Shining a Light on Injustice When most people think of injustices they think of the major events in history like the Crusades or the Holocaust. However, injustices are ever present even in the smallest communities and often go unnoticed. These injustices, more often than not, are directed toward the outliers of society. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee compares the characters of Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley to Mockingbirds to emphasize the different forms of prejudice faced by each as a result of innocent behavior. In the novel, Atticus Finch faces prejudice from several members of the community for defending Tom Robinson. Before the trial, Scout’s cousin Francis tells her, “If Uncle Atticus lets you run around …show more content…
Atticus acknowledges the prejudice against Tom Robinson when he says, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life”(Lee 251). Atticus is suggesting that Tom Robinson never had a chance at a fair trial or victory because of one reason, he is a black man. With this large setback looming large in his mind, Atticus knew that he was setting himself up for defeat by agreeing to represent Tom Robinson, but still wanted to try his best for him because it was the right thing to do in his mind. Another source where Tom Robinson received prejudice was from his opposition during the trial itself. In the novel it says, “Mr. Gilmer smile grimly at the jury. ‘You’re a mighty good fellow, it seems--did all this for not one penny?’ ‘Yes , suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em--’ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for he?’ Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling”(224). Mr. Gilmer, aware of such prejudice, used it to his advantage and as a strategy that would eventually win the case. Mr. Gilmer used a statement made by Tom Robinson out of genuine intent and turned it around to make it sound like Tom put himself above his supposed victim. Despite the piles of hard evidence that Atticus brought against the Ewells, one slip in Tom Robinson’s testimony was enough to give the jury confidence of his
To Kill a Mockingbird is a story about equality. In the setting of this book (Maycomb, Alabama) the inequality of races is completely normal to people’s everyday lives. The disrespect of African-Americans in this book is an ordinary occurrence that most people have grown up accustomed to, but there are some who don’t wish to be a part of this discrimination. One of these people being Atticus Finch, the father of Jem and Scout. Atticus uses the world around him to teach his children how to give all people respect no matter what their race or social class is. Atticus Finch is a good-hearted, moral lawyer in the discriminatory town of Maycomb Alabama. Amongst the blabbermouths and discriminatory townspeople of Maycomb, Atticus wants his children to be different from them, and to learn how to respect the dignity of everyone using the changes in their lives to teach them.
Throughout History, men have looked down on blacks and women. But this does not justify the view that blacks and women are below white men. When people look down on blacks and women, they preform injustice. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is full of injustice. During this time period, everyone looked down on blacks and women, which makes Maycomb one in the same with the discriminators. In particular, the people in Maycomb looked down on Tom Robinson, and many others looked down on Scout. Around the Finch household, Aunt Alexandria always tries to do away with Calpurnia, the black housekeeper and cook as Alexandria says, “We don’t need her (Calpurnia) now.” (182). Injustices in Maycomb include the case of Tom Robinson, the way Aunt Alexandra treats Calpurnia, and the way people treat Scout.
The novel How to Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee contains one overbearing theme: extreme prejudice. Throughout the novel “Scout” and her brother “Jem”; their real names being Jean Louise Finch and Jeremy Atticus Finch respectively, are victims and perpetrators of prejudice. In the novel, the children’s father Atticus Finch is the defense attorney for Mr. Tom Robinson, a black man convicted of raping white women with only circumstantial evidence. This evidence only pointing to Mayella Ewell being assaulted not by him; but by her father, Mr. Bob Ewell. Tom Robinson is only a victim of prejudice, alongside a multitude of people, all because of gender, socioeconomic, and/or racial aspects of their lives.
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 the novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee some characters suffer in the hands of justice and fairness more than others. Many characters in the novel are discriminated against such as Calpurnia, Dolphus Raymond, Helen Robinson, Burris Ewell and more. However I will be focusing on the discrimination against Tom Robinson for his race, Walter Cunningham for his low socioeconomic status and Boo Radley for the rumors and supposed mental instability he holds. I chose those three because they are the most prominent and I will discuss how the discrimination against the characters therefore leads to their injustice or unfairness.
Atticus was faced with a dilemma of helping Tom or not, shows his inner character standing up for what is right. After Atticus agrees to take the case of Tom Robinson, Scout asks him why he is defending Tom he replied by saying, “For a number of reasons,’... ‘The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again”(Lee 86). This is one of few quotes where Atticus expresses his feeling about defending Tom Robinson, Atticus is one of few people who see everyone the same and does not judge people based upon race.
Few people in the world are willing to stand up for the minority in society and even fewer have the courage to take the criticism that goes along with it. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a character who stands out from the prejudiced white southerners of Alabama in the 1930s. He strongly believes in equality in the human race and speaks up for those whose voice is too small to be heard. The iconic character Atticus Finch is clearly a hero who stands up for the downtrodden and we see this through his empathy, honour, and courage.
Although this is true, he was still brought down by his community, because he defends Black people in court, which is viewed as unacceptable in Maycomb. When it is revealed that Tom Robinson will be Atticus’ defendant, Atticus receives even more negative reactions than before. It is clear that Atticus feels uneasy about the case, and the reason why he agreed to defend Tom is because “If I didn’t I couldn't hold my head up in town, I couldn't represent this country in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (Lee, p. 100). Atticus’ whole life has been spent trying to do the morally correct thing. If he did not defend Tom then he would be embarrassed of himself, and so would the Black community of Maycomb. Atticus strives to be a good example for his children, and not defending a man of a racist and false accusation would be immoral. As the Tom Robinson case itches closer every day, Atticus feels more and more pressure. He continues to get ridiculed, and now, even in front of his children. At school, Scout and Jem both receive racist comments about their father. While speaking to Jem, Miss Maudie says to him, “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.” (Lee, p. 288). Atticus does the job that no one wants to
“There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest” Ellie Wiesel. Readers may find the amount of injustice in Harper lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird a little shocking. This could be why it’s such a popular book. People like the suspense of knowing someone’s right, but still being found guilty for something they did not do. There are many times throughout the book when people are powerless to prevent injustice but they still protest it. This shows that even when people unjustly punish there should always be someone to protest it. The theme of injustice is a common one in harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, whether it be through racism, misinformation, or Arrogance.
How would you like it if someone walked up to you and berated you based on the color of your skin? A characteristic like that isn’t even something you can control, so an insult of that nature can leave one furious and oppressed. Discrimination is inevitable in any culture, throughout history, in modern times, and even in ancient times. For example, the oppression and murder of 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust, the African Slave Trade which occurred for multiple centuries, and more recently, the “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya people in Myanmar, brought on by the government of the Asian nation, all of which are tragedies doomed to happen when history repeats itself and people do not learn
There have been many famous pieces of literature, but one that stands out is the 1960's classic To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee. Lee, who only wrote one book in her life time, wrote of prejudice, injustice, and racism in the 1930's. To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the Deep South in the 1930's. To Kill a Mockingbird is a story in which a black mad is accused of doing something he didn't do. During the whole story some of the two of the main characters, Jem Finch and Jean Lousie Finch, grow up in there mind but, are still of young age. Different things happen along the way but the story is based on what happens to Tom Robinson the black man. It seems like so muck is going on at once but it isn't that hard to figure out that it is injustice. Injustice is a huge concept in this book; it is basically the prejudices and racism going on. In To Kill a Mockingbird there is lots of injustice and prejudice going on. Atticus Finch, Jean Lousie Finch, and Tom Robinson experience injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird.
In this trial, Atticus, Scout’s father, is defending Tom. Tom and Atticus hear comments about Tom being black and Atticus being a white man who defends a black man. Some of these comments include, “‘Your father’s no better than the n*****s and trash he works for’” (Lee 135), which talks about Atticus being as faulty as Tom Robinson, and “‘I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a n*****-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family--’” (Lee 110), which shows that even Atticus’s family is judging him for defending Tom Robinson.
Growing up in Maycomb, Southern Alabama in the 1930s was not an easy thing. Amid a town of prejudice and racism, stood a lone house where equality and respect for all gleamed like a shining star amid an empty space. The house of Atticus Finch was that shining star. Jean Louise Finch, also known as “Scout”, is given the opportunity of being raised in this house by her father, Atticus. I stole this essay from the net. As she grows, Atticus passes down his values of equality and righteousness to Scout and her brother Jeremy Atticus Finch, also known as “Jem”. In “To Kill a Mockingbird”, by Harper Lee, we see Scout learns many lessons about dealing with prejudice by observing the behavior of other characters in the story.
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Lee describes the theme of prejudice throughout the novel by a series of events. The story follows the young protagonist and narrator Jean Louise "Scout" Finch and her elder brother Jeremy Atticus "Jem" Finch. Prejudice is evident in the book at many different times. From Jem and Scouts first encounter with Boo Radley to the court trial of Tom Robinson. During both of these cases the characters represented are prejudiced to a point, whether it be socially or racially. The two described here come face to face with prejudice when they try to break free from the rules of Maycomb counties society, resulting in negative consequences. Stereotypes and misjudgment also play a key role in the prejudice that the characters have to face. It shows how people are bent and shaped to fit and adhere to societies standards and expectations.
Atticus was incredibly courageous taking on tom Robinsons case against the prejudice of Macomb County and he shows incredible courage when he says, "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and won." He wants the people of Maycomb to hear the truth about Tom Robinson, "That boy may go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told." Chapter 15, Page 146. He was against the whole white community including his own sister practically said that he was a disgrace to his family Atticus tells scout when she asks him why he is taking the case he says "For a number of reasons. The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again.