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In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many minor themes are present such as gender and age. However, the largest and therefore major theme of the book is racism. All of the events and themes in the book had only one purpose, to support the theme of racism.
One of the most important events in the book was Tom Robinson’s trial, which was unfairly judged due to the fact that the jury could not see beyond the color of Tom’s skin. The put their own racist opinions ahead of what is right and just. One of the most important events in the novel circulated around racism. However, the most focused on point of Tom’s life was not the only point in his life where racism has been shown towards him. The Ewell’s are a major source of racism towards Tom. Whenever Mayella Ewell wanted Tom to help her, she was rude to him whereas Tom was very kind to her. Tom was even nice enough to refuse payment of his work for her since he saw that she was poor and realized she needed the money. For his kindness, Tom is returned with bitterness with the only reason for this being because of the color of his skin.
Mayella was not the only person who was insensitive to Tom. In the cross-examination, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Horace Gilmer was unpleasant towards Tom; acting rude and calling him boy. Although one might think this is due to his personality, as Dill pointed out “He didn't act that way when- (he was talking to his own witnesses)”. Mr. Gilmer was plain disrespectful to Tom unlike Mr. Finch who was just a humane to Tom as he was to the others he cross-examined.
Racism was just present in the attitude towards African-Americans but in the African-Americans themselves. For example, Calpurnia acted very differently when in the presence of other African-Amer...
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...not care if Tom died, and he especially did not care if Tom's wellbeing suffered.
Bob Ewell cared so little about African-Americans that he was willing to put his own wellbeing on the line so that Tom would go to jail. By lying when being examined by both Atticus and Mr. Gilmer, if Tom had been found innocent, Bob Ewell could have been arrested for Perjury. Almost all of Bob Ewell’s statements while under oath during court were lies.
If he was willing to risk going to jail to put an African-American in jail, then Bob Ewell is finds African-Americans insufferable and is therefore racist.
Works Cited
Castlemen, Tammy. "To Kill a Mockingbird." To Kill a Mockingbird: At a Glance. CliffsNotes on To Kill a Mockingbird, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "To Kill a Mockingbird" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the most important character trait portrayed by Bob Ewell is prejudice. Throughout the book, Bob Ewell demonstrates how prejudice has been kept alive through ignorance and fear. First, by blaming Tom Robinson for beating Mayella. During the trial, Bob Ewell stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson "I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin' on my Mayella"(84)! Bob Ewell emphasizes Tom’s race over everything else. He doesn’t care who he is as a person all he cares about is the color of his skin. Towards the end of the trial, Atticus has one last chance to prove the Ewells wrong. Atticus asks: “About your writing with your left hand, are you ambidextrous, Mr. Ewell? I most positively
Toughill, Kelly. “ Maybe Its Right to Kill Mockingbird.” Toronto Star (11 May 2002): H 02. EBSCO Host. Web. 6 May 2014.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Bob Ewell assumes the racist, biased, and unjust motivations in order to retain any scrap of dignity in Maycomb County. Bob Ewell sees that he has been bested, and that the town knows the truth, however, he is able to abuse his racial standpoint, using racism to scapegoat his actions. The town, even though they all are aware that Bob Ewell is guilty, has been racially obligated to oppress Tom Robinson, due to the racist roots embedded in the town.
In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major theme. Atticus Finch, the narrator’s father, defends a negro, Tom Robinson, in the court of law against a white man, Bob Ewell. Robinson had reportedly raped a young white girl, Mayella Ewell. But according to Robinson he had gone to help Mayella, as he often did, with work around the house. As he starts helping Mayella, she tries to get Tom to kiss her and will not let him out of the house. Bob Ewell sees this and chases Tom out of the house and accuses him of raping his daughter. Atticus goes against almost everyone in Maycomb County’s opinion in defending Tom Robinson. Throughout the course of the novel, racism effects many characters such as Tom and Helen Robinson, Scout and Jem Finch, and Mayella and Bob Ewell. All these characters had there lives
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
Bob Ewell is afraid that Blacks will take over or gain higher power over Whites so he works to keep the Black population suppressed by the Whites. One way that he showed this was by falsely accusing Tom Robinson of a crime that he never committed. He accused Tom of raping his daughter, Mayella, because he was ashamed that his daughter attempted to kiss a black man. Because of Bob’s fear of Blacks, Tom is dead....
Shaw-Thornburg, Angela. “On Reading To Kill a Mockingbird: Fifty Years Later.” Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird: New Essays. Meyer, Michael J. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press, 2010. 113-127. Print.
"To Kill a Mockingbird." Sparknotes LLC. 2003. Barnes & Noble Learning Network. 2 Nov. 2003 .
Kipen, David. “David Kipen.” Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of To Kill A Mockingbird. Ed. Mary McDonagh Murphy. New York: Harper Perennial, 2010. 104-09. Print.
Tom Robinson’s trial, and in fact his entire life, was badly affected by racism. It is truly a testament to the corruption of society when a person who has earned a bad reputation is held in higher esteem than a person who was born with it, as is the case with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson. Even though Tom was obviously honest in his testament, the jury sided with Bob Ewell because he was white. They made this decision despite the fact that the Ewell family was widely known to be a worthless part of society. Jem, not being racially prejudiced, could not understand this mentality. As Atticus pointed out, “If you (Jem) had been on the jury, son, and eleven other boys like you, Tom would be a free man.”
Stark, Elizabeth. “To Kill a Mockingbird: About the Author.” The Big Read. National Endowment for the Arts, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. .
He points out evidence that the attacker was left-handed due to the bruise being on the right side of Mayella’s face. In addition, Atticus showed the audience and the jury that Bob Ewell was clearly left-handed from writing his name on paper and that Tom Robinson had a disabled left arm. Atticus then cross-examines Tom Robinson about what happened on the day he raped Mayella. He asked Tom why he was on the Ewell’s property. He answered that Mayella wanted help with a door and then tried to kiss Tom. Tom tried to get out and said Bob was going to kill Mayella. He concluded with saying he did not rape Mayella Ewell. Atticus provides a closing argument that this case should had never come to court because there was not enough direct evidence to prove Tom Robinson guilty. Atticus concludes that all men should be created equal and instructs the jury to “review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and restore this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty”. The prosecutor, Mr. Horace Gilmer, helped the jury make a decision which would ultimately end the trial in Maycomb
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Reprint. New York City: Grand Central Publishing, 1982. Print
To Kill a Mocking Bird expresses the racist attitudes of Maycomb most dominantly in the court case involving Tom Robinson (who's lawyer is Atticus Finch) and Mayella Eule. The trial makes blatantly obvious to the reader that Tom Robinson, the black man accused of rape is innocent and yet the jury finds him guilty. It also establishes that Mayella was actually beaten by her father and although the evidence that points to this occurrence is circumstantial, it is made perfectly clear. The court case also clarifies to the reader the frightful nature and obvious abundance of racism within the small town of Maycomb.
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.