In life, obstacles are everywhere, but hints are given as to how to overcome those obstacles with which we are faced daily. In short, To Kill a Mockingbird is based in a small town in Alabama known as Maycomb. Just outside of Mobile, Maycomb happens to be a typical southern town where not much happens until one summer Tom Robinson is accused of rape. Tom, a black man, in the segregated south in the thirties has the odds stacked against him when going on trial. However, Tom's case has been taken on by the best lawyer in town, Atticus Finch, but proving Tom's innocence has challenges due to the strong white presence in the town. Throughout Harper Lee’s novel, Atticus’ name and the relationship between Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson, symbolize how …show more content…
the case will hold up in court and the aftermath of the verdict that is reached. To begin with, Atticus’ name being derived from the Greek word Attica, symbolizes that he brings a sense of justice and grounded morals to the trial and the courtroom. Scout, the narrator, asks Atticus, if they were going to win and Atticus responds with, “’No, Honey. […] Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 101). Thus, Atticus replying the way he did symbolizes strong morals and an intellect of justice. Most people in the thirties would not try to have Tom proven innocent or even be associated with it like Atticus. Due to Tom being a black man, no lawyer, judge, or jury member would give this case a second look due to the blinding racism in Maycomb. Furthermore, in Atticus’ closing remarks during the trial, he talks about equality among men; “We know all men are not created equal in the sense some people would have us believe […]. But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal […]. That institution […] is a court. It can be the Supreme Court of the United States […] or this honorable court which you serve. Our courts have faults […] but in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal’” (Lee 274). In particular, Atticus’ statement talking about equality symbolizes a strong sense of justice. The remark symbolizes the steps the court takes to level anything that separates people such as race. Furthermore, it illustrates that the case should not be looked at as black and white, but as two equals. Also, Atticus stands his ground when his morals come into question. In other words, he keeps his sense of justice while having the odds stacked against him, just the same as Tim Johnson has the odds stacked against him as a mad dog. Besides Atticus' name, the affiliation between Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson foreshadows as to what the outcome of the trial will be.
In February, a mad dog, Tim Johnson, was coming down the Finch’s street, when Heck Tate gave the gun to Atticus, one-shot-Finch to be specific; “The riffle cracked, Tim Johnson leaped, flopped over, and crumbled on the sidewalk in a brown-and-white heap. He didn't know what hit him" (Lee 127).Tim Johnson's death symbolizes Tom Robinson's death. The name similarity shows that Tim is Tom in another form. They both have the odds stacked against them, with no hope of living. In a split second, the decision to shoot or let live is made. Consequently, the decision to kill Tom Johnson made in a split second; "[The guards] shot [Tom]. [...] He was running.[...] he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over.[...] They fired a few shots in the air, then to kill.[...] Seventeen bullet holes in him" (Lee 315). Tom's death symbolizes the result of the life or death decision Tim's death foreshadows. A chance to let Tim or Tom live never crossed the shooter's mind when the gun was in hand. Tim Johnson's death heavily foreshadows how the case will resolve, and whether or not Tom will live to see his family
again. Therefore, the meaning of Atticus’ name and the connection between the deaths of Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson heavily foreshadows the trial's verdict. In truth, foreshadowed events happen all around in daily life, even though most likely none of it gets noticed or picked up on. There is always a sign showing what will happen in a certain situation or how something will turn out. The verdict of life’s jury eventually will be reached and having a sense of what is coming will become beneficial.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior, to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, and the struggle between blacks and whites. Atticus Finch, a lawyer and single parent in a small southern town in the 1930's, is appointed by the local judge to defend Tom Robinson, a black man, who is accused of raping a white woman. Friends and neighbors object when Atticus puts up a strong and spirited defense on behalf of the accused black man. Atticus renounces violence but stands up for what he believes in. He decides to defend Tom Robinson because if he did not, he would not only lose the respect of his children and the townspeople, but himself
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee seems like a complete replica of the lives of people living in a small Southern U.S. town. The themes expressed in this novel are as relevant today as when this novel was written, and also the most significant literary devices used by Lee. The novel brings forward many important themes, such as the importance of education, recognition of inner courage, and the misfortunes of prejudice. This novel was written in the 1930s. This was the period of the “Great Depression” when it was very common to see people without jobs, homes and food. In those days, the rivalry between the whites and the blacks deepened even more due to the competition for the few available jobs. A very famous court case at that time was the Scottsboro trials. These trials were based on the accusation against nine black men for raping two white women. These trials began on March 25, 1931. The Scottsboro trials were very similar to Tom Robinson’s trial. The similarities include the time factor and also the fact that in both cases, white women accused black men.
Sometimes, people discriminate one thing, but strongly oppose the discrimination of another thing. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, this issue is very much expressed throughout the story. This thought-provoking story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during a time when there’s a rape trial against a falsely accused African American named Tom Robinson. There is also a discrimination, of sorts, towards a man named Boo Radley, by three young children named Jeremy “Jem” Finch, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Charles “Dill” Baker Harris. Both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are similar in their own ways through their inherent goodness.
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
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
Tom Robinson, from Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, was shot. Tom Robinson who was accused a raping a white girl and when put on trial, was found guilty and sentenced to death in prison. He attempted to escape from the prison and when caught by a prison guard, he got shot and he died. But this is not what killed Tom Robinson. Lee hints to the readers who is truly responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. What killed Tom Robinson was the pressure of Maycomb County and their views on how negroes should be treated verse how a white man should be treated. The actions and beliefs of the individuals in Maycomb who is to blame and who is to take responsibility for Tom Robinson’s death.
My name is Tom Robinson. I lived on the outskirts of Maycomb Country with my wife, Helen, and kids. I worked on Mr. Link Deas's farm as a work hand. He hired me even though I'm a Negro and have a crippled arm; he's a very nice man. Every day on the way to work, I would pass the Ewell's home. They're a white family that lived by the dump. Sometimes I would pass by and help their oldest girl, Mayella, with some of their yard work. None of her younger brothers or sisters seem to help, so I liked to help her. I just thought it was the right thing for me to do, besides, I felt sorry for her. One day, Mayella says that she has something for me to do inside the house. None of the kids were around though, and I got kind of worried. When Mayella shut the door behind me and started kissing me, I knew I was in trouble. I started to push her away when her daddy, Bob, saw us through the window. I knew I was in trouble then, even though none of it was my fault, I was still black and it would be my fault if anyone caught me. When he opened the door, I just started to run. I don't know if Mayella was beaten by her father, but all I knew was I had to run. I ran all the way home, as fast as lighting. I told Helen about everything and she said it would all be okay. But Mr. Ewell had already called Mr. Heck Tate, the sheriff, and said that I had that I had raped and beaten Mayella. I knew that I could be killed on this charge, and I got really nervous. I wondered why everyone believed Mr. Ewell's lies. I couldn't have beaten up Mayella, I only have one good arm! The other one was torn up in a cotton gin when I was a little boy. But when they assigned Atticus Finch to be my lawyer for a trial, I put my soul to rest. Mr. Finch would take care of me no matter what he said. People in town were upset though. They said Mr.
Tim Johnson, the mad dog, symbolizes the mob and the injustices encompassing Maycomb County. According to Scout, “He reminded me of a car stuck in a sand-bed.” (Lee 123) This description shows how Atticus continuously has many troublesome experiences that he cannot avoid projected at him that he has to solve for the sake of Macomb County. Enotes.com is a source that states the correlation between Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson. Just as Atticus takes care of Tim Johnson, he represents Tom Robinson in the trial. Both Tim Johnson and Tom Robinson have the same fate: being shot. As Scout observes Tim Johnson, she notices how “…he seemed dedicated to one course and motivated by an invisible force…”. (Lee 126) Tim Johnson, a rabid dog, is a symbol
The death of Tom Robinson is a tragedy for those who care about him and a victory for those who despise him. The characters in the novel have their own individual standpoints on both the trial and his death. Those who support Tom blame his death on the outcome of the trial. Because the Ewell’s accuse him of rape and the jury finds him guilty, Tom must go to prison, where he dies trying to break out. Those who believe Tom is guilty of raping Mayella Ewell blame Tom himself for trying to escape from prison. The argument in the novel is who should take responsibility for Tom’s death: the Ewell’s, the jury, or Tom Robinson.
The novel "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is a simplistic view of life in the Deep South of America in the 1930s. An innocent but humorous stance in the story is through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch. Scout is a young adolescent who is growing up with the controversy that surrounds her fathers lawsuit. Her father, Atticus Finch is a lawyer who is defending a black man, Tom Robinson, with the charge of raping a white girl. The lives of the characters are changed by racism and this is the force that develops during the course of the narrative.
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...
There is a popular court case in To Kill a Mockingbird concerning how Tom Robinson allegedly raped and beat Mayella Ewell. Regarding that case, in my opinion, Tom is innocent of all supposed wrongdoings. I believe this claim for three main interconnected reasons. They are, all the other witnesses called up to the stand are prejudice towards Tom; therefore they’d lie to convict him. Tom’s left hand is greatly injured, so he couldn’t have attacked Mayella based off the location of her injuries. Lastly, Bob Ewell was proven to sexually and physically abuse Mayella because of both Mayella’s and Tom’s testimony.
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.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a touching novel that takes us through the childhood of the main character Miss Jean Louise, more known as Scout throughout the story. We get a sense of what her daily life was like, along with several small yet impressionable side stories of which include her father Atticus Finch, whom is a layer, taking up a very controversial case. In this case Mr. Finch is on the defendant's side, Tom Robinson, who is being accused of raping the daughter of a very notoriously known family in town. Despite his very accurate and eye-opening arguments, Mr. Finch is not able to convince the jury that his defendant is indeed not guilty.