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   In the novel I have currently read is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee gives a good example of allusion on page 237, chapter 24. Allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of people, places, or events, either directly or by implication. In this novel there is a direct use of allusion when the novel is in conflict with segregation difficulties.

     Mrs. Merriwhether states "I think that women, that Mrs. Roosevelt's lost her mind- just plain lost her mind coming down to Birmingham and 'tryin' to sit with 'em", page 237. Harper Lee used this allusion in particular to cause a connection between racism in real life and racism in the novel. This allusion places a character trait upon Mrs. Merriwhether.  Instantly we dislike her because she is racist. Considering 'racism' is our past, and we now know it is wrong, this allusion helps us to see clearly Mrs. Merriwhether's racism by using a comparison to Mrs. Roosevelt, an ideal figure for freedom. Eleanor Roosevelt attended a meeting for Human Welfare in 1939 and sat on the opposite side of her segregation. She defied the state authority when they asked her to move by sitting directly in the center isle because she refused to sit on the 'white' side. Mrs. Merriwhether states her feelings about this desegregation as insane "lost her mind", which helps pursue the character's personality. Mrs. Merriwhether doesn't hold back her feelings about blacks and whites and sees nothing wrong with segregation. Mrs. Merriwhether's racism is a contributing factor to a major conflict in the novel, which is racism. In the town of Maycomb,  there are several encounters with racism such as the segregated churches, blacks and whites.