A Change in Society in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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Recommended: 19th century african american history

“I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do something I can do.” This quote by Edward Everett Hale means that if somebody wants to make a change in the world, even if it is a small thing, they have the power to. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set during the 1930’s. There were different perspectives back then. African Americans did not have the same rights as white people did. This story is based around a society in which African Americans were not given the same chances as whites, and were lower in status. A man named Atticus Finch changes the viewpoint towards African Americans. In To Kill a Mockingbird Harper shows that one person can change society, as shown by Atticus in the Tom Robinson trial and the decisions he makes at home.
Atticus changes the view on society by defending a black man named Tom Robinson. By defending Tom, Atticus is standing up for blacks. Atticus had no decision but to take this case because “If [he] didn’t then… [He] wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what do to, not even ...

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