Harper Lee argues in her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, that the moral obligations of a court are thrown aside in favor of the law that lies in the minds of men. She describes her characters in such a manner that alludes to their inner thoughts. Through practiced repetition, the citizens of Maycomb force the existence of the social inequality that is white supremacy. Whether by following lead or by ignoring the problem altogether, it is the people alone who allow injustices to occur. In a public appeal for an era of tolerance, Harper Lee attacks Southern racism through Scout Finch's narration of her father's failure to correct a corrupt legal system dominated by prejudiced citizens seeking to rule the law by their own hands. Tom Robinson, the man falsely accused of raping the poor, white woman, Mayella Ewell instills a sense of abject horror in most Maycomb citizens. Most of the irrational fear of Robinson is simply that, a fear. In the eyes of the residents in Maycomb, Tom resembles a snake in the grass, waiting for the right moment to strike and injure as many Whites as possible. Emancipation in the 19th century, still fresh in many Southerners’ minds, had already threatened to maneuver the black man socially ahead of the white man with its ongoing momentum. Ewell, therefore, relishes the opportunity to slander Robinson as well as to free himself of abusive charges towards his daughter and condemn a black man with the supportive racism of his peers. The accusation of being innately malicious, ignorant and spiteful is ironically how the black man appears to the vast majority of Maycomb's population. Most of those who describe Tom in this manner would fit that very description, waiting only to suppress Blacks and prolo... ... middle of paper ... .... ---. “Atticus Finch---Right and Wrong.” Atticus Finch---Right and Wrong, Alabama Law Review, vol. 45 (1993-1994): 473. Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Ed. Candice Mancini. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 67-76. Print. Johnson, Claudia Durst. “The Law of the Land Is Not the Same as Moral Law.” The Secret Courts of Men’s Hearts: Code and Law in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird. (1991). Literary Companion Series. Ed. Terry O’Neill. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Incorporated, 2000. 71-83. Print. Halpern, Iris. "Rape, incest, and Harper Lee's 'To Kill a Mockingbird': on Alabama's legal construction of gender and sexuality in the context of racial subordination." Columbia Journal of Gender and Law 18.3 (2009): 743+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York, NY: Harper, 2010. Print.
Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird explores the concept of injustice and her readers are introduced to a society where the social hierarchy dominated acts of humanity. We are often put into situations where we witness member of society be inhumane to one another in order to fit into the community and to act selfishly to save yourself. Within the text, we are also commonly shown the racial discrimination that has become society’s norm. Because of the general acceptance of these behaviours, it is explicitly show to all that the major theme Lee is trying to portray is ‘Man’s inhumanity to man’.
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance with the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, many notable themes arise, but the most prevalent theme is undeniably the theme of man’s inhumanity to man. At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Scout Finch, who is naive and oblivious to the discrimination that occurs in Maycomb. However, through many events and through meeting many characters, we soon begin to realize that the world may not be so nice after all. Our suspicions are only confirmed once we witness the terrible injustices that occur during the trial.
Growing up in a prejudiced environment can cause individuals to develop biased views in regard to both gender and class. This is true in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, where such prejudices are prevalent in the way of life of 1930s Maycomb, Alabama. The novel is centered around the trial of a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. The narrator, a young girl named Scout, is able to get a close up view of the trial because her father is defending Tom Robinson, the defendant. The aura of the town divided by the trial reveals certain people's’ prejudices to Scout, giving her a better perspective of her world. Throughout the story, Aunt Alexandra’s behaviors indirectly teach Scout that prejudice is a disease with deep and far reaching roots.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere”. Martin Luther King envisioned a world in which society lived without hate but in peace with one another, his dream was cut short when he was assassinated purely because of the racial prejudice someone had. The injustice he faces relates heavily to his quote as it speaks the truth about the innocence of one person and it must be protected from the evil of society. In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee, addresses the cruel society in which injustice is served based on the withstanding prejudice and racism the town of Maycomb contains. The author addresses this to the reader through the use of characters that symbolize the victims of
It was a full courtroom, with men and women, the colors of black and white. It was sticky - hot humid and smelled of sweat and tension. Men coughed, women sighed, and many prayed. But even a word from God could not change Tom Robinson’s case. Accused of rapping a white women, a crime that was punishable by death, in the state of Alabama in the thirties. You could say there was more than a financial depression. Prejudice, in a small community, could turn any town into a gross southern pit. People of all races and genders fought to defend the natural rights given to them at birth. Atticus Finch, a character in the wildly acclaimed novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, is an example of a soldier, fighting the war of
The 1930s proves to be a fatal time of racism in the southern states of the US. Harper Lee knows first hand the discrimination and prejudice that the white society imposes on the African Americans as she lived in Alabama. In her novel, she documents how growing up in this type of environment can affect a person. Lee’s character, Scout Finch, begins her journey in blissful innocence. Over a two year span she encounters many circumstances that conclusively lead to her maturation. A few critics claim that the children in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, do not show any development; however, the conflicting viewpoints of racism in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930s, send Scout Finch on a transformative journey.
Tom Robinson’s case reflects both the positive and negative aspects of humanity. It is the fault of Maycomb’s prejudice that Tom Robinson, an innocent black man receives the guilty verdict, yet in such an inhumane situation, Atticus stands as a reminder that humanity encompasses both compassion and bigotry. Racism was so ingrained in Maycomb that the life of an innocent black man was not worth challenging the community’s sentiments about race. In fact, it was a county so ripe with prejudice and bigotry that even the justice system, the “one human institution...where all men are created equal,” failed in treating Tom Robinson’s case fairly. The quote, “But now he’s [Atticus] turned out a nigger lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again,” stated by Scout’s young cousin Francis, explains that Maycomb County is no place to oppose
Today, racism is a problematic situation that can break nation apart. Discrimination on one’s personal characteristics can sway a community's opinion greatly. Harper Lee was indulged in numerous racist encounters in her life, many of which transpire into her novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, one is seen as an animal when enduring the venom of racism. Throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, racism leads to the dehumanization of both the victims and the infectors.
“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.
Tom Robinson was just a “respectable negro” with a kind nature who was accused in absence of wrong. Mr Robinson is immediately seen as an enemy by most in town of Maycomb. Is it because of his malicious personality? Is it because of his hair colour? Is it because he is arrogant? No, all of these are false he is instantly convicted because he is of a different ethnicity. It seems foolish but this is the reason why Maycomb has discarded a man who is of higher quality than the majority of the town. “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella opened her mouth and screamed.” As soon as the trial began Tom’s opportunity for victory grew slimmer and slimmer and Maycomb knew that Atticus was fighting an unwinnable battle. But Atticus was determined to defend the ‘ultimate mockingbird’ right up until the end; even after the court case Atticus defends Tom at the jail. A final act of Tom’s innocence to prove his mockingbird status was whilst in court, he still didn’t want to accuse Mayella because “she seemed...
Johnson, Claudia. "The Secret Courts of Men's Hearts: Code and Law in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird." Studies in American Fiction (1991):129-139.
The novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee has numerous accounts of racism and prejudice throughout the entire piece. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. There are acts that are so discreet that you almost don't catch them, but along with those, there are blatant acts of bigotry that would never occur in our time. Lee addresses many of these feelings in her novel.