Notes

In the classic 1960 novel of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee uses irony to reveal Maycomb’s true colors of prejudice, racism, and hypocrisy. The “tired old town” seems perfect on the surface, but as the story goes on, it becomes clear that the town is a biased, racist community. Simon Finch, Miss Merriweather, Missionary Society, and Miss Gates all show discriminatory and impartial views that surround the town. Their actions go against their words and positive intentions, showing ignorance.
Simon Finch, one of the Finch’s first ancestors to come to America, fled Europe to escape religious persecution He came searching for the freedom to practice his own religious views. However, when he arrived, he bought three slaves for Finches Landing. Slavery strips blacks of their basic rights. Of course, it didn’t matter to any white who was living at the time, as blacks were inferior to them. Simon Finch was “possessing human chattels”, and he exposed blacks to similar circumstances that he tried to avoid. His behavior is clearly odd considering that he came to America for freedom, while at the same time taking away another’s.
Ms. Merriweather and the Missionary Circle are another example or racism. The ladies discuss about the “poor Mrunas”, an African tribe that is being converted to Christianity by “saintly J. Grimes Everett”. The author states, “Mrs. Merriweather’s large brown eyes always filled with tears when she considered the oppressed”, in a form of satire, disclosing the true ignorance of these women. Mrs. Merriweather then talks about “The poverty… the darkness… the immorality” of the Mrunas. This is deceiving because the whites racism in Maycomb is what is causing African Americans to suffer in their own town. This doesn’t concern Ms. Merriweather, as she turns away in her own backyard. She sympathizes for the minority in Africa because they live a depressed life, butshe doesnt care about then in her own town. These so-called “Christian” women are praising the man who is helping blacks in Africa, but they are against Atticus, who is fighting for the justice of blacks in their own community. Instead, calling him a “black lover”.
Mrs. Merriweather’s words are also very contradicting, because she begins by showing her deep respect for J. Grimes Everett for helping the Mrunas, but just a few moments later, she complains that “… there’s nothing more distracting than a sulky darky.” This clearly conveys the hypocrisy of these women, as they go from sympathizing for the blacks, to completely disregarding and insulting them.
Miss Gates, Scout’s third-grade teacher, shares similar hypocritical views with Mrs. Merriweather. While talking about current events during class, Miss Gates preaches democracy and equal rights for all. She states, “We don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudice.” Miss Gates commiserates for the Jews, who “have been persecuted since the beginning of history”. However, because she believes in whites over blacks, saying that “Blacks were getting way above themselves”, Miss Gates overlooks a similar situation occurring in Maycomb. The white majority was doing the same to African-Americans by enslaving them and treating them as third-class citizens. Even more ironic, Scout had heard Miss Gates say, “it’s time somebody taught the blacks a lesson”, after Tom Robinson’s sentence.