We can answer only one question at a time; so I have
edited your question. One of the clearest examples of hypocrisy in To Kill a
Mockingbird comes from Scout's teacher Miss Gates. In fact, her hypocrisy
confuses Scout even though by that point in the novel, Scout has matured immensely,
especially in perceiving how society functions. In class one day, Miss Gates lectures
her students about Hitler's prejudice and how evil he is for preying on others simply
because of their ethnicity/religion. A perplexed Scout reflects on seeing Miss Gates
exit the courthouse after Tom Robinson's trial and remembers that her teacher was
talking about how Tom got what he deserved. Scout cannot reconcile that version of Miss
Gates with the one who now tells her that it is morally wrong to discriminate against
another person.
Similarly, when Scout helps Aunt Alexandra
serve the church ladies tea, she hears their negative discussion of the African
Americans in their own community coupled with their seeming desire to help the "poor"
Africans in Africa. These same "moral" women badmouth Atticus in front of his family in
his home while supposedly meeting to help missionaries.
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