Harper Lee presents us with a view of racism from a southern town in
             Alabama. Everything takes place in this town and Lee describes the town
             and the townspeople with clarity that bring significance to the story.
             Clearly, there were racial lines that divided the town. Fred Erisman
             examines how Harper Lee's a positive view of the South. He points out that
             Harper presents us with the notion that the South can indeed move beyond
             the archaic social norms "toward the more reasonable, pragmatic, and native
             romanticism of Ralph Waldo Emerson. If the movement can come maturity, she
             implies, the South will have made a major step in becoming truly regional
             in its vision" (Erisman 2062). Erisman notes that the towns social
             structures were operating on the on a "taut, well-developed caste system
             designed to separate the whites from the blacks" (2062). He mentions
             several examples that back up his point, including the purchase of the
             African M. E. Church, in which the "Negroes worshipped in it on Sundays and
             white men gambled in it on weekdays" (Lee 118). This scene illustrates how
             divided the classes were during that time.
             Also prevalent in the novel is the issue of sexual taboo and how it
             relates to the Southern caste system. This is illustrated with Tom's
             trial. Because the "caste taboo outweighs empirical evidence," Tom is
             already condemned before he even faces a jury. Erison observes how deep
             the differences between the races ran by focusing on Atticus' explanation
             that Tom's prosecution rests upon the assumption that all Negroes lie.
             This issue lasts throughout the entire novel, as Lee does not necessarily
             set out to solve the problem but make us aware of it. Dave claims that To
             Kill a Mockingbird contains an "unfailing moral order" that becomes
             apparent as we read it, noting a "complete cohesion of art and morality"
             (Dave 2071). He asserts that part of the novel's success i...