Wednesday, November 9, 2011

What does "taboos including incest and miscegenation" mean in relation to To Kill a Mockingbird?

Taboos are practices that people engage in that are not socially acceptable.  During the time and in the place that To Kill A Mockingbird is set, neither incest nor miscegenation would be acceptable practices.


Incest refers to intimate (sexual) relations between near relatives (father:daughter; mother:son, etc.) and during the Depression era, many smaller southern societies and communities even frowned on intimate relations between further distanced relatives (cousin:cousin).  In our society incest between near relatives is still illegal and definitely taboo.


Miscegenation refers to intimate relations(sexual intercourse, co-habitation, marriage) between people of different races.  In the setting of To Kill A Mockingbird miscegenation is not tolerated and can lead to mob justice and legal action being taken.  In society today, miscegenation is not really taboo in larger, metropolitan cities, but some smaller southern societies and communities outside of mainstream America would still consider miscegenation taboo.

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