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A town without law and reason would result in a corrupt and unfair society. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee shows how fear and racism is often more powerful than law and reason. An angry mob surrounded the jail where Tom Robinson was being kept, the jury declared Tom guilty and lastly, Tom Robinson ran from the police and was shot and killed. These events conclude that fear and racism can often be the driving force behind people's actions and that it is often more powerful than law and reason. People often do not think before they act. Out of fear and racism towards Tom Robinson, a black character in this story who was wrongly accused of raping a young girl named Mayella Ewell, an angry mob surrounded the jail where he was being kept. Lucky for Tom, Atticus, an experienced lawyer, was waiting outside the jail for these men. They demanded Atticus to get out of their way; "You know what we want" (Pg. 202) and "Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch." (Pg. 202) Although Atticus stayed calm and told the men; "You can turn around and go home again, Walter" (Pg.202) the men were still angry and not thinking clearly. When Jem, Scout and Dill broke into this mob of men to see Atticus and Jem refused to go home, one of the men fueled by fear, anger and racism; "Grabbed Jem roughly by the collar. He …show more content…
yanked Jem nearly off his feet." (Pg. 203) The men finally realized what they were doing when innocent Scout started to ramble to Mr. Cunningham about his son; "We brought him home for dinner one time. Maybe he told you about me, I beat him up one time but he was real nice about it. Tell him hey for me, won't you?" (Pg. 205) and with that, Mr. Cunningham cleared everyone out. This shows that people are often blinded by hatred to see the bigger picture. Although a courtroom is supposed to provide justice and fairness, that is not always the case. After the Tom Robinson case, the jury declared him guilty. The jury, judge and people who testified for Tom Robinson's case were all white members of Maycomb. Although nobody's story but Tom's made sense due to his hand and past history with Mayella Ewell, the jury's unspoken racism and Mayella's pitiful testimony sentenced Tom to a life in prison; "That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you fine fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards, stinkin' cowards, the lot of you."(Pg. 251) Racism clearly dictated the jury's verdict, causing Tom to lash out, resulting in deathly consequences. After being declared guilty, and moved to a different prison, Tom Robinson tried to run from the authorities and ended up being shot and killed.
Even though Atticus told Tom there would be an appeal and he had a wife and children to think about, the fear that the law would not provide fairness and justice overwhelmed him and he ran for his life. While talking to Scout, Atticus told her; "He'll go to the chair," "unless the Governor commutes his sentence." (Pg. 293) Blinded by fear, he did the only thing he could and it ended up taking his life. Tom knew that if he was again declared guilty, he would go to the chair because rape was a capital
offence. The alleged transgressor, Tom Robinson, was really an innocent man, who happened to be a Negro. Tom had a withered hand and was motivated more by bewilderment than by fear. As such he was a poor and easy foil for the Erskine Caldwell type of backwoods character, Mayella, who raped easily, and who cried wolf easily. But Mayella was at the same time a lonely character, unfortunate enough to have been brought into an irresponsible, destitute world by a sire like Bob Ewell, who had no noticeable redeeming qualities (the only such character in either novel). Tom was misunderstood and misunderstanding all his life; even in death he was both misunderstood and misunderstanding. He tried futilely to climb the wall of escape, to find his only real escape-sudden death. (Bruell Pg. 19-20) Tom Robinson's choice to run affected everyone around him but fear completely blinded him in his decision. Harper Lee shows that fear and racism is often more powerful than law and reason. In this story, she shows how an angry mob surrounding a jail for a man they didn't even know, the jury declaring Tom Robinson guilty and how he thought the law would not bring justice are all examples of how fear and racism can blind even the most intelligent of us all. "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a successful portrayal of how fear and racism can be so powerful, it can push people to do horrible things.
At this point, Atticus receives his call to adventure and has to determine whether to take the case or not. In the beginning, Atticus realizes the attention that this case will bring and what it’ll mean for his family. He knows that it will expose his children to the cruelties of society that he’s tried to protect them from. Atticus comes to the conclusion that if he refuses the case, there will be no one else to take it and he’d essentially be declaring Tom guilty from the start. He knows that the chances of Tom getting off innocent is slim, although he needed to try for the sake of his own conscious and for everything he tries to instill in his children. This is where the psychological journey for Atticus and his family begins as they battle their own morals against the widely held prejudice in the
First, Tom, formally known as Thomas Robinson was a black man who worked for a man named Link Deas. Tom was 25 years old, had three children and a wife named Helen. When he was 11 years old Tom’s left arm was caught in a cotton gin and he lost feeling in his left arm. Tom was accused of rape by a white woman named Mayella. Everyone hated him because it didn’t look good for a black man to be accused of raping a white woman. During his trial he had a white lawyer named Atticus, who did his best to prove that Tom was innocent and Mayella and her dad Bob Ewell were lying. Atticus says,”Did you resist her advances?, Mr.Finch, I tried to ‘thout bein ugly to her. I didn’t wanta push her or nothin.” stated Tom(Lee 195). Tom did not want to kiss her but he didn’t
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a remarkable novel following the childhood of Jem and Scout, the son and daughter of Atticus Finch. Living in a small and drama filled town of Maycomb County they encounter a great deal of people who do not stand by their word. Hypocrisy occurs throughout this novel first by a man named Dolphus Raymond, then by two women Mrs. Merriweather and Miss Gates.
When Jem and Scout found out that their father would be defending a black person, they knew immediately that there would be much controversy, humiliation from the people of Maycomb and great difficulty keeping Tom alive for the trial. It was not long when Atticus had to leave the house very late to go to jail, where Tom was kept because many white people wanted to kill him. Worrying about their father, Jem and Scout sneak out of the house to find him. A self-appointed lynch mob has gathered on the jail to take justice into their own hands. Scout decides to talk to Walter Cunningham, one of the members of the mob.
Tom Robinson is a kind black man whom Atticus is defending against the charge that he raped Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows that he will lose because Tom is black, but he also knows that Tom is innocent and that he has to defend him. Tom Robinson is portrayed as a hard-working father and husband in the novel and he was only attempting to help Mayella since no one else would, but she made advances that he refused and her father saw them. On the witness stand, he testifies that he helped her because, "'Mr. Ewell didn't seem to help her none, and neither did the chillun.'" (256). Even though Tom helps Mayella out of kindness and pity, Mayella is trapped and must accuse him of raping her to save her own life. Shortly after being wrongfully convicted
Atticus teaches Jem and Scout to act courageously by modelling that type of behaviour. By defending Tom Robinson Atticus puts himself in the middle of the conflict. Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch are both despised by most of the town given that Tom is believed to have raped Mayella Ewell and Atticus is hated for defending his client. “The boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told. And you know what the truth is.”(Lee,152). This shows that Atticus is devoted to truth and justice, and that he will do all he...
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 only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells,'" Atticus solemnly explains this to his brother. First of all, Atticus demonstrates courage when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. Atticus knows he won't win the case and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine, he is "licked" before he begins. Nevertheless, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will. Atticus's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with vigor and determination, giving it all he's got with one mission in mind. He wants the people of Maycomb town, whether they believe it or not, to hear the truth about Tom, "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told"
“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 119). After Scout and Jem get a gun for Christmas, Atticus reminds them not to shoot at mockingbirds, as they are as innocent and can be, a lesson teaching them and a powerful statement that also signifies Tom Robinson’s innocence. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Harper displays Atticus as a man who defends Tom Robinson, a black man, in a court case through Scout’s perspective both as a child, as well as an adult. The defendant is accused of rape and was in need of a lawyer until Atticus accepts to secure him and his case, as no one was willing to protect a black man when against anyone white,
Defending a black man caused havoc around town as no one supported Atticus. After the trial was over, Bob Ewell the father of Mayella Ewell who Tom Robinson was accused of raping confronted Atticus outside the courtroom where he spat and cursed on him and also threatened to kill him. “Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin’ bastard? “(pg 217) said Bob, Atticus wanted no part of this and he took everything in. When Scout hears about what Bob did she is frightened, she knows Bob is an ignorant and poor man who is known as a drunk. “We’re scared for you, and we think you oughta do something about him,” (pg 218) said Jem, Scout and Jem let Atticus know that they are scared for him and he should do something about Bob before he does something. No harm occurs to the Finch family until...
It was clear based on the evidence that Tom was innocent, but with the jury consisting of only white men in 1930's Alabama, they decided to convict Tom only because it was a white man's word against a black man's. This upsetted Jem and Scout as they were sure that Tom and Atticus would win the case. It made them realize that people with prejudice will make unfair decisions, even when it's clear that they are making the wrong decision: "...but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Lee 323). Seeing this changes Jem and Scout's perception of the people living in Maycomb, as they start to question whether the people of Maycomb were as good-hearted as they thought. Nowadays, there would not be racial prejudice in a courtroom, however the jury that was biased during Tom's trial could be the modern equivalents of people who use racial profiling, racial bias, and stereotyping. The kids and the reader learn that people who make judgements and decisions based on prejudice are people who should not be considered
In a racist town where people are overly judged based on rumors spread around. A man who has yet to be seen named Boo Radley is made into the town monster. Little do they know that Bob is one of the only people in Maycomb who does not judge people by their race. In the book “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, the main character Atticus Finch is a lawyer in the little town of Maycomb. Atticus Finch the father of Scout and Jem has been faced with one of the hardest cases of his life. Atticus is forced to defend a black man named Tom Robinson on the fact that he raped a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Some people may argue that it does not make sense for Atticus to take a stand to defend Tom Robinson, because he will lose his trust
The second, Mayella accuses Tom, he knows he is in trouble because he is aware of how the Maycomb County treats colored people. Throughout the book he is not only being blamed for, but he receives threats and his life is put in danger. “You know what we want. Get aside from that door Mr. Finch” (Lee 172). The group of people with Walter Cunningham were planning to gang up on Tom, even though Atticus Finch did not let them.
Atticus is seen as a wise figure within some of the community of Maycomb and by his family as many of his teachings are moral and thoughtful. He was often claimed by Scout to have an “infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas” as he was so calm and “made rape cases as dry as a sermon.” claims Scout when talking about Atticus. This shows us that despite this rough case where Atticus is defending Tom Robinson, he still attempts to be a successful defendant because he is pursuing to be his best self for the sake of others. Subsequently later, Atticus talked and questioned Mayella Ewell about what happened with the situation with Tom Robinson and caused to her cry and deny further questions.
Tom Robinson’s trial began, when he is placed in the local jail, a mob tries to take him. Atticus decides to face the mob. Jem and Scout sneaked out of the house to join him. Scout recognize, Mr. Cunningham and questioning him about his son shaming him into dismissing the mob. At the trial, Atticus provides evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying to cover her shame and guilt. Despite the evidence pointing to Tom’s innocence, the jury convicts him. The innocent Tom later tries to escape from prison and is shot dead. Bob Ewell feels that Atticus and the judge have made a mockery out of him, and vowed revenge. He menaces Tom Robinson’s widow, tries to break into judge’s house, and attacks Jem and Scout as they walked home from a Halloween party through the woods. Boo Radley intervenes to save the children and stabs Ewell during the fight. The author begins the story with the idea of innocence with Scout not knowing the great injustices and hatred in her society. Then the loss of innocence having seen the worst and had face to face experiences with it. Finishing with