Similarities Between A Real Trial And To Kill A Mockingbird

“We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe . . . some people have more opportunity because they’re born with it” (Lee 233). A real trial depicted in a fictional book is what is seen within To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee shows the reality that is racism and the advantages that one race has over another. The use of racism to hide one’s criminal actions is seen within both trials. The lengths people will go to, not caring what their actions will lead to is clearly seen within both trials. In To Kill a Mockingbird there are distinct similarities between the main characters of the trial and the figures in “The Scottsboro Boys”. Both trials have unjust outcomes and questionable physical evidence.

The

Scottsboro Case is a series of trials in which whites are against blacks, all due to a fight and alleged rape. On March 24, 1931 two girls were hoboing by freight train to Chattanooga, Tennessee from Huntsville, Alabama. Victoria Price, who was 21 at the time, urged Ruby Bates, 17, to go with her (Ransdall). The two girls were said to be hoboing from city to city in search of better work. A white man is said to have stepped on a black man’s hand which led to a fight. As the fight went on and the train sped, the blacks are said to have forced all the white men off (Linder, “The Trials of ‘The Scottsboro Boys’”). One white man stayed on the freight train for fear of dying while he attempted to jump off. After the fight, between Stevenson and Point Rock, it is said that twelve black men raped Victoria Price and Ruby Bates, each being assaulted by six men. A station had been alerted about the fight and was working on having the train stopped to arrest all individuals. After the train was stopped only nine black men were found and arrested (Ransdall). Soon after began the trials, which seemed like they’d never end. “No crime in American history—let alone a crime that never occurred—produced as many trials, convictions, reversals, and retrials as did an alleged gang rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on a Southern Railroad freight run on March 25, 1931” (Linder, “The Trials of ‘The Scottsboro Boys’”).
The physical evidence provided for both trials point to different, yet same conclusions about what did happen to the alleged victims.

First off, nether case provided evidence for any alleged rapes taking place. Dr. R.R. Bridges examined the girls and stated that nothing indicated a rape taking place. “The vagina was not torn in any way . . . When I examined this woman, her pulse was not fast; it was in the bounds of normal. The respiration was about normal, too” (Linder, “The Trial Excerpt of Dr. R.R. Bridges”). In To Kill a Mockingbird the Ewells also had no evidence to provide for Mayella being raped by Tom Robinson. Atticus begins to ask Mr. Ewell questions,“’Mr. Ewell . . . Did you, during all this running, run for a doctor?’ ‘Wadn’t no need to. I seen what happened’” (Lee 199). The evidence provided also leads to anything, but rape, happening. Dr. R.R. Bridges already stated that he had found no indications of rape, but any wounds pointed to other activities. “I knew these women were taken off a freight train. I heard that; I didn’t know it. I did not find any lacerations of any kind outside the scratches on the wrist and forearm” (Linder, “Trial Excerpt of Dr. R.R. Bridges”). These scratches can easily be justified by their dangerous hoboing or by them being pulled off the train. In the novel Atticus, the lawyer goes to prove that Tom Robinson didn’t rape or harm Mayella in any way. Atticus ask to have the Sheriff’s testimony repeated, “’Up on that side of the face

Sheriff please repeat what you said it was her right eye I said-‘” (Lee 200). The Sheriff is stating that Mayella was beat on the right side of the face, which Mr. Ewell later agrees to. This leads to the conclusion that a left-handed person most likely beat Mayella up. Atticus ask Mr. Ewell to write his name, “’Would you write your name for us?’ he asked . . . Mr. Ewell wrote on the back of the envelope . . . ‘you’re left-handed, Mr. Ewell’” (Lee 201). The evidence is now pointing to Mr. Ewell as the criminal. It seems Mr. Ewell most likely hurt his own daughter.
Ruby Bates, Victoria Price, and Mayella Ewell have more in common than just being alleged victims.

For starters, Ruby Bates and Mayella Ewell both have similar lifestyles. Ruby Bates father was a drunk and after he was put in jail Bates and her family moved from town to town. Bates was also a hard worker, she worked at a cotton mill at age 15 (Linder, “Ruby Bates”). Mayella faced some similar issues, since she did do most of the chores in the house and dealt with everyone’s problems. Atticus says, “’Do you love your father, Miss Mayella?’ . . . ‘I mean, is he good to you is he easy to get along with?’ ‘He does tollable ‘cept when-‘. . . ‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded’” (Lee 209). Mayella herself is saying that her father is good except when he’s drunk. It’s starting to sound like Mayella is having some trouble at home as well. Victoria Price and Mayella are both haunted by the label of prostitutes. Victoria Price was actually convicted of this claim. “Were you ever convicted of the crime of adultery? . . . Where you ever convicted of vagrancy and drunkenness?” (Linder. “Trial Excerpt of Victoria Price”). Leibowitz, the lawyer of the defendants, is bringing up Price’s past. Price, while married, was prostituting herself, as each reworded question suggests. Mayella herself was called a prostitute during Atticus’ closing

statement:
What was the evidence of her offense? Tom Robinson, a human being. She must put Tom Robinson away from her. Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did. What did she do? She tempted a Negro. She was a white, and she tempted Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old Uncle, but a strong Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards. (Lee 231)
Mayella is said to have thrown herself at Tom and in a way to stop her from continuing to do this, and getting caught, is by having Tom sent away. Although she was not given money, all the hard work that Mayella had Tom Robinson accomplish was enough for her to push herself onto him.
The outcomes of both trials are very unjust and far from what a true conviction should be. Both juries didn’t seem to take any obvious evidence into consideration. Ruby Bates herself recanted and said that the rape did not occur. Being with Price the entire time that would mean that neither of them would have gotten rape. Even with this evidence provided, the boys were given guilty verdicts over and over again (Linder, “Ruby Bates”). In To Kill a Mockingbird the evidence was not as obvious, but should have aroused some suspicion, about the real truth. Despite the fact that Atticus proves that Mayella was hit by a left-handed person (Lee 200) and Mr. Ewell was left-handed (Lee 201). Tom was right-handed, due to his left arm being limp, the jury still didn’t seem to have taken this evidence, which they all witnessed, into consideration (Lee 216). The one difference about the juries were their behaviors after coming out of the verdict room. The behavior the jury had during the trial for “The Scottsboro Boys” was completely uncalled for. A jury was seen laughing as they exited the jury room, where they were overlooking the evidence provided and deciding on what verdict to give (Linder, “The Trials of ‘The Scottsboro Boys’’). Afterwards they gave a verdict of guilty, clearly without a care since they came out laughing. While that jury was rude, the jury within To Kill a Mockingbird was very different. “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted . . . not one of them looked at Tom Robinson . . . Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty’” (Lee 240). This jury held behaviors of feeling guilty for what they had just done or were about to do. The fact that they couldn’t even look at Tom shows how bad they feel about all of this.
The portrayal of this trial in To Kill a Mockingbird is very crucial. The importance of this portrayal is to show the behaviors that people, of this time, had. They had no problem with how they treated others, but when being read, the reality of how people behaved begins to show in a negative way. Now we begin to see the truth and who the real monsters are in these situations.