People generally see what they look for To Kill a Mockingbird

People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for, and they have a right to subject their children to it.

Quote Analysis

This phrase was said in the Chapter 17 by Judge Taylor in the courtroom after he ordered all women and children to leave it. The Judge accepts the right of people to know what they want to know, but still considers that aforementioned women and children won’t stay calm and silent during the trial.

This quote emphasizes some sides of Judge Taylor’s personality. He is a just man, or so he considers himself to be, but still he is a son of his age. Judge Taylor is a sexist and racist, he considers women unable to keep composed and he never believes that a black man can be innocent if he is on a trial after white man accusing him of raping his daughter.