Since Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird in 1960, it has received criticism for its controversial content and characters. However, this essay will refute these claims and explain why it is crucial that our society addresses the concerns presented in this book. The primary social justice concerns in To Kill a Mockingbird are racial, economic, and societal and will be addressed in their respective sections of this essay. Racial issues are visible throughout the book, but mainly at the end of the first half and second half of the book. It depicts Atticus defending a black man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Economic issues are discussed throughout the book, but this essay will focus on the early chapters of the book, in which Scout goes to school and meets many different families with different economic statuses. Finally, the social issues that this essay will focus on will concern Tom Robinson, the Ewells, and Boo Radley. In conclusion, this essay will talk about To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and how the various concerns expressed in this book can relate to our society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Racial issues are quite evident in To Kill a Mockingbird through many characters such as Bob Ewell, Calpurnia, and Atticus. Bob Ewell is the epitome of the racist, ignorant, and mean man of the 1930s South. His family is even described as the "disgrace of Maycomb" (16) by Atticus, who is Scout's moral teacher and a generally kind and ethical person. He blames the rape of his daughter on Tom Robinson, an innocent black man, and then attempts to take revenge on people who were not on his side. It shows the problems of ignorant people in relationships between different groups of people in communities such as Maycomb. Much like how Atticus talks about Burris Ewell to Scout, people like Bob are unwilling to compromise and impose hatred on people who are not like them. Calpurnia is Finch's maid and Scout's mother figure. She embodies the bond between whites and blacks in Maycomb, as she shows a linguistic dichotomy between when she speaks to whites (like Scout or Atticus) and blacks (like Lula from First Purchase). His character shows that different groups of people can be together without harboring hatred towards each other. Atticus is the father of Scout and Jem and is the moral backbone of Maycomb, as he agrees to defend Tom Robinson even though others hate him for it. He represents an impartial, morally sound individual who does not care what society thinks is right, does what he believes is right, and will help others. To summarize, the racial issues in To Kill a Mockingbird are represented by the characters in the book, and these characters provide a model for people in our current society of what not to look like (Bob Ewell) and what to look like (Calpurnia and Atticus ). To Kill a Mockingbird's economic problems stem primarily from the Great Depression of the 1930s, which left millions of people poor and unemployed. Building on this, many characters in this book illustrate economic issues that can be linked to our current times. Some of these characters include Walter Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham, and Bob Ewell. Walter Cunningham is very poor, as the first chapters of the book show. He has no shoes or lunch on the first day of school and can't pay back aquarter to his teacher, Miss Caroline. He also pours molasses all over his food, which angers Scout, but Calpurnia teaches her a lesson about not judging others for being different. It serves as a gateway to economic problems in To Kill a Mockingbird that many others in Maycomb have. Mr. Cunningham is, unsurprisingly, the father of Walter Cunningham and also poor. He doesn't have money to pay for things like Atticus's legal aid, so he pays for it in crops instead. Although he appears to be a good person, he is part of the mob that attempts to lynch Tom Robinson the day before the trial. However, Scout mentions her son to Mr. Cunningham and he leaves with the crowd. This shows that Mr. Cunningham is a poor individual who cares about his son, but he has flaws such as prejudice. Burris Ewell, Bob Ewell's son, is also someone who presents economic problems in To Kill a Mockingbird. It's an Ewell, which is an even poorer family than the Cunninghams. He introduces the Ewells to the story as poor, ignorant, and evil people as he talks about Miss Caroline at the beginning of the book and storms out of school on the first day. He is the epitome of a less endowed person who does not care about others and has no ambition to change his life. In summary, there are many economic problems in To Kill a Mockingbird that can be seen in certain characters such as Walter Cunningham, Mr. Cunningham, and Burris Ewell. The societal issues of To Kill a Mockingbird are perhaps the most important issues in this book, as they encompass both race and economics. Tom Robinson is an obvious victim of social problems, as he is discriminated against because he is black. He is accused of rape and was tried before a very biased jury. Even though Atticus's defense was almost flawless, he was found guilty and sent to prison where he was killed for trying to escape. He was helpless against the white people in his community who were prejudiced against him, and Atticus even said, "As you get older, you will see white men cheating on black men every day of your life." This shows that Tom Robinson is a victim of social injustice simply because of his race. The Ewells, although they seem like a bunch of racist and ignorant people, are also victims of social injustice. This is because their father did not raise them well and raised them in a dirty environment that made most of them illiterate troublemakers. Mayella, the most civil of all, must endure her father's abuse and the inability to do anything about her situation. These factors show that the Ewells are all victims of social injustice because of their father. Finally, Boo Radley is the victim of social injustice since he is given the reputation of a murderer for little or no reason. Boo is locked in his house by his family so they don't have to worry about him, when he is actually a kind person who cares about good people like Scout and Jem. However, he has a happy ending as he saved Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell and his actions were justified by Heck Tate, the county sheriff. To summarize, social issues make up most of To Kill a Mockingbird's problems, whether due to race (Tom Robinson), upbringing (the Ewells), or past actions (Boo Radley). These three problems can be related to today's world because they are still visible in society and others judge people for having these problems. The social justice issue addressed by my project is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which is the ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the mid-20th century over the Holy Land (an area roughly between the..