The dictionary definition of the word “justice” expounds upon righteousness; however, the consequences given to some is anything but right. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, stresses upon the corruptness of society’s version of impartiality. Only a handful of the characters in her story truly understand the means of which justice should be dealt and who in fact deserves it. In her novel, Lee accentuates the use of conflict and the symbol of the mockingbird to establish the notion that justice is as corrupt as those who deal it.
Tom Robinson’s trial is Lee’s choice of conflict that develops the corruptness of the court case and how it affects innocent people. Even going into this case, Atticus is almost certain that he will not
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In the first part of the novel, Atticus tells Scout and Jem that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie later explains why it’s a sin: “they don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” (75). This reason reflects on the innocence of the individuals who deserve to be given true equality for their righteousness. No society or entity should be permitted to shoot down one who has committed no crime or one who is, in a sense, a mockingbird. This principle comes into play later for Atticus when he is appointed to be the defense lawyer for Tom Robinson. Many member of Maycomb believe it is foolish for him to accept the case but Atticus tells Scout that the case is “something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience-Scout I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man” (87). The fact the Atticus does not want anyone else to have the case establishes his belief he is one of the only noble people who would truly fight for the justice that Tom deserves. Atticus wants Scout to know that his conscience is telling him to do the case and that he would not be able to live with himself if he let another person brush over the case with a corrupted mind. After Tom is convicted guilty, it appears that only a few of Maycomb’s residents view it as an act of injustice. However, Jem Finch is one of the few that are upset and he cannot seem to comprehend the fact that many adults do not see the fault in the jury’s conviction. When Jem asks Atticus about the jury’s verdict, his father tells him that, “they’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it- seems that only children weep” (180). This response is a reference to Atticus’s earlier declaration that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.
In chapter 10 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, an allegory for racism, prejudice, and injustice is created through the mad dog Tim Johnson as he wanders through the small southern town of Maycomb to find a place to die. The mad dog's physical descriptions, his death by Atticus's gun, and his disposal after death all combine to shape him to be a symbol for the injustice and racism that occurred during the Great Depression. Tim Johnson plays a pivotal part in Lee's narrative and portrays the story's central themes of justice and morality.
Harper Lee sheds light upon the controversy of racism and justice in his classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The notion of equality in accordance to the law and the pursuit of justice are hindered by racial discrimination. The essential essence of human nature is pondered. Are we inclined to be good or in the wrath of evil? The novel reflects on the contrasting nature of appearance versus reality.
Atticus Finch shows, in many ways, the true definition of a hero, but no situation was more important than the Tom Robinson trial. In Maycomb, the thought of taking a negro’s word instead of a white man’s was ridiculous to the citizens, especially over a matter as serious as a black man raping a white woman. Regardless of this information, Atticus still takes on Tom Robinson’s case and tries to make as big of a difference as possible. When Scout asks him if he thinks that he will win the case, Atticus subtly replies “No, honey” (76). Atticus goes on to explain, “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try and win” (76). Basically, Atticus believes that just because it is unlikely that he will win, it does not mean that he should just give up without trying. Throughout all the discrimination, Atticus remains tough and tries to achieve his goal, no matter how hard it is. This was an example of moral courage. Even Scout knows how hard her father is trying by comparing Atticus’ efforts to “watching Atticus walk down the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but...
In the book To Kill a Mockingbird, many things are repeated and emphasized. Harper Lee does this for a reason, she wants her readers to centralize their thoughts on certain themes. After reading and analyzing this novel, we discovered that the theme of “justice and injustice” was the most relevant theme. Many scenarios in this book, such as death, the court system, racism, and the Finch children depict this. Harper Lee uses this plot so her readers understand the difference between justice and injustice, and its consequences.
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.
Although the dedication of Mr. Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, even though it turned out against his favor due to an absence of evidence and a debauched court hearing. This court hearing makes readers question whether or not the justice system of that era was fair and in retrospect, a good question is whether or not our justice system today is fair and lawful. If you think that a false conviction was unfair, Tom is eventually killed for his false conviction under a faulty justice system. To me the sense of justice and fairness seems to be completely violated and bigoted.
Tom Robinson is a virtuous and warm-hearted African American who works very hard to raise his own wife and kids everyday. He is reported that he hurts a white woman and takes advantage on her.Atticus was appointed by the court to defend Tom.Because of that, a lot of kids laugh at Scout and Jem so Jem and Scout do not really understand Atticus about why he wants to do this. As they are confused about their father’s choice, Atticus told Scout that this case is the one that he had to argue with, not because of the appointment, instead, he wanted to preserve the justice and truth. As the case going on, Jem and Scout are very excited and they all supply their father. When the judge finished and Scout lost the case, and Jem feels really upset too. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd.” (243 Lee)As a kid, Jem not only thinks about his own thing, he also cares about Atticus’ case, he feels down when Atticus fail, this is the most obvious evidence of Jem’s growth and his admiration on
To Kill A Mockingbird takes place during the 1930’s, a time of economic slump and despair. During this time, especially in Alabama, racism was copious. Naturally, Maycomb landed into the racist manifest. The town abhorred Atticus Finch for his acts of defending Tom Robinson. The immensity of the prejudice is so abundant, no one would dare go against what is politically correct. Unless, of course, equipped with enough moral courage. Harper Lee illustrates that Atticus is a man with an immense amount of courage and sense of justice. Atticus Finch proves to us how the defeat of prejudice is possible with moral courage. Atticus is very aware “[Tom Robinson] [will] face the chair, but not until the truth’s told” (195). Atticus refuses to allow a man, so clearly innocent, to face the chair without the unpardonable truth being told. It is prominent that black people face extreme prejudice and racism, and due to this are convicted much faster. Atticus’ moral courage to defend Tom Robinson made the decision last so long, that Judge Taylor fell “sound asleep” (280). The jury took roughly 6 hours to inescapably convict Tom guilty. The tremendous amount of time it took to convict Tom Robinson made Atticus think “ this may be the shadow of a beginning. That jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, maybe, but usually it takes ‘em just a few minutes” (297). Atticus states that maybe things are different, now. Maybe all the evidence against Tom being able to commit the crime was taken into consideration rather than solely the fact that he is black. Atticus’ moral courage defeated the prejudice for a short period of tim , but a period of time nonetheless. If perhaps, the jury had as much moral courage as Atticus, then they would speak up for what is true. Another instance where moral courage oversteps prejudice is when Boo Radley, the Finch’s
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.
In this world, everyone has an equal right; however, many people are getting falsely accused of acts they did not commit even though they are innocent. Mockingbirds, one of the most innocent birds, sing their heart out for people to enjoy, however, they getting killed every day. In this novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, there are many racial prejudices going on. Finches stand near the top of the social hierarchy, with Cunningham and Ewells underneath. Black community in Maycomb is even below the Ewells, even if they were a hard worker; they were not treated equally. The “mockingbirds” represents the idea of innocence, so killing a mockingbird is to destroy innocence. Throughout the book, many characters are considered a mockingbird. Three examples are Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, and Mr. Dolphus Raymond. Those three characters are innocent; they are kind and were never harmful to others. However, they were destroyed through contact of evil. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the mockingbirds symbolizes the idea of innocence, and Tom, Boo, and Mr. Raymond are considered one of it.
Fairness of Justice System in To Kill a Mockingbird In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, there was an anticipation guide statement that was very imminent throughout the story; especially during the court trial. The guide statement is “under our justice system , all citizens must be treated fairly in our courts of law”. My stance on this statement, personally, is that I totally agree.
People are responsible for acting according to their conscience. The justice system was created in order to be our aid in making moral and ethical decisions, but when the Justice system fails, we should still be able to follow our conscience to make the right the decision. In Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” one of the characters, Atticus Finch, helps not only characters in the book, but the readers, understand that the legal system does not always serve justice, in fact, the legal system only is as moral and just as the community it serves. In the town of Maycomb, just like many towns in the American south during the 1930s, racism as a personal feeling and racism as a cultural, legal, and economic institution are practically one
“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.
Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus demonstrates himself as a loyal, humble man towards his family and especially towards Tom Robinson. Atticus respects and desires for everyone to be treated equally, no matter the color of their skin, thus he remains loyal to Tom since he believes that Tom deserves a fair trial. When Atticus tells Scout that “the main reason is, if I didn’t defend Tom I couldn’t hold my head in town, I couldn’t represent the country in legislature, I couldn’t tell you or Jem not to do something again” (86), he means that if he does not defend and show loyalty to Tom, he will have not stood up for true justice and equality, thus shaming himself forever. Therefore, even when faced with so much opposition, Atticus continues to stick up for Tom because he wants to promote and uphold justice and fairness for all to