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Symbolism in to kill mockingbird
To kill a mockingbird symbolism harper lee
Symbolism in mockingbird by harper lee
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“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere(goodreads)” Martin Luther King Jr. brazenly states. The practice of inequality constantly endangers the practice of integrity. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, prejudice rules the hearts and minds of many characters. God equipped humans to make wise decisions, however the residents of Maycomb do not believe in using their minds accordingly. Hate and injustice blinds them from the obvious truth based on someone’s race, gender, or upbringing. Innocent people who have never created any trouble are judged harshly by strangers who do not know them. This kind of treatment results in hurt feelings, destruction of cheerful lives, and death. Unfortunately, Tom Robinson, Walter Cunningham, …show more content…
and Helen Robinson are all victims of this intolerable attribute. Initially, injustice is first witnessed when Tom Robinson is charged for the rape and abuse of Mayella Ewell.
Atticus bravely volunteers to defend Tom even though he already knows the outcome of the trial. All evidence points to the innocence of Tom, however because he is a black man he is pronounced guilty. “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson.” (349) Because of the color of Tom’s skin, he must now serve time in prison for a crime that he did not commit. Instead of honorably listening to the facts of the case and constructing a wise decision based on the evidence, the jury determined their decision well before the trial began. It was completely impossible for Tom to walk away from the courtroom as an innocent, and free man. Racism remains one of the most common forms of injustice throughout …show more content…
Maycomb. Social class is another form of injustice, because it makes others think less of someone based on their economical state. Aunt Alexandra is not afraid to express her opinion about the Cunningham family. She believes that they are people that the Finches should avoid socializing with. At the beginning of the book, Scout does not have a very strong relationship with Walter but as time moves on she begins to grow fond of him. One day while Scout is talking to Jem about inviting Walter over to their house to dinner and spend the night, Aunt Alexandra immediately voices her disapproval over the situation. “Soon’s school starts I’m gonna ask Walter home to dinner,” ... “Maybe he could spend the night with us sometime, okay, Jem?” “We’ll see about that,” Aunt Alexandra said, a declaration that with her was always a threat, never a promise. “Jean Louise, there is no doubt in my mind that they’re good folks. But they’re not our kind of folks.” (370) Alexandra believes that Scout and Jem should not associate with certain “types of folk” because the Cunningham’s are poor. The lady was raised to believe that she was superior to others who earned less money and thus she teaches that to her family. Just because Walter’s family does not earn as much money as the Finches he is treated unjustly. The final debut of injustice is directed against Helen Robinson.
Even after Tom has passed away his wife Helen has to deal with harassment. Mr. Link Deas offered Helen a job in the cotton field, because he felt compassion towards her troubles. Helen had to walk nearly a mile out of her way in order to avoid confronting the Ewells. The time that Helen did try to use the public road, the Ewells yelled racial slurs at her and told her to get off the street.” Mr. Link Deas eventually received the impression that Helen was coming to work each morning from the wrong direction, and dragged the reason out of her. “Just let it be, Mr. Link, please suh,” Helen begged.” (412) Helen has never done anything to any of the Ewells except put up with all the trouble they put her family through. The idea that Helen is being treated unjustly is completely
absurd. In conclusion, many will see that injustice often conceals truth from people. Aunt Alexandra, the jury, and Bob Ewell all judged people according to what they believed about them. Instead of the jury listening to the accurate evidence which was presented to them, they made a decision based on ethnicity. Aunt Alexandra did not judge Walter Cunningham based on his character, but only according to his family’s financial status. Bob Ewell treated Helen Robinson cruelly even though her husband did not mistreat his daughter. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches the readers to learn from the mistakes of injustice. Innocence and truth are lost when injustice rules.
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.
Injustices There have been many famous pieces of literature, but one that stands out is the 1960's classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. Lee, who only wrote one book in her life time, wrote of prejudice, injustice, and racism in the 1930's. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the Deep South in the 1930's. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story in which a black mad is accused of doing something he didn't do. During the whole story some of the two of the main characters, Jem Finch and Jean Lousie Finch, grow up in there mind
How would you like it if someone walked up to you and berated you based on the color of your skin? A characteristic like that isn’t even something you can control, so an insult of that nature can leave one furious and oppressed. Discrimination is inevitable in any culture, throughout history, in modern times, and even in ancient times. For example, the oppression and murder of 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade which occurred for multiple centuries, and more recently, the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya people in Myanmar, brought on by the government of the Asian nation, all of which are tragedies doomed to happen when history repeats itself and people do not learn
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
A possible reason as to why the book was called “To Kill a Mockingbird” is because a mockingbird is a harmless and innocent animal. Therefore, when it is killed, peace is disturbed. In the story, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Due to this, innocence and peace have been disturbed.
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.
In chapter 10 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, an allegory for racism, prejudice, and injustice is created through the mad dog Tim Johnson as he wanders through the small southern town of Maycomb to find a place to die. The mad dog's physical descriptions, his death by Atticus's gun, and his disposal after death all combine to shape him to be a symbol for the injustice and racism that occurred during the Great Depression. Tim Johnson plays a pivotal part in Lee's narrative and portrays the story's central themes of justice and morality.
Injustice comes in many shapes and sizes. It could be the smallest thing like a dirty look, all the way up to being murdered for no good reason. In To Kill A Mockingbird many of people face injustice. Atticus faces flak from his community for supporting Tom, who also faces injustice from the community for the alleged rape of Mayella, who probably faces the saddest injustice of all, the injustice of loneliness and the absence of love.
“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.
In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird, the theme of how prejudice and superstition can lead to injustice is seen through the characters Boo Radley, who is seen by many as a creep through rumors, Tom Robinson, who is found guilty even though all the evidence supports him just because and his skin color, and Dolphus Raymond, who feels comfort in the black community and is shamed upon by the white community, believing he has mental disorders. In the beginning of the story we are introduced to Boo Radley. Boo is Scout’s neighbor who is rumored to be locked in his house by his father because of his evil ways. Scout and Jem hear scary rumors of Boo stabbing his father and throwing poisoned pecans into the school yard. Scout and Jem perceive
These injustices have begun long before Tom’s trial, but it is his trial which epitomizes the problems with our society. The first witness was simply just a misguided fellow named Heck Tate who it seems didn’t have much to offer to the case. Next, Atticus Finch called Bob Ewell to the stand. When I saw Ewell take the stand such a fierce hatred rose within me that I began to shake and tremble. Ewell wrongfully accused Tom of raping his daughter Mayella, however, with the grace of God, Atticus Finch had shown that it was very possible that it was Bob Ewell who because he was a lefty could have beat Mayella. If it were not for great men like Atticus Finch I would have lost all hope for this world. As I watched Mayella take the stand I wondered how such a kind looking person could be someone of such poor character. Her words seemed to paint a picture of a sad life; one where a father neglects her and she has fallen under hard times. Atticus, after pointing out it was probably Bob who beat her, asked Mayella who it really was that beat her. Mayella made it clear it was Tom Robinson, upon which Atticus asked Tom to stand. To the astonishment of the court Tom was handicapped! Tom was then called to the stand where he laid open for all to see the truth, explaining that it was Mayella who came on to him (that treacherous woman!). Soon enough the trial ended and every one awaited the verdict of the jury. The next few hours were the most nerve wracking of my life.
He, as a lawyer, feels that the we should not judge others based on preconception. However, the case of Tom Robinson revealed the town of Maycomb’s racist way of thinking. Due to the setting of the book taking place in the 1930’s south, Black people were still seen as inferior. The color of his skin was used to decide his fate despite the evidence showing that he was innocent rather than the evidence of the case. Although Atticus tries to sway the jury by addressing the institutional racism in the town and how it should not determine Tom’s innocence, he is still found guilty. Regardless of the facts of the case, Tom wasn’t seen as a person, but rather a black man who dared to harm a white woman. The prejudice in the courtroom ultimately led to the death of Tom Robinson. Afterwards, the town said that Tom’s death was bound to happen, and used their preconceptions about black people to justify his
In attempt seek agreement of his views, he manipulates and fabricates the facts from others towards Tom Robinson. Lee describes Mr Ewell as an abusive bigoted alcoholic who has a history of harming his children prior, this describes Mr Ewell’s ideals and his values in life. To justify his own thoughts, Mr Ewell tells a fictitious tale about Tom Robinson, "I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" Mr Ewell’s description of Tom Robinson perfectly fits a description of himself, perhaps indicating self-hate “Mr Ewell could have beaten up Mayella.” (Miss is something like this too in depth for English? Because I was going to add more but I wasn’t sure) Through his unjust actions, Lee highlights that being ignorant leads to discriminatory biased opinions towards those who are unfamiliar. It is sought to harm others rather than stay an opinion. Similarly, juror 10 in Twelve Angry Men highlights the ignorance and agression that follows being prejudice. His outbursts of rage suggest that he, like Bob Ewell, attempts to justify his biased opinion by condenscending people that come from the slums, “They are born liars.” The act of discrimination proves that biased opinions are rather those that are afriad to defy the stereotypes and have an opinon for oneself. Rose elucidates that being ignorant and close minded easily leads to violent disagreements when encountered with an
In the novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Harper Lee effectively conveys prejudice and injustice in various ways and by putting the overarching idea of racism into perspective. The hierarchy that exists within Maycomb represents the preconceptions of the citizens and identifies injustice as the effect. Symbolism depicts the unfair treatment characters receive by forming a comparison with mockingbirds. Lastly, unfolding the story from Scout’s view provides a deep insight into the overall situation regarding inequality and racial segregation in America.
“'The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence 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 203). Atticus knows Tom Robinson is innocent and desperately tries to convince the jury what they already know. It is glaringly obvious that Tom is innocent, but in society's eyes, a black man can never be innocent.