To Kill A Mockingbird Values Essay

1351 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Moral values when trying to kill a mockingbird

In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, values and morals make up the decisions of the community. It is important to have personal values instead of following community values when personal responsibility is tested. Individual values are shown when Atticus must go against the town to defend Tom Robinson, personal values of a group is also shown when the Black Church is compared to the White Church and how Scout and Jem grow up with different values than the other kids in the community. People in Maycomb value the social hierarchy well Atticus, who is still a member of the Maycomb community, has values that do not rely on the same scale. The hierarchy scale greatly influences the values within Maycomb, with this scale they are able to judge one …show more content…

Atticus has a different set of values that do not rely on the same social scale as he accepts people no matter their family background or skin tone. As the trial for Tom Robinson is coming up in part two, Jem starts to take an interest. After asking if Tom could win the case, Atticus replies with, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). Tom is destined to lose the case even if he is innocent because Bob Ewell stated he did rape his daughter and is guilty. Bob Ewell, besides the fact he is below the homeless and can not be trusted, will still have the community fall into his favour because Tom Robinson is a black man which means they have less respect even when it comes to the law. This Shows how much Maycomb values come into effect when they will not let a black man who is at the bottom, also below Bob, of the scale have a fair chance in court. On the other hand, Atticus has different values then the community if Maycomb as he plans to defend Tom when he is called on. Atticus adds on to his explanation of why he and Tom will lose the case by adding his own opinion. Well explaining to Jem, Atticus says, “as you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something

Show More
Related

  • The Wisdom of Atticus in Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    978 Words  | 2 Pages

    This shows that Atticus and his family are put on a lower level than normal citizens. Pre-conceived opinions are able to make people opposed to changing them as well, with the ideas sticking in Maycomb. The hierarchy or order of people is severely deformed in Maycomb, as normal, well-meaning people are discriminated against and put at the bottom of the pack simply because of the colour of their skin.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Essays: Doing the Right Thing

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    To Kill a Mockingbird    "I simply want to tell you that there are some  men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us.  Your father's one of them." – Miss Maudie               The quote above states that Atticus Finch was a man who did unpleasant things, but this quote is false.  Miss Maudie had every good intention when she told Jem and Scout this and her point was taken in the way she intended it to be taken by the children.  Her point could have been better worded if the portion that reads "our unpleasant jobs" were replaced with "what is right."  Atticus did unpleasant things only because he knew that they were the right thing to do.  Miss Maudie told the children about their father in this way only to avoid saying that the rest of the town was wrong.

    Read More

  • Atticus the Hero in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Atticus wants his children to ignore what everybody thinks of him when defending a negro. During a conversation between Jem and Atticus, tells Jem,” As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, whenever a white man does that to a black man, that white man is trash.” (223). At the court Atticus is sure that he will lose but wants to make a statement to this racist society. He wants this county to treat black people just how they treat white people....

    Read More

  • Heart Of A Lion In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Compassion and Tolerance in To Kill A Mockingbird

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Atticus shows great compassion and tolerance when he stands up for the Negroes. He stands up and represents Tom Robinson because he believes that everyone should be treated equally in the court of law. He knows that because Tom was a Negro there would be a slim chance of winning. That fact never discouraged him though because he says that the main reason he is representing Tom is because, ' if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature'; (75). He recited a speech, which clearly states that Tom Robinson is not guilty. In that speech he says, 'our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal'; (205). He believed that prejudice and stereotyping is wrong and he tries to teach these morals to Scout and Jem.

    Read More

  • Atticus Finch Human Nature

    1429 Words  | 3 Pages

    Atticus is a quiet, humble man who works to the best of his ability given his limited resources, and resolutely supports Tom Robinson’s side of the case, riling up his community imbued with discrimination. Without Atticus, the story would lose its equilibrium, and Jem and Scout would most definitely discard any insight they had into respecting humans for their unique qualities. Atticus supports the fact that, “Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal,” (233), and he tries to use this saying to bolster his argument throughout the trial. Jem and Scout respect the fact that their father is so supportive of equality, but because Maycomb County is already so biased against the black race, nothing Atticus said could have made a difference. After the trial comes to an end, Atticus tries to help the children process the evil essence of Bob Ewell: “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute ... if spitting in my face and threatening me saved

    Read More

  • Social Conformity In To Kill A Mockingbird

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the values of Maycomb is racism. However, there are a few that does not believe in this value, including Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is a white man married to a black woman and has mixed children. He does not believe in society’s ideology regarding racism and knows that some citizens of Maycomb antagonize him. However, he does not care, as he prefers the colored people over white. He knows how unfair society is, from the way he gets treated. Moreover, Jem realizes the falsities of society, due to the injustice he sensed. After Tom’s verdict, Jem’s first clear sense of injustice provided a new perception on the world. When he was young, he believed that the people of Maycomb are the best folks, but the outcome of the trial changed this thought. Furthermore, Scout’s realization of the falsehood in society is with the hypocrisy of Miss Gates. She was taught by Miss Gates how Americans do not believe in persecution. However, Scout saw Miss Gates talk about the African Americans in an adverse way. Learning about the falsehood in society is part of

    Read More

  • Examples Of Atticus A Good Father In To Kill A Mockingbird

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Towards the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus decides to represent a colored man by the man of Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell’s daughter. Atticus believes that Tom is innocent, but he does not think that Tom will be found not guilty because of they way the townsfolk treat colored people. They treat them like dirt; like they are worth nothing. Atticus went ahead and represented Tom despite the fact that he knew the townsfolk would call himself and his children names and treat them disrespectfully. Even Scout’s relative Francis said rude things about them. “‘I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-...’ ‘Just what I said. Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he's turned out a nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the family, that's what he's doin'.’” Atticus set a good example for Scout and Jem. He had a difficult decision to make, but he chose what he thought was

    Read More

  • Life Lessons in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    A small city nestled in the state of Alabama, Maycomb has got its faults, just like any other place in the world, but one of its main faults or (pg.88) “Maycomb's usual disease,” as Atticus calls it in the book is prejudice. Jem and Scout learn a lot about prejudice when a black man named Tom Robinson is accused of raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell and their father, Atticus, is called on to be his lawyer. They realize the hate that people have buried deep within their heart when they see a black man accused of doing something only because of his color. On pg.241, Scout starts understanding this and thinks, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, 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.” As the case continues, up until the death of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout learn more and more about prejudice and how the hate that people have towards others causes them to take wrong actions. They also see how unfair it is that a white man can get treated better and think of himself better than a black man only because he was born white. This prejudice and the trial cause Jem and Scout to get in argum...

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Moral Values

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Learn to deal with the fact that not everyone is perfect, but everyone deserves respect, honesty, justice and equality, I’m for truth no matter who tells it, I’m for justice no matter who it is for or against” (anonymous)

    Read More

  • Racism in To Kill A Mockingbird

    549 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • Racial Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

    994 Words  | 2 Pages

    The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 220). This is how Atticus described the trial to his son Jem because he could not comprehend how unjust the trial was unfolding on a daily basis. The proceedings were not equitable towards Tom Robinson because everyone should have realized at the trial that he had not done anything wrong. In the end, Atticus lost the trial. Not because the jury and judge thought Tom Robinson had committed the crime, but simply because he was black and they were racist.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Essay: Parallels and Differences

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach, a contemporary novel, shares numerous characteristics with Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel written in the 1960's. Like To Kill a Mockingbird, McCorkle's novel documents the life of a young girl in a small southern town. The two narrators, Kate Burns and Scout Finch, endure difficult encounters. A study of these main characters reveals the parallels and differences of the two novels. Jill McCorkle duplicates character similarities and rape from Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to show the reader how young girls think and develop.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Unification In To Kill A Mockingbird

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s society, it isn’t uncommon to see individuals abandon their values in order to fit in. Unification is a very powerful concept and people often tend to surround themselves with others whether they have the same beliefs or not. This inclination further leads to the desertion of truth and ethics as they throw everything they’ve ever known into the wind in order to avoid drawing attention to oneself. Although self-identity and one’s morals are notably difficult to discover and hold true to, the effects abandoning them has on one’s character is continually mentioned in the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel tells the story of a small white family, the Finches, who live in a quaint Alabama town known as Maycomb. The father

    Read More

  • Common Values In To Kill A Mockingbird

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bob Ewell is an unfortunate example of “Maycomb’s usual disease” as Atticus describes it. Being extremely poor, Bob Ewell has little to no education, and is extremely racist and prejudiced against black people in Maycomb. Bob Ewell’s lack of education shows in the trial; he is spoken to by Judge Taylor about his comments, and how “there will be no more audibly obscene speculations on any subject from anybody in this courtroom as long as I’m sitting here”(201). Mr. Ewell often does not understand what he is being asked, and his responses deviate off topic. Due to his education and social class, he is also a racist; Bob has no trouble putting Tom Robinson away for a crime he did not commit.

    Read More

More about To Kill A Mockingbird Values Essay

Open Document