The novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, tells the story of a nice, kind man named Atticus Finch who has to defend a black man wrongly prosecuted for this crime. The main characters are scout who you see the whole story through her eyes and Atticus who the whole conflict of the story is base around. The book takes place in Alabama in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. The story is really about the life of the Finch’s when they are put up with the conflict of Atticus having to a black man, which in the time period was not socially acceptable to anyone in the town. In the book Lee reveals the injustice of racism through the Tom Robinson case. This theme appears in the novel when Atticus is giving is closing statements, when Scout …show more content…
In the time period in maycomb there is still a lot of racism. If a black man was accused of crime by a white man in maycomb, they'd have little to no chance at winning their case. Even if the case had no evidence whatsoever. During his closing remarks Atticus exclaims “The witness of the state, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted, confident that you gentlemen would not go along with them on the assumption-the evil assumption-that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not trusted around our women, an assumption one associates with minds of their caliber”(Lee 273). This portrays how racism was shown through Tom Robinson trial. By showing that in maycomb men just thought in a racist way. Thinking that all black people were just immortal beings. Atticus Proves that this case by all means was absolutely ridiculous to begin with. Having no evidence whatsoever and also having faulty witnesses. And that the only reason Tom was on trial was because of his skin color. Not because he was the person who had done the crime but was black making him the easiest person to blame for what Mr. Ewell had done to his …show more content…
At this point in the Jem is lost in words, he can't comprehend the sheer injustice that had just taken place place in front of his eyes. Also Atticus can not believe what has happened and all sense has lost all of his faith in the people of maycomb. Jem states “How could they do that, how could they?’ ‘I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it-seems that only children weep”(Lee 285). Even though Jem is at the age of only nine, he still understands the unjust racism that had just taken place right in front of his eyes. That even when the people of maycomb court jury were put up with the blatant truth that Tom Robinson did not commit this crime. The people on the jury still decided that he was guilty. Just because they could not stand too believe that a black man accused of a crime, was anything more than a guilty man. And that is the one thing Jem and Atticus can not understand, why put a man in jail just on what color his skin
Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird was published in the year of 1960, and is one of the few American classic novels awarded the Pulitzer Prize. The racism that is prevalent in many southern American towns in the 1930s is brought to life with profound imagery in To Kill a Mockingbird. There are several characters in the book, yet the true main character is the narrator's father, Atticus Finch. He is a man of great integrity and intelligence. A very heroic figure in more ways than one, Atticus possesses traits like being principled, determined, and, more importantly, he teaches others. When looking at To Kill a Mockingbird, one can see that Lee uses lots of description, dialogue, and actions to portray Atticus as a heroic individual.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written by Harper Lee. The novel is set in the depths of the Great Depression. A lawyer named Atticus Finch is called to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. The story is told from one of Atticus’s children, the mature Scout’s point of view. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the Finch Family faces many struggles and difficulties.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself as well.
In the courtroom that night it is revealed that the alleged crimes of Tom Robinson, a decent Negro man, most likely did not happen. As Atticus says in his closing argument, "The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is” (Lee 271). Showing the clear innocence of Tom Robinson due to lack of evidence, Scout thinks that the white jury will do the right thing only to find out that they still, unfairly, accuse him of being guilty. Scout and her brother, Jem, get very upset when they hear the verdict, however, it allows them both to learn the lesson that the county is unfair towards anyone who is not white. The county demonstrates this evil racism due to the social divisions in Maycomb between the whites and the blacks and because the whites see the blacks as unworthy of rights and freedoms. It was not just the trial itself that displayed evil in the world, but the comments and arguments surrounding the case did
To Kill A Mockingbird is a heroic tale of leadership and courage during racial times. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Atticus, To, Jem and Scout are unfortunately exposed to a really racist and prejudice society and town. Which ends up causing them to lose a case and really confuse Jem and Scout when they are young. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird it uses characterization to help show a theme which is loss of innocence when people are exposed to surprising and unfair situations.
Yet he took the case with no hesitation. Atticus knows the difference between what is fair and what is true justice. He is well aware that whites and blacks have many differences with one another, but is also educated enough to know that there truly is no diversity in equity, and tries to teach everyone including his children this. ”You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around it.(30)” Atticus is encouraging Scout to respect everyone and consider their true potential without considering false accusations in this quote. He applies what he teaches to his children to the people attending the Tom Robinson trial. Atticus is just one man, but with an unprecedented amount of sense of pride, intelligence, and justice. He reflects the image of the town’s people by showing them what they’ve allowed themselves to become based on their beliefs. He genuinely expresses their deepest consternation. In this quote he tells the audience what they are afraid to hear, but need to hear, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.(272)” After stating his point and releasing the profound truth Atticus causes for Mayella and Bob Ewell to lose their composure. Nevertheless people of most of the white people of Maycomb continue to refuse to believe that a white woman kissed a black man. But they undoubtedly believe that a black man with a useless left hand beat and raped an “innocent” white woman. Atticus could have predicted the outcome from before he even took the case and refused to defend Tom Robinson. But he
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
Tom was very confused when he was accused of this incident because he had never been anything more to Mayella Ewell than an acquaintance. “The older you grow the more of it you’ll see. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 220). This is how Atticus described the trial to his son Jem because he could not comprehend how unjust the trial was unfolding on a daily basis. The proceedings were not equitable towards Tom Robinson because everyone should have realized at the trial that he had not done anything wrong. In the end, Atticus lost the trial. Not because the jury and judge thought Tom Robinson had committed the crime, but simply because he was black and they were racist. Tom was sent to jail for doing absolutely nothing wrong, except being black. He never had the luxury to grow into old age, as his life was taken from him when he was shot seventeen times during his attempt to escape from jail. Tom Robinson’s life would have been completely different if he had not been black. The discrimination would not have occurred and the accusations would not have been leveled or
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. Atticus puts forward all evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), but Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, ??the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings??. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the point that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the only important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him lose all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope.
In the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
The whole trial is completely set up to be racially discriminated. Although the judge is given many correct pieces of evidence as to why Tom didn’t commit the crime, they still considered him guilty. Many realize this is only due to his race and has nothing to do with anything else. Since this whole scene occurs, Jem and Scout start to get furious with the world because it can bring such despite to many. “To Maycomb, Tom's death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run. Typical of a nigger's mentality to have no plan, no thought for the future, just run blind first chance he saw” (Lee 72). This states that even if a black has the best evidence, and is not guilty, if he is put against a white man, the white man will always win. The lesson that Jem and Scout learn throughout this experience is how much courage it takes for a man like their dad to be a lawyer. He is their
During the trial of Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, and Dill are all able to get into the court and sit down with Reverend Sykes in the row made for Black people. While for the most part Dill and Scout are mostly bored watching the trial, it's Jem who is most fascinated by his dad's skill. During the trial, he believes that his dad will almost definitely win the case, because the jury will make the right call and let Tom Robinson go. After deciding for several hours, the court comes back and gives Tom Robinson a guilty verdict. After they arrive back at the house, Jem starts to cry because of what seems like he was upset at the loss, but soon later at Miss Maudie's house his true reasoning for breaking down is revealed: “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like”(Lee 218). Jem was not just upset that the jury rejected Tom Robinson's plea, but because he thought that they were more moral people. Atticus had presented a plethora of information that showed that Tom Robinson didn't commit any guilty act, and Jem understood that. Jem understood that Tom Robinson was innocent based on the facts and didn't dictate how guilty he was based on his color, and believed that everyone else was like that. What this reveals to Jem is that some people aren't as good as others. The
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” Ellie Wiesel. Readers may find the amount of injustice in Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a little shocking. This could be why it’s such a popular book. People like the suspense of knowing someone’s right, but still being found guilty for something they did not do. There are many times throughout the book when people are powerless to prevent injustice but they still protest it. This shows that even when people unjustly punish there should always be someone to protest it. The theme of injustice is a common one in harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whether it be through racism, misinformation, or Arrogance.
Maycomb has a majority of its population as racist white Americans and when faced with a case such as Tom Robinson’s the white people of Maycomb would stop at no means to keep the African-American from being proved innocent. Some may support the claim that ‘because of Maycomb’s racist beliefs Atticus would be wasting his time defending a black man with a sealed fate’ with Atticus’s verbalization of Maycomb’s beliefs on page 273 “The evil assumption--- that all negroes lie, that all negroes are immoral beings”(273). Yet, Those who say that claim is true forget that even though Atticus lost the case there was someone in the jury who was reconsidering their old beliefs. On page 297, After Tom’s court case when Atticus was speaking to Jem, Atticus’s son comments on how seemingly quick the jury was to decide if Tom was innocent or not which in turn Atticus says “that jury took a few hours, Usually takes ‘em minutes”. Atticus further explains that at least one person in the jury had argued against Tom being actually guilty after Atticus directly addressed the Jury’s racist perspectives. So yes, Maycomb may be a town overrun with racism against African Americans but if Atticus could convince at least one or two people to stop and put themselves in Tom Robinson’s shoes Atticus could spread the thought that “Maybe not all negroes are as we think they are”. Thus Atticus