Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

In the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee takes on the malignant impact of racism, a deeply rooted problem, from a different perspective and teaches readers what it truly means to be a good person as she brings to life one of the most virtuous characters in American literature-Atticus Finch. Told through the eyes of a young child, readers learn about the heavy prejudice embedded in the people of Maycomb County and the loss of innocence that is brought upon the kids as a racial conflict spurs a series of significant events in their quiet town. Taken place during the early years of the Great Depression, Maycomb must face its biggest problem-racism. Atticus Finch is the lawyer who defends this case and ultimately brings a

“Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…” (Lee 282) were the jury’s final verdicts in the case of Tom Robinson. Would the outcome have been different if Tom had been white? This first-person story from Scout’s perspective tells about a black man named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping the daughter of Mr. Ewell. A well respected and skilled lawyer, Atticus Finch, chooses to defend Tom Robinson, and ignores the disapproval he receives for protecting a black man as he feels that it is the right thing to do. Similarly, a lawyer from New York named Leibowitz puts aside his self-dignity and helps save the Scottsboro Boys from prejudice.

He explains how it is not fair to Tom that just because he is black, he is unjustly accused of something. Atticus understands and tries to point out the fact that if it was a white man in Tom’s position, the jury would have a different opinion on the situation. Atticus displays a prime example of how someone should try to achieve social justice, even when the situation is unfair. Also, while saying his statements, Atticus exclaims how Tom felt sorry for a white woman, Mayella, and that he had been forced to put his own word against two white people. Here, Atticus reinforces the thought of how this jury is unfair to Tom.

Recently, a negro named Tom Robinson has been jailed for supposedly raping a white woman, whose name is Mayella Violet Ewell. This is certainly biased since the family of Mayella did not provide any fact or evidence, rather only one witness who could have easily lied. Therefore, Tom Robinson could have been falsely accused of doing something a man like himself wouldn’t do. There are several reasons that suggest that Tom Robinson is innocent.

Atticus Finch is a well-known lawyer in Maycomb Alabama who agrees to defend an African American man against charges of Rape. When Atticus agrees to take the Tom Robinson, this causes outbreak in the small town from children calling him “nigger- lover’’ (99) and taunting Atticus children by saying “Scouts daddy defends niggers” (99). Society judges Atticus and wonders why he would take such a case but Atticus believes “you never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (86) and believes in the idea of equality. If Atticus didn’t take this case, Tom Robinson would have just been another black man killed and a short lived story in Maycomb. It is right of Atticus to take this case because this stands for his beliefs on equality and

Throughout the book, readers learn that Atticus has to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. Since Atticus’s morals cannot allow him to turn down this offer, readers realize

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus takes on the case of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape. He is repeatedly

The character Atticus “In To Kill a Mockingbird” By Harper Lee is known for his unsee integrity and belief in the justice system. Atticus has to take on being a lawyer for Tom Robinson a black man who was accused of rape, Atticus is a reflection of a compassionate and committed Man. As the story unravels in “To kill a mockingbird,”. Attcuis has to face many challenges and obstacles as he defends tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape in a racist town named Maycomb despite the pressure from maycomb, Attcuis is still trying to defend Tom and is committed to justice and equality.

Furthermore, Tom Robinson is mistreated due to his skin color, as a result, he is falsely accused of raping a white girl. No one in town is willing to help him in any way because of the racist mentality of the town, except Atticus. As a lawyer, Atticus supports Tom Robinson and states an important statement that describes the racist minds of the residents of Maycomb, “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is”(Lee 271).

Lee concretes the theme of prejudice here by stating that, “Tom Robinson [is] a human being,”(231) to a jury that presumes Tom is guilty simply because of his skin color. Lee classifying Tom Robinson as a “human being” is a big deal, because it shows the necessity to remind the jury that he is actually human. Prejudice seems to go too far when an audience must be reminded that a person is, in fact, a person. Lee continues to demonstrate prejudice in Atticus’s speech by flaunting the jury’s assumptions that, “all Negroes lie… all Negroes are basically immoral beings… [and] all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women,”(232) finally attacking the prejudice observed by many at the time. Lee presents these ideas as extremes by using the word, “all,” which seems ridiculous as “all” of a race cannot be corrupt, there must be at least a few good people, therefore summing up the entire issue of prejudice in a simple sentence.

During his trial, Robinson points out how Mayella Ewell attempts to seduce him when “‘she reached up an’ kissed [him] ‘side of th’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a [person of color]’” (Lee 268). Mayella Ewell takes advantage of the trust that Tom Robinson gives her when he comes into work on her house. She gives him no choice and forces him into the conflict.

Despite knowing that doing so could endanger his personal life and reputation, he is prepared to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been charged with a terrible crime. Even when it is challenging, he thinks it is crucial to speak up for what is right (pg.100). Atticus's compassion towards others makes him a deeply empathetic and caring character and is one of the many reasons why he is so beloved by readers of all

To illustrate, “Tom Robinson is a colored man, Jem. No jury in the world is going to say, ’We think you are guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that.” (Lee, 251). This quote shows how little faith Atticus had in Tom’s freedom. He knew that he would not win Tom’s trial, no matter how hard he tried, because no jury in 1930s Alabama would take the word of a black man over that of a white man, no matter how much evidence there was to prove the black man’s innocence.

¨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¨(pg 241). Tom Robinson, a young black man accused of a crime, is a main example of blindness to prejudice throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Taking place within the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era, these issues affected many people's lives. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee writes about issues with prejudice that are presented often through racism, social class, and sexism.

Essay In the novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee, there are many important messages shown throughout the book. However the primary focus was set on racial prejudice that existed in the 1930s-1940’s in the fictional town of Maycomb County. The racism in the novel was very much a reality in 1930s-1940s America. A very good example of the racial prejudice that existed was in the courtroom during Tom Robinson’s trial, an innocent Negro man held against his will for a crime he did not commit.