To Kill A Mockingbird Power Quotes

On the other hand, power can also be used by people for their own benefit. The Finches had gathered together for Christmas in order to spend some time with family, but Scout and her cousin aren’t getting along well, “‘Where’s Francis?’ ‘He’s out yonder in the kitchen. ’ … Francis came to the door and yelled, ‘Grandma, she’s got me in here and she won’t let me out!’ … ‘I haven’t got him in there, Aunty, I ain’t holdin’ him. ’ …‘Don’t you fool with me,’ he said” (84). When Francis lies, “she’s got me in here and she won’t let me out!”, he is using his power to squirm out of blame and put it on Scout. Knowing that he is Aunt Alexandra’s favorite child, Francis self-centeredly uses it to his advantage by lying about Scout and prejudicing Aunt

Alexandra even more against her even though he is the one causing trouble. Also, he adds on, “don’t you fool with me”, implying that he is asserting his power over Scout and has authority over her actions. Not only do children of a young age use their power for their own advantage, so do the adults in Maycomb. After Aunt Alexandra moves in with Scout and her family, she publicizes her beliefs about the people in Maycomb, “Aunt Alexandra, in underlining the moral of young Sam Merriweather’s suicide, said it was caused by a morbid streak in the family… Everybody in Maycomb, it seemed, had a Streak: a Drinking Streak, a Gambling Streak, a Mean streak, a Funny Streak” (129). When Aunt Alexandra asserts that a suicide was “caused by a morbid streak in the family”, she is using her prejudices against them to assume power and say that she is better than them. She also tells Scout that “everybody in Maycomb, it seemed, had a Streak”, which shows how she uses her high position on the social ladder to put others down and gain more power over them.

Although she doesn’t know these people personally, she automatically justifies their actions with bigotry against them. Furthermore, during the trial, Tom Robinson recounts his experience of Mayella raping him and says, “‘She reached up an’ kissed me ‘side of th’ face… She says, ‘Kiss me back, nigger. ’ I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door an’ I’da had to push her. I didn’t wanta harm her, Mr. Finch… ’” (194). By saying that Mayella said, “kiss me back nigger”, Tom is illustrating how Mayella irresponsibly used her power obtained from being white. She degrades him with the word “nigger” and puts herself in a position of advantage where he would not be able to fight back, as he is a black person. Her language implies that she thinks of him as lower being than her and how she’s offended because Tom did not want to kiss her back. Tom also adds that he said, “Miss Mayella lemme out of here”, which shows that he struggled against Mayella. However, she persistently continued to force him to her will; he is not allowed to leave and is treated as if he were a dog. Even after hearing Tom’s cries for help Mayella does not stop and continues to selfishly only think about herself instead of how her actions

may impact others. Lastly, during Tom Robinson’s trial, his lawyer, Atticus, actively tries to appeal to the jury’s morals, but, “‘A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up… In the name of God, do your duty’… I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’ (205-211). When Atticus tells the jury, “a court is only as sound as its jury”, he is saying that what a court does depends on what the jury wants and decides, whether or not the decision is morally correct. Each man on the jury has the power to control the fate of the defendant, and they can either use it to benefit society or for their own intents and purposes. Judges are supposed to review the evidence without prejudice, but as we see later, the verdict turns out to be “guilty” because they think that a black person’s word should never be believed over a white person’s. It is heavily implied throughout the story that Tom Robinson is innocent and that Atticus is a paragon of morality. Therefore, by delivering the sentence of guilty, it is revealed that the jury picked the option most convenient for them instead of the correct one. In cases involving African Americans, most of the verdicts turned out to be guilty, and the jury wanted to avoid causing social mayhem and an uproar by choosing otherwise. They based their decision of prejudices against black people and subsequently used their power to benefit themselves only and support their ideas about society. Taken together, these quotes claim that people can use power to benefit only themselves: Mayella using it to rape Tom, the jury using it to deliver a verdict of “guilty”, Francis using it to keep himself out of trouble, and Aunt Alexandra using it to put other people down.
Throughout To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee emphasizes that power can be used to aid a community or self-centeredly for a single person. Power can be used to help or hurt people in many different ways in today’s world, not just the ones shown in the book. Charities selflessly use their power to help those in trouble, while CEOs often use their power to drive their own wealth forward. How people use their power can drastically affect other people’s live as well as their own. While people can use power to improve society, people also often use it to hinder it. Your arm raises above your face, shielding it from the bright sun and the blow that’s sure to follow. This time, though, something happens. “Hey!” A voice exclaims. “What do you guys think you’re doing?” You hear the powerful thunder of feet as everyone runs away and look up. “Thank you,” you say. “Thank you. ”