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To Kill a Mockingbird: Vengeance and Justice For this assignment, we will discuss the relationship between vengeance and justice in the movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird.” We will then argue for or against the acceptability of personal vengeance, using the events portrayed in the movie, as the main source of evidence and/ or examples. We will answer the questions, how does revenge fit into your understanding of justice? What makes revenge worth the consequences for society and the legal system? We will conclude with a discussion on my reflection, as to what decisions I would have made, if placed in the same situations described in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Would the decisions made been as those made by the characters? Why, or why not? To get a …show more content…
In my fifty plus years here on earth, I cannot recall anything-good coming out of personal revenge. It breeds hatred, animosity, lies, and even death, as was the case in my movie “To kill a Mockingbird.” Vengeance reared its ugly head, innocently in the beginning, as told by Tom Robinson, played by Brock Peters, sitting in a courtroom on charges of raping Mayella, a white woman. Tom’s lawyer Atticus, played by Gregory Peck, asked Tom to tell his account of what happened that day from the witness stand. Tom told how he had to pass Miss Mayell’s house everyday as he went to and from the fields. He said that he knew her, and always tipped his hat as he went by. One day she invited him inside the fence, and asked him to bust up a dresser for kindling. She then …show more content…
When Mr. Ewell found out that Atticus, a very prominent lawyer in town was representing Tom, he was livid. How dare he represent a black man, and then on top of that take the word of this black man against him, a white man. This set into motion Mr. Ewell and his daughter Mayella revenge attack on Atticus and Tom. These two were so deeply invested in this fabricated lie the town’s people were willing to take justice in their own hands and hang Tom without a trial. This would be Mr. Ewell sweet personal revenge if he could hang Tom before morning. He refused to look bad in front of the town, and had to save his daughters reputation. That plot was foiled when Atticus got wind of it and guarded the jail all night (Mulligan,
Harper Lee wrote, “when Atticus turned away from Mayella he looked like his stomach hurt.” during the trial. Chapter 18: People tried to force their way into prison and kill Tom Robinson. A group of white men, including Mr Cunningham, really wanted him killed as the town believed the ‘white family’. They chose the Ewells over Tom Robinson because he is black.
Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson in a court trial. Tom was a black man that was being incriminated for allegedly raping Mayella Ewell (Lee 86). Her father, Bob Ewell, accused Tom
Guilty! Despite all evidence Atticus shows in court to prove that Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a 19 year-old girl is innocent in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the jury has found Tom responsible for committing this act against Robert Ewell’s daughter, Mayella Ewell. However, it is never said why they thought Tom was guilty, and how their bias influenced their judgement. In addition, both Tom’s mistake while being cross-examined and Mayella’s emotional reaction further convinced the jury of Tom’s guilt ignoring the overwhelming proof of innocence presented by Atticus.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:28
He, as in the case of Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch, becomes a victim of the judicial system. Flaws come to light in the judicial system during the trial of Tom Robinson when the jury silently convicts the defendant guilty before the trial begins. Then Mr. Underwood 's meaning became clear: 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” (241). The overwhelming amount of prejudice present in the South during this period ensured an unfair outcome in the trial of Tom Robinson. Coming in with prejudices and stereotypes meant that the actual trial showed little to no purpose; the jury had already made their decision as to the guilt of Tom. Such a system as this takes people’s fears and biases and fashions weapons to slaughter the accused. Despite his own awareness, Judge John Taylor watches helplessly as the jury convicts an innocent man. Racism becomes judge, jury, and executioner for both Atticus and Tom as well, foiling Atticus’ chances at freeing Tom and Tom’s own chances at returning home to his family. These confines of the legal system prevent the Judge from doing what he knows in his heart is right and bind him tightly with laws of
Tom was very confused when he was accused of this incident because he had never been anything more to Mayella Ewell than an acquaintance. “The older you grow the more of it you’ll see. The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box”(Lee 220). This is how Atticus described the trial to his son Jem because he could not comprehend how unjust the trial was unfolding on a daily basis. The proceedings were not equitable towards Tom Robinson because everyone should have realized at the trial that he had not done anything wrong. In the end, Atticus lost the trial. Not because the jury and judge thought Tom Robinson had committed the crime, but simply because he was black and they were racist. Tom was sent to jail for doing absolutely nothing wrong, except being black. He never had the luxury to grow into old age, as his life was taken from him when he was shot seventeen times during his attempt to escape from jail. Tom Robinson’s life would have been completely different if he had not been black. The discrimination would not have occurred and the accusations would not have been leveled or
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Bob Ewell tries to get his own justice in the form of revenge against a family, the Finches, who have proven him wrong in front of their entire town. On account of this revenge, Mr. Ewell uncovers that his search and understanding of vengeance are done in an unjust way. In association with one of these attempts for revenge, Bob Ewell shows the true theme of the story - that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
In the novel, one of the main characters is the father of the narrator, Atticus Finch. He is portrayed as a just character with common social grace. As the novel develops, Atticus begins to portray courage and sacrifice that goes against all common propriety. The beginning of his bravery is defined by the offering of his services to a local African American man, Tom Robinson, something unheard of in 1930’s southern Alabama. Robinson gained much prominence during the trial, due to the accusations against him paired with his ethnicity. The entire town was aware of the accusations made by the plaintiff, Bob Ewell. Ewell stated that Robinson deliberately took advantage of Ewell’s nineteen-year-old daughter. Mayella Ewell states in court, "I got somethin' to say an' then I ain't gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you fine fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards, stinkin' cowards, the lot of you”. Though Ewell’s daughter knows she is lying, she allows everyone to go on with the outrage toward Robinson, to leave...
For many, Atticus is a beacon of justice however, he embodies forgiveness in its purest form. His character shows that justice is not elusive of compassion, but rather that through the pursuit of justice one can obtain forgiveness. “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial… So if spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s something I’ll
The first character to discuss is Tom Robinson, he was accused of raping and beating Mayella Ewell. Atticus gave the jury much proof of why Tom Robinson was innocent while the opposing case was lacking proof,
Even after Atticus's obvious and clever points, Tom still gets convicted and tried back into prison, even though Atticus perfectly showed that he was innocent and had done nothing wrong, giving the Ewell's humiliation on their lies. Both of them being confident of their father winning over the case, boiling up another anger inside them, though this time not acting out on anyone or doing anything like in previous times. Later on Tom dies from getting shot since he had been trying to escape, and gotten very close until they repeatedly fired the gun into the colored man. Though Atticus may have obviously lost this case, he was still proud to provide an example of his beliefs in
“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.
We provide. leverage.” (Leverage) The characters do not follow the regular legal path in their pursuits for justice, instead they operate under the belief that their actions are morally justifiable due to their well-meaning intentions. This raises the question of whether revenge can ever be justified, and if so, on what grounds can it be justified?
"The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells'. The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn't. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells,'" Atticus solemnly explains this to his brother. First of all, Atticus demonstrates courage when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. Atticus knows he won't win the case and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine, he is "licked" before he begins. Nevertheless, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will. Atticus's strong sense of morality and justice motivates him to defend Tom with vigor and determination, giving it all he's got with one mission in mind. He wants the people of Maycomb town, whether they believe it or not, to hear the truth about Tom, "That boy might go to the chair, but he's not going till the truth's told"
Everybody in the town of Maycomb looks down on Atticus because he is defending a black man in court. All evidence in the case shows Tom Robinson innocent, but he is still charged guilty because of the all white jury. The actual rapist was Mayella's father. In the end of the book, Tom is shot so that he wouldn't be found innocent.