To Kill A Mockingbird Values Essay

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In the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, values and morals make up the decisions of the community. It is important to have personal values instead of following community values when personal responsibility is tested. Individual values are shown when Atticus must go against the town to defend Tom Robinson, personal values of a group is also shown when the Black Church is compared to the White Church and how Scout and Jem grow up with different values than the other kids in the community. People in Maycomb value the social hierarchy well Atticus, who is still a member of the Maycomb community, has values that do not rely on the same scale. The hierarchy scale greatly influences the values within Maycomb, with this scale they are able to judge one …show more content…

Atticus has a different set of values that do not rely on the same social scale as he accepts people no matter their family background or skin tone. As the trial for Tom Robinson is coming up in part two, Jem starts to take an interest. After asking if Tom could win the case, Atticus replies with, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man, the white man always wins” (Lee 295). Tom is destined to lose the case even if he is innocent because Bob Ewell stated he did rape his daughter and is guilty. Bob Ewell, besides the fact he is below the homeless and can not be trusted, will still have the community fall into his favour because Tom Robinson is a black man which means they have less respect even when it comes to the law. This Shows how much Maycomb values come into effect when they will not let a black man who is at the bottom, also below Bob, of the scale have a fair chance in court. On the other hand, Atticus has different values then the community if Maycomb as he plans to defend Tom when he is called on. Atticus adds on to his explanation of why he and Tom will lose the case by adding his own opinion. Well explaining to Jem, Atticus says, “as you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something

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