated from the whites to mirror reality and heighten the intensity of the racism portrayed. “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind, like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes” is a clear nod to Maycomb’s social and racial hierarchy. Lee’s construction and layout of Maycomb places the black commune or ‘ghetto’ past the dump, which is both a literal and symbolical directive for their inferiority. The Ewells ( Bob Ewell in particular) are essentially incestuous rapists. The fact that the black community is forced to live beyond the Ewells provides a good benchmark for what Maycomb thinks of their existence. Harper Lee’s experience with racism has an intentional similarity with what is described in the text. Growing up in 1930’s rural America, conveying her real life contact with racism is was what I believe to be her most important theme to display. This is because it adds a degree of personalisation and therefore a stronger heart driven message to the text. In my opinion the racism displayed in the novel was a light take on what was the brutal reality but still created the effect that was needed.

Along with racism, sexism has a ubiquitous presence throughout the township of Maycomb. Woman are regarded as vulnerable, fragile and are objectified. This sexism is sourced mainly from the idea of preserving “Southern womanhood” created by the community of Maycomb and the American south. A clear example of sexism is displayed in Maycomb’s Court during the trial of Tom Robinson. “There has been a request … that this courtroom be cleared of spectators, or at least of women and children”. By categorising woman with children implies that women are unfit to hear such obscenities and aren’t as mentally secure as men. This statement conforms to the idea of “Southern womanhood” in that women should be delicate so to appear more stereotypically feminine to please men. Especially in Maycomb, this stereotype is heightened if not created solely by the highly traditional atmosphere. This perceived fragility of woman also aided Mayella’s testament against Tom. “I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s. ” suggests that women or the “frail ladies” need to be protected from the African-Americans.  The Black men in particular are said to be “immoral beings” Which Mayella used as foothold to declare Tom’s guiltiness. The notion that black men were monsters and woman were weak, increased Mayella’s innocence compelling the solely white jury to vote in her favor. Here the setting, the courthouse, provides a platform for racism and idealistic sexism. This adds another location within Maycomb that spawns prejudice. Again Lee created these sexist ideals , namely “southern womanhood” , to describe her own pressures growing up in the south of America. Being a woman of considerable age it is important to her to highlight the injustices of the past and bring relevance to her mistreatings. In my opinion To Kill a Mockingbird portrays sexism in a realistic fashion that’s messages stand the test of time. The fact that the majority of the sexism displayed is delivered in a form of a societal ideal is highly realistic.

Of the three prejudices previously discussed, classicism is one that has a more subtle presence throughout the text. “There’s four kinds of folks in the world. There’s the ordinary kind, like us and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes” Here Jem Finch uses classicism to categorise Maycomb into what he has been taught to believe are the most and least valuable types people. “The ordinary kind”  Suggests that anyone that lives below the socioeconomic status of the Finch family is a lesser person. This idea is propagated not by Jem himself but by Maycomb as a community. In Maycomb the unspoken requirements of high social status revolve around being be white, working a sophisticated job and holding power over other people. This is because Maycomb is so ‘tight nit’ and commanding respect is crucial. Atticus is a white lawyer both meaning he is sophisticated and powerful. This leads to him and the Finch family being respected (even in light of their different racial views) which in true thirteen year old fashion compels Jem to think he is better than others. On the other hand Dolphus Raymond, one of the more interesting characters, is on the other end of the classicism spectrum. “I try to give ’em a reason, you see. It helps folks if they can latch onto a reason… folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey–that’s why he won’t change his ways… that’s why he lives the way he does.”  Dolphus Raymond hails from a wealthy family and has decided to spend his life with a black woman. Maycomb believes that he is an alcoholic and has fallen into “the clutches of whiskey”. The children later find out that he has just been drinking Coca Cola. Dolphus Raymond has lowered in social class due to the opinions and pressures of the citizens of Maycomb. He has chosen to be known as the town drunk to justify his ‘wrongdoings’ rather than face the shame that comes with marrying a black woman. Harper Lee uses Dolphus Raymond to present the importance of showing strength in your opinions. Dolphus couldn’t pluck up the courage to state that he was an advocate for racial and class equality in a town filled predominantly with bigots. This message is what I believe to believe to be an ever present idea in a modern setting thanks to works of expressionism like To Kill a Mockingbird.

To conclude, Maycomb’s rural and segregated appearance allows and enhances the presence of prejudice mainly racism, sexism and classicism. Harper lee uses these prejudices to discuss her life growing up and the evils of stereotypes and ideals. In my opinion the book was well crafted and provides evidence to the dangers of a town ship similar to Maycomb.