Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee told the story of two siblings, Jem and Scout, who went through a series of events that ultimately made them realize how serious being prejudice can be. The fictional book focused on a mysterious next door neighbor and a trial against an innocent black. Throughout the book, Scout learned many different things, including how to look at things from another perspective and the idea that prejudice and injustice exists. The three themes addressed in the novel were growing up, courage, and prejudice.

First, the constant theme of growing up in the story was presented with each event Jem and Scout are involved in. For example, “I looked up, and his face was vehement. ‘There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance.

Don’t fool yourselves--it’s all adding up and one of these days we’re going to pay the bill for it. I hope it’s not in you children’s time’” (296). Atticus explained to the kids the injustice that blacks are treated with. This explanation made Scout and Jem realize that the actions of the white are wrong and will soon come around to hurt them. “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough” (374). Scout, at the end of the book, realized that you cannot judge a book by its cover. She realized that Atticus’ saying was true: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." As Jem and Scout encountered new scenarios, the theme growing up was persistent.

Next, courage is constantly shown in the story, especially from Atticus.

In one instance, “... ‘the evil assumption that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around women…’” (273). It took courage from Atticus to ask the all-white jury to put aside the previous judgement and opinions they had on blacks for the purposes of this case. Atticus realized that every man, black or white, should be granted a fair case; one where the jury did not make their decision based on one’s skin color. Furthermore, “‘... if I connived at something like this, frankly I couldn’t meet his eye, and the day I can’t do that, I’ll know I’ve lost him’” (366). It took courage from Atticus to tell Heck Tate that even if Jem killed Bob Ewell, he did not want it covered up because if it was, he could not face Jem without guilt. Atticus would rather have the whole town have a harsh attitude toward him for covering the murder up than to have the guilt lingering over Jem’s head: a true act of courage. Atticus’ courage in the book not only made the book more interesting, it made Jem and Scout reflect on

themselves.

Finally, the theme prejudice plays a huge role in the book, especially concerning the trial. “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him” (248). Although this is obvious evidence that Tom Robinson did not commit the crime, the jury’s verdict was guilty. This is prejudice because the jury convicted Tom Robinson solely because he was black. “‘Mr Finch, if you was a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too’” (261). This is an example of the immense amount of prejudice the white community held on negroes. Atticus, a white man, asked why Tom Robinson was scared because he had never been a victim of the treatment blacks got treated with. In the book, Lee used the trial against Tom Robinson to stress the most important theme in the book-- prejudice.

In conclusion, the three themes presented in To Kill a Mockingbird are growing up, courage, and prejudice. Jem and Scout growing up, Atticus’ courageous actions, and the prejudice held on Tom Robinson all led to a magnificently written book. THe strength of the book was the depth at which Lee made the reader think to truly understand the book. A weakness of the book was that the ending of the story did not live up to the rise in action leading up to it.