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Extent of the Racist Attitudes that Prevailed Throughout Maycomb
The significance of Tom Robinson's trial in To Kill a Mockingbird is integral for readers to understand the grasp of how Maycomb handled racial and social prejudice. Lee utilizes Robinson’s case as an approach to explicitly reveal the trial’s hidden motives and layers of harsh irony. The fact that Atticus evidently proved Tom’s innocence yet was still deemed guilty of his ‘crime’ shows the degree of racist attitudes that prevailed throughout American society. Along with the blatant contradictions found in their respective cross-examinations, Robinson’s injustice in the court system with unfair treatment, and Bob Ewell’s lies to protect his pride; the trial uncovered hidden hypocrisy
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to even Atticus’s argument directed at the jury. Even so, Atticus defends Tom, knowing he would most likely lose the case; but it is made clear that Atticus feels his defense of Tom is a small step toward equal rights and justice for blacks. Atticus makes a point of noting that even though Mayella was beaten and claimed to have been raped, no doctor was ever called to the scene.
Under cross-examination, Heck Tate admitted that a doctor was never called to examine Mayella. “It wasn't necessary, Mr. Finch… Something sho' happened, it was obvious” (Lee, INSERT PAGE NUMBER HERE). Logic implicates that if it were a white man accused of rape, a doctor would surely have been called to verify that Mayella had indeed been raped. But Tom Robinson is black, so calling a doctor simply "wasn't necessary," another marker of the deep-running prejudice that blacks in Maycomb live with every …show more content…
day. Tom Robinson and Mayella Ewell are ranked at the very bottom of Maycomb’s society, yet in different ways. Lee reveals these social distinctions in her bildungsroman, as the Ewells are essentially the lowest of the white class, but even then, they are still prioritized before blacks. Bob Ewell expresses this to Judge Taylor, that he has “asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they're dangerous to live around 'sides devaluin' my property —“ (Lee, INSERT PAGE NUMBER HERE). Ewell’s statement, if not for the courthouse environment, would be considered bizarre as a neighborhood of "lower-class" blacks would not be able to devalue a piece of property that is basically an extension of a town dump. With this announcement from Ewell, the courtroom realizes that the danger actually lies in living near the Ewells, not the other way around. Atticus calls on Tom Robinson as the prime witness to tell the true story.
Be that as it may, Tom made a fatal mistake when he admitted under cross-examination that he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell. With To Kill a Mockingbird exploring Maycomb’s societal ideals other than the frank maltreatment of a person because of their race, Robinson’s pity for a white woman ended up to be his downfall. This takes an ironic turn, as later on Atticus was allowed to feel pity for Mayella, “I have nothing to but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state, but my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt” (Lee, INSERT PAGE NUMBER HERE). For a black man to publicly admit feeling pity for any white person is overstepping societal bounds, and it ends up condemning Robinson to his fate. Bob Ewell's pride could not afford to let Tom walk away from Mayella’s advances without the risk of losing what little reputation he had. Tom is a compassionate man, and ironically, his kindness was responsible for his current
situation. It is mildly interesting to note how Atticus had brought up Thomas Jefferson’s well known quote into the courtroom, “Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal” (Lee, INSERT PAGE NUMBER HERE), when it is known that Jefferson’s implication of ‘all men created equal’ referred to white property owning men that could freely keep slaves. The all-white jury is stuck in an uncomfortable position. If they release a black man who admittedly pitied a white person, then they were threatened to lessen their own power over African Americans. Convicting Tom sentenced an innocent man to his death, yet it was all the court could do, as the trial was never fair to begin with. Atticus’s case for Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird’s shows the ugliness of both racial and social prejudice. Ultimately the jurors choose to vote along racial lines without regard for truth or justice. Mayella and Tom were both victims of injustice in the court system, Bob Ewell’s lies, and the hypocrisy hidden within the courthouse, yet ultimately Atticus could not prevent a mockingbird from being shot down.
Atticus was a man of strong morals and conscience and in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, had to overcome the backlash and hate from defending Tom Robinson. With what seemed to be the majority of Maycomb County against him and his own safety at stake, Atticus knew that he couldn’t win the trial. Yet accompanied by his rationality, good ethics and determination he overcomes the trial. It is not the desired ending, but for his efforts in the trial, Atticus gains the respect of the black community and the respect of others in Maycomb by following through and overcoming the challenges that followed the
One of the storylines in the novel is the Robinson-Ewell trial. Tom Robinson is an innocent African-American, accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a lower-class white girl. At the trial hearing, everyone is able to tell his or her side of the story before Tom is allowed to speak. All stories, however, offer two different versions of Tom and Mayella’s relationship. Moreover, Mayella and Bob Ewell tell the jury what they expect to hear, about Tom being a monster. They explain that there was no reason for his actions against Mayella. According to them, along with the rest of Maycomb, it's just expected that a black man would rape any white woman if he had the opportunity. The Tom spoken of by the Ewells shows the stereotypes that justify whites to be superior to blacks. However, Tom tells the jury about his innocence. He pr...
Robinson resembles a mockingbird because he does not cause any harm to the town of Maycomb. This particular mockingbird is killed when Mayella Ewell falsely accuses him of rape. Although all the evidence proves that Robinson is innocent, it is a battle between an African American and a white woman. “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 carry their resentments right into the jury box” (Lee 220). Robinson is eventually convicted because of the prejudice and racism that clouds everyone in the jury and every citizen of Maycomb. “Tom Robinson’s a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world’s going to say “We think you’re guilty, but not very on a charge on like that.” It was either a straight acquittal or nothing” (Lee 219). Tom Robinson may not be guilty of raping Mayella, but he is guilty of feeling sorry for a lonely, white
One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.
Atticus had enough evidence to prove to the Jury that Tom’s right arm did not work and that would mean that Tom could not have pulled Mayella to the ground and bruised her as the policeman described. The crowd was surprised but the Jury and the Judge did not believe Atticus’s evidence. They were prejudiced and if Atticus came up with the best possible explanation the Judge still believed the Ewell family and they did not come up with a reasonable explanation about Tom. “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” (Atticus) chapter 23. Prejudice hurts people who are black and people who were different and young
Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee's only novel, is a fictional story of racial oppression, set in Maycomb, A.L. in 1925 to 1935, loosely based on the events of the Scottsboro trials. Unlike the story however, the racial discrimination and oppression in the novel very accurately portrays what it was like in the 1920's and 1930's in the south. Tom Robinson, the black man accused of raping a poor low class white girl of 19, never stood a chance of getting a fair trial. This can be supported by giving examples of racially discriminatory and oppressive events that actually took place in the south during the time period in which the novel is based. In addition to actual historical events, events and examples from the book that clearly illustrate the overpoweringly high levels of prejudice that were intertwined in the everyday thinking of the majority of the characters in the book supports the fact that Tom Robinson never stood a chance of getting a fair trial.
The first “mockingbird” that is featured in the novel is a man named Atticus Finch. Not only is Atticus Finch the sole representative of Maycomb in the legislature, but also he is a brilliant lawyer. In addition, he has a good reputation in both Maycomb’s black and white communities because of his exceptional character. However, his reputation is soon shattered when he is faced with a case in court that affects him personally: he must defend an African American man in court in Maycomb’s segregated society. If Atticus chooses to try defending the man, he will lose his good status in town, since his racist American neighbors will soon disrespect him for treating the African Americans as equal to the Americans, which is highly unacceptable in the United States during the 1930s. However, Atticus still accepted the case believing that if he does not, he w...
In a desperate attempt to save his client, Tom Robinson, from death, Atticus Finch boldly declares, “To begin with, this case should never have come to trial. This case is as simple as black and white” (Lee 271). The gross amounts of lurid racial inequality in the early 20th century South is unfathomable to the everyday modern person. African-Americans received absolutely no equality anywhere, especially not in American court rooms. After reading accounts of the trials of nine young men accused of raping two white women, novelist Harper Lee took up her pen and wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, a blistering exposition of tragic inequalities suffered by African Americans told from the point of view of a young girl. Though there are a few trivial differences between the events of the Scottsboro trials and the trial of Tom Robinson portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as the accusers’ attitudes towards attention, the two cases share a superabundance of similarities. Among these are the preservation of idealist views regarding southern womanhood and excessive brutality utilized by police.
In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee tells the story of a Mr. Tom Robinson who is an African American who is being charged with rape against a white women. Atticus is the lawyer who must defend Robinson in court. In the Scottsboro case a central figure was a heroic judge who overturned a guilty verdict against the young men. The judge went against the public in trying to protect the rights of the African American men. In reading the novel you learn that Atticus arouses anger in the small community when he tries to defend Robinson.
Was the trial fair? Could the trial have been changed if the person being prosecuted was different? Is Maycomb biased? With Tom Robinson’s trial it outlined the power of racism and how easily it can change the minds of people. It showed how racist the American South was back in the day. The reasoning to even say that Maycomb is racist because of the fact that the outcome of the trial was already determined before it even ended, Atticus and everyone even knew that Tom was going to lose. Another thing that can outline the racism in Maycomb and the racism in the courtroom is that the jury in the case would be very biased towards the case and maybe even fear for their safety because of people finding out that they voted not guilty towards Tom
Dave Willis states, “Do not treat people the way they treat you. Treat people the way God treats you.” A special element about the United States Judicial System is it includes a law that states everyone is given a fair trial. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Tom Robinson was convicted of rape by Bob and Mayella Ewell. Tom was not given a fair trial for a various amount of reasons during his trial. Tom Robinson is deserving of an appeal considering that he was not given due process.
Ewell’s sly and overly confident account of the event only provides more affirmation to the idea of him using his own daughter for his racist and destructive purposes. He pinpoints his own evils onto Tom Robinson, even things that would be physically impossible. A large piece of evidence is the fact that Mayella’s left eye is swollen, while Tom Robinson’s right arm is completely disabled. He still tries to argue with the idea that just because Tom was black he took advantage of Mayella; “Mr. Ewell could’ve beaten up Mayella… if her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show a left handed person did it” (Lee 178). Atticus made sure the whole community knew the beating scars left on Mayella’s face were strictly from her own father. He keenly exhibited Mr. Ewell’s dominance of his right hand, thereover making it the perfect strike to his own daughter’s face. Along with this, Atticus also utilizes the fact that no one went to retrieve a doctor; he demonstrates that any caring family member would do the simple thing of getting medical help. “‘Did you, during all this running, run for a doctor?’ (Lee 175). Mr. Ewell argues there was no need for a doctor because he had seen who caused Mayella’s injuries. Though his testimony is clearly not the truth, Atticus portrays it would still make sense to seek a doctor in any situation of the sort. Nevertheless, Mr. Ewell is more steadfast in his testimony than Mayella, he still
Throughout the novel of “To Kill A Mockingbird” the lack of proper Judicial evaluation is pervasive in the town of Maycomb in many different forms and it is preventing those of minorities who go to trial a lack of prejudice or equality. Tom Robinson is petrified that he is going to fail the trial, as well as the rest of the black community and minorities because, the Maycomb court system discriminates towards minorities, and favors whites.
It is not uncommon in today’s society to see injustice take place not only within foreign countries but also within the United States. Being known as the ‘Land of the Free’ is far from the truth as seen by the amount of brutalities that have taken place within the past few years along with the countless racial injustices that have occurred. Injustice is a major theme that takes place within To Kill A Mockingbird as seen through the character Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is put through injustice as seen by the themes of fear, innocence, and empathy throughout Tom Robinson’s trial.