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Summary of to kill a mockingbird chapter 1-12
Themes in to kill a mockingbird by Harper Lee
Role of racism in killing a mockingbird
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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee challenged carefree views of life through a story about many injustices. The story centered around Tom Robinson’s trial and death, a tale about corrupted justice. This injustice caused many other sufferings, not only Tom’s. Tom’s lawyer’s son, Jeremy was especially affected by the injustice, because he lost his innocence concerning the world. During Tom Robinson’s trial, Jeremy’s faith in the world was completely destroyed, which was a horrific evil in itself. But the most disturbing wrong, the constant acceptance of evil, opened the door to much injustice.
Tom Robinson’s trial depended on a string of injustices. Tom Robinson was a hardworking, black slave whose past conduct made him an unlikely suspect for rape. The community of Maycomb, however, ignored the fact he was innocent and only saw a man of a different race. Having complete control of justice in Maycomb, its citizens decided Tom’s fate guided by their prejudices and highlighted how racism corrupted the justice system of the 1900s. Tom’s own lawyer said, ‘In our courts, when it is a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly but those are the facts of life.”’ (295) Tom was sentenced to life in prison. Tom knew his chances of
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At the start of the book, Jeremy resembled most children: cheerful, curious, and full of faith in humanity. But as the trial persevered, the wrongs done to Tom changed Jeremy for the worse. The world became a frightening place. Jeremy began identifying with the fearful, recluse Boo Radley. Jeremy told his sister, Scout, ‘Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s is stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.”’ (304) Jeremy lost his cheerful view on life. He became weary of trusting people and moved into an antisocial
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.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a perfect example of how people like Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are pushed to the bottom of the ‘social hierarchy’ while others that may be less deserving are put higher. It shows that simply things you encounter in your everyday life can steal your innocence, and that moral laws that have been created are both fulfilled and neglected.
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 but, are still of young age. Different things happen along the way but the story is based on what happens to Tom Robinson the black man. It seems like so muck is going on at once but it isn't that hard to figure out that it is injustice. Injustice is a huge concept in this book; it is basically the prejudices and racism going on. In To Kill a Mockingbird there is lots of injustice and prejudice going on. Atticus Finch, Jean Lousie Finch, and Tom Robinson experience injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird.
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
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many things are repeated and emphasized. Harper Lee does this for a reason, she wants her readers to centralize their thoughts on certain themes. After reading and analyzing this novel, we discovered that the theme of “justice and injustice” was the most relevant theme. Many scenarios in this book, such as death, the court system, racism, and the Finch children depict this. Harper Lee uses this plot so her readers understand the difference between justice and injustice, and its consequences.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's only novel, is a fictional story of racial oppression, set in Maycomb, A.L. in 1925 to 1935, loosely based on the events of the Scottsboro trials. Unlike the story however, the racial discrimination and oppression in the novel very accurately portrays what it was like in the 1920's and 1930's in the south. Tom Robinson, the black man accused of raping a poor low class white girl of 19, never stood a chance of getting a fair trial. This can be supported by giving examples of racially discriminatory and oppressive events that actually took place in the south during the time period in which the novel is based. In addition to actual historical events, events and examples from the book that clearly illustrate the overpoweringly high levels of prejudice that were intertwined in the everyday thinking of the majority of the characters in the book supports the fact that Tom Robinson never stood a chance of getting a fair trial.
Racism is something that has always plagued the South, and the small county of Maycomb that Lee has created is no different. One of the major forms of racism that is revealed during the course of events in the novel is when a young black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white girl on account of the girl’s father, in other words this is an example of whites vs. blacks in law. Tom Robinson was disadvantaged in the case, even though in his testimony, he said how Mayella “says she never kisses a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger” (260). Even so, Tom just “breaks into a blind raving charge at the fence and starts climbing over” (315). This is when he is jailed for his supposed “crime”, and the prison guards end up shooting him to death, with precisely “seventeen bullet hol...
The Radley family has a presence that startles nearly all of Maycomb County in some way. For example, every resident of Maycomb County would never set foot in even the Radley house yard. However, this was not the case for protagonist Scout Finch and her brother Jem. This show of bravery represents outstanding courage. Moreover, the main area of fear of the Radley family is provided by Boo. Boo is the child of the family, and is rumored to eat grotesque foods such as live rats. Although very few people had ever seen Boo, nobody dared to search for him. That is, except for Scout and Jem. Despite being terrified of what Boo could be, Jem and Scout searched tirelessly for him. Even after their father forbid them to search for Boo, Jem and Scout would not be denied and searched for him anyways. The courage shown by the young children in this novel is good.
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.
Two authors relate their characters to racism and how the white community obstructed the significance of their black characters. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, she introduces a fictional town, in which the white community shows inconsideration towards the blacks. Lee focuses on one main character, Tom Robinson, who is convicted of an evil act in society and is held accountable for a crime he never committed.
Tom Robinson is an apparent victim of discrimination against those who are black. For example, Tom is falsely accuse of rape because he is put in front of a prejudice jury, “The one place where a men 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 boy. ” (295) Atticus explains the unfairness that juries have in a courtroom especially since it is a white man’s word against a black man’s. During trials, juries must always be fair and make their decisions based on the facts given. The facts in Tom’s trial all show that Tom is innocent, but because of the great amount of discrimination, it is embedded in people’s mind that all blacks are dangerous people and they should be put away. However, the truth is that any person can be dangerous or deceiving not just those who are black, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around ...
Scout’s interactions with Boo Radley, a reclusive neighbor who is shunned and misunderstood by the community, further reinforce the theme of loss of innocence. At first, Scout views Boo as a mysterious and frightening figure, but as she learns to understand and empathize with him, she comes to realize that even the most seemingly innocent individuals can be misunderstood and mistreated. Boo’s kindness and generosity towards Scout serves as a stark contrast to the cruelty and injustice she has witnessed throughout the novel. This contrast highlights the complexity and unpredictability of human nature, emphasizing that even those who appear innocent on the surface can harbor hidden depths. The character of Atticus Finch, Scout’s father, also plays a crucial role in exploring the theme of loss of innocence.
“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.
Mockingbirds are innocent animals. “Mockingbirds don't one thing but make make music for us to enjoy.” Miss Maudie. Some of the characters in harper lee's To Kill A Mockingbird relate to this innocents. If people choose to “kill a mockingbird” it can cause to injustice which can lead to a society of corruption. The truth of this statement can be proven by Tom robinson, Scout and Jem Finch and Boo Radley.
It is not uncommon in today’s society to see injustice take place not only within foreign countries but also within the United States. Being known as the ‘Land of the Free’ is far from the truth as seen by the amount of brutalities that have taken place within the past few years along with the countless racial injustices that have occurred. Injustice is a major theme that takes place within To Kill A Mockingbird as seen through the character Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is put through injustice as seen by the themes of fear, innocence, and empathy throughout Tom Robinson’s trial.