A black man is on trial during the novel, but it’s the white folk of Maycomb that come out most affected. Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird details the coming-of-age of both Scout and her brother Jem as they start to realize that the town that they have grown up in is not as nice as it may seem. This all starts when their father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, takes on the case of Tom Robinson, an African American man who is accused of raping a white woman. Since this is the 1960’s not too many people take to kindly to Atticus defending Tom, and because of it his family comes under fire from the community. Even though it was Atticus who took on the Tom Robinson case, it was his family who suffered the most: from the harassment of the townsfolk, …show more content…
It’s not yet known to Scout that her dad is defending Tom Robinson, a Negro. She is in the schoolyard after classes where she is harassed by a student named Cecil Jacobs. He tells the whole class that her dad, Atticus, has been defending “niggers.” Scout denies it, until she talks with Atticus that night and he tells her about him defending Tom Robinson in court, and urged her to not get into any more fights with the students at her school. A sullen Scout arrives the next day in class to a barrage of insults further targeted towards her family and herself by Cecil Jacobs and the rest of the schoolyard: “My folks said that your daddy was a disgrace an’ that nigger oughta hang from the water tank” (Lee 81). Scout at this point in the story has made sure not to get into any more fights, because she worries that she may upset Atticus. It's because of this change in attitude that makes her an easy target at the schoolyard. People throw insults at her like it’s nothing, because they have no sympathies for a black man and the man defending him. More and more after her schoolyard encounter, Scout becomes more curious about the case and the accusation involved. As a child she shouldn't be involved with more grown-up topics, because all it does is give her a worst perspective of the town she lives in. For …show more content…
During the trial of Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, and Dill are all able to get into the court and sit down with Reverend Sykes in the row made for Black people. While for the most part Dill and Scout are mostly bored watching the trial, it's Jem who is most fascinated by his dad's skill. During the trial, he believes that his dad will almost definitely win the case, because the jury will make the right call and let Tom Robinson go. After deciding for several hours, the court comes back and gives Tom Robinson a guilty verdict. After they arrive back at the house, Jem starts to cry because of what seems like he was upset at the loss, but soon later at Miss Maudie's house his true reasoning for breaking down is revealed: “I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seemed like”(Lee 218). Jem was not just upset that the jury rejected Tom Robinson's plea, but because he thought that they were more moral people. Atticus had presented a plethora of information that showed that Tom Robinson didn't commit any guilty act, and Jem understood that. Jem understood that Tom Robinson was innocent based on the facts and didn't dictate how guilty he was based on his color, and believed that everyone else was like that. What this reveals to Jem is that some people aren't as good as others. The
Jem knew from the start that Tom Robinson had no chance in winning a case against the Ewells. However, he deluded himself into thinking that that maybe the jury will be accepting and open-minded in that one case. Of course, that’s not what happened in the end; Tom Robinson is found guilty, causing Jem to question whether or not Maycomb is really the same as he remembered it from his childhood. This change in Jem especially shows when Scout comes to ask him about Hitler’s hatred towards all Jewish people during the Holocaust; Scout ends up comparing what her teacher said in class versus what that same teacher said outside the courthouse after the trial, and Jem was instantly reminded of the verdict:
During the court scene a lot of difficult things happen and it becomes a very hard case for Atticus to solve and explain. Jem and Scout are both very upset about Tom Robinson being accused of the things he didn’t do. Atticus begins to tell Jem that it’s going to be okay and that he wants Jem to not worry about what the outcome is. Atticus is trying to teach him that even if the case doesn’t go the way they wanted and the way that it was supposed to go, that they still did the right thing and that they would keep trying to help Tom Robinson in any way they could. This is what Atticus tells Jem, “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told.” “Atticus’s voice was even. And you know what the truth
Atticus continuously tells her that this is wrong and that she needs to learn to control her anger, “You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat? Try fighting with your head for a change” (Lee 101). The day after this discussion with Atticus, Scout is approached by a fellow student who had previously made a mean comment about her father. “I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away.it was the first time I ever walked away from a fight” (Lee 102).
As previously mentioned, the point of view in this narrative is from Scout. Her upbringing has been respectful to the African-Americans in her society and she shows this with her relationship with her maid, Calpurnia. Other children her age have adopted their parents' racially prejudice views, causing her of many problems. Atticus's lawsuit seems to isolate his children and Scout is taunted with remarks in the playground. Her only retort is violence and Atticus, as an virtuous father, does not condone this behaviour either: "My fists were clenched I was ready to make fly. Cecil Jacobs had announced the day before that Scout Finch's daddy defended niggers."
Everyone has a creepy neighbor once in their lives. The book, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is about Jem and Scout, a sister and brother, and their life in Maycomb County, Alabama in the early 1930’s. Jem, Scout’s brother older than Scout by four years. Boo Radley is one of their neighbors and is never seen, and at the beginning of the book Jem is scared of Boo Radley. Throughout the book Jem matures a lot and is not as scared of Boo Radley, and more adventurous with his actions of Boo Radley such as going to look in his window, when before he would run by his house.
Jem displays values like compassion and tolerance by believing that all men are created equal no matter which race, religion, or attitude they have. He shows this when he hears the verdict of Tom Robinson's trial. 'It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. 'It ain't right,' he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus'; (212). This is the first time he realizes that there was injustice in the world. He slowly matures and begins to understand that there are such thing as prejudice and racism.
In the duration of the book Atticus is attacked by the town for defending a black man. “The whole town has an uproar”, etc. after being in the courtroom and hearing both sides. The court proceedings in which Tom is found guilty because nobody believes in the innocence of a black man. After the court proceedings, a mob of men tried to gang up on Atticus. If Scout hadn’t have stepped in, it could have been a massacre. As Scout and Jem, Atticus’s children, walked home after a costume contest Jem was attacked by a knife wielding man because his father defended Tom. Later Tom Robinson dies when trying to escape prison because Atticus thought that since he was black he thought he could never get an appeal. This racial and class injustice affected all of Maycomb
I connect with Scout because we both have been outgrown by a sibling. Jem is outgrowing Scout. As Jem gets older he becomes more mature. Jem does not want to do the same stuff that they used to do. Jem’s friends are an influence to why Jem does not want to play with Scout as much. He could see his friends and realize that they have become more mature and want to be like them. For example, when Dill came to Maycomb he started to exclude Scout and just hung out with Dill. He might have realized that what he was doing with Scout was childish and that he needs to do more adult activities. Jem was sitting at the adult table during their Christmas meal, this is an example of Jem becoming more mature. Atticus could also be an influence to Jem outgrowing
Most would argue that Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is an uplifting story about hope and youth. In reality, it is a sad story about two children, Jem and Scout, losing their innocence through treacherous life experience. To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming of age story about childhood in the deep south during the great depression. It speaks about the concepts of racism, innocence and justice as the protagonists, Scout and Jem, struggle with coming of age. The Finch children lose their innocence throughout the book in many ways, such as being involved with the trial, the lynch mob, and Bob Ewell's death. At it’s core, TKAM is a story about youth, and the loss thereof. When Scout and Jem are involved in the lynch mob, they lose their
“Maturity is the ability to think, speak and act your feelings within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations.” is a quote from Samuel Ullman. This describes the struggles that Jem went through by taking part in the community and trial and by also taking the risk of losing some of his friends and family in Harper Lee’s, To Kill a Mockingbird. Through Jem’s interaction with the racism of Maycomb, he became aware of the things around him. We all learn that it takes a strong person to overcome the barriers of society.
When children grow up, they face difficult problems, and. they learn to cope and take responsibility. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a flashback about two kids that spans over a few years. Jem ages from ten to thirteen over the course of the novel, and undergoes much change, as his sister describes him. Over the years, he is exposed to issues adults face, and eventually shows an understanding of racism and innocence. As Jem grows up, his view on courage also changes. Jem follows his father's footsteps, and gets much of his knowledge from him.
Jem and Scout both lose their childhood innocence after witnessing Tom Robinson becoming a victim in a racial injustice. They see that he is wrongly convicted of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell. Jem believes that there is no way that Atticus can lose the case, however she must take into consideration that there is no evidence in the Ewells' conflicting testimonies, but Atticus fails to consider the jury's racial bias. Judge Taylor reads the verdict which is guilty and hence Jem bursts into tears repeatedly saying, "It ain’t right" to his father on the way home, (pg. 215). Following his loss of innocence, Jem becomes judgemental about the prejudice his hometown has and tells Miss Maudie, "It’s like bein‘ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is..I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like,"(Pg, 219). Scout begins to notice the unfair racism throughout Maycomb for the first time. Overall, both siblings lose their childhood innocence after first hand witnessing racial injustice in
First of all, Scout allows the reader to focus more on the exterior of situations. Children tend to experience things differently from others. Events that take place in society may be of great importance to adults and mean nothing to children. Things of importance differ between children and adults. But sometimes, a child’s perspective may be the best way to look at things. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the whole town was talking about Tom Robinson’s trial, especially since he was African American and Atticus, a white man, was to be his lawyer. According to reviewer Edwin Bruell in Racism in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, “[To Kill A] Mockingbird, he tells us, is about the townspeople, not about Robinson” (Mancini 101)....
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.”
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...