Racial discrimination, although not the main focus of To Kill a Mockingbird, plays an important role throughout the novel. Many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird are affected by racial discrimination, whether they cause it or not. Throughout the novel, three characters stand out because they are most affected by racial discrimination. These characters are Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Atticus Finch, and Tom Robinson. Jean Louise Finch, known in Maycomb as Scout, is affected by racial discrimination in many ways in To Kill a Mockingbird. Although most discrimination appears among whites against African Americans, there is one case where discrimination appears among African Americans against whites. One Sunday when Jem and Scout's father, Atticus, is not home, Calpurnia, their cook, takes the two children to her church. Once there they were confronted by a woman named Lula. He is racist against whites and shows this by saying, “'I want to know why you bring white chilluns into the nigger church'” (Lee 158). By inserting this event into history, Harper Lee shows how racial discrimination can affect anyone of any race. “The society that imprisons Tom Robinson is the same that imprisons Scout…” (Durst Johnson 301). Even if the reasons for their imprisonment are different, the cause was the same company. During the Tom Robinson case, Scout had to deal with people discriminating against her father for defending an African American. Once the trial began, and everyone in Maycomb knew about it, Scout found that she would be taunted by her classmates for a while. His own family discriminated against them, especially Francis. At the Finches' Christmas party, Francis taunts Scout with insults toward Atticu... middle of paper... because of his race; just one bullet is enough to kill. Tom Robinson most likely felt forced to take the easy way out for fear of putting his family in greater danger and poverty. The fatal outcome of Tom's trial helps demonstrate how disastrous the effect of racial discrimination can be on people, regardless of race. In conclusion, racial discrimination is evident in To Kill a Mockingbird through many of the characters. Examples of this form of discrimination are Scout Finch being stabbed by Bob Ewell, Atticus almost being attacked by a lynch mob, and Tom Robinson being shot seventeen times. A trial led to an innocent man dying untimely, a child being attacked by a grown man, and a father simply doing the right thing. Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson were affected by racial discrimination throughout the entire novel.