In the 1960’s bus stations had to have separate waiting areas and ticket booths for whites and blacks. Blacks were forced to sit on the back of buses. Everywhere across America blacks were being segregated. Even still today after all the Jim Crow Laws are long gone, there are still many racist people and groups. In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, racism is a major problem throughout the entire novel. Dividing the town and making them choose between what's right and wrong. Atticus is chosen to be a lawyer for a black man that was accused of raping a white girl in a small town. Most white people in the town think hes doing something wrong. The black people see him as hero and show respect to him. After the trial the jury says Tom Robinson is guilty after clear evidence shows he is not. He is sentenced to death. In Alabama in the 1960’s blacks and whites went to separate churches. In To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and Scout go to Calpurnia's church and some of the people their referred to it as “Their church.” This shows how segregated the south was. …show more content…
Atticus is chosen at the beginning of the novel to be a lawyer for Tom Robinson. Atticus once told Scout “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view ...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."(Lee 85-87). Atticus is a very smart and honest man. Atticus is a lawyer and is appointed to do an almost impossible case. Atticus goes into the trial knowing Tom Robinson was going to lose. Atticus proved to everyone that Tom was innocent then he watched as they voted him guilty then send him to prison. This shows how Atticus was involved with racism in the
Atticus Finch from, To Kill a Mockingbird, is characterized as a wise man that is an exceptional father to his children and always teaches them the right perspective about life and the people around them. He was appointed to the lawyer for a black man who “raped” a white woman. This was a bold task because it was a white woman’s word against a black man’s. While Atticus took this challenge as an opportunity to really try and win this case, everyone saw it as already lost. Atticus wanted the trial to be fair and for it to be evident that Tom, the man he was defending, was innocent. He show...
"There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads—they couldn't be fair if they tried. 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 ,223). Atticus told the jury thus quote. In tough situations Atticus always has great judgement. No matter the color, Harper Lee shows Atticus's character to be the most responsible out of most, he's also one of the most important characters in the book and is greatly talked about throughout the
Atticus Finch is a lawyer and father of two children whose names are Jem and Scout. In the novel, Atticus chooses to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman, even though most of Maycomb is against Tom Robinson due to its racist time setting. He understood that racism was inhumane and innocent people must be defended no matter what race they are. Atticus holds his ground and tries his best to defend Tom Robinson in court, despite the community being against him. Atticus even reminds his children to steadfast during this time of challenge regardless of what other people tell them.
Yet he took the case with no hesitation. Atticus knows the difference between what is fair and what is true justice. He is well aware that whites and blacks have many differences with one another, but is also educated enough to know that there truly is no diversity in equity, and tries to teach everyone including his children this. ”You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view- until you climb into his skin and walk around it.(30)” Atticus is encouraging Scout to respect everyone and consider their true potential without considering false accusations in this quote. He applies what he teaches to his children to the people attending the Tom Robinson trial. Atticus is just one man, but with an unprecedented amount of sense of pride, intelligence, and justice. He reflects the image of the town’s people by showing them what they’ve allowed themselves to become based on their beliefs. He genuinely expresses their deepest consternation. In this quote he tells the audience what they are afraid to hear, but need to hear, “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man. Not an old uncle, but a strong young Negro man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards.(272)” After stating his point and releasing the profound truth Atticus causes for Mayella and Bob Ewell to lose their composure. Nevertheless people of most of the white people of Maycomb continue to refuse to believe that a white woman kissed a black man. But they undoubtedly believe that a black man with a useless left hand beat and raped an “innocent” white woman. Atticus could have predicted the outcome from before he even took the case and refused to defend Tom Robinson. But he
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...
Even though extraordinary changes have been made in the past to achieve racial equality, America is still racist, especially in schools. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is criticized for defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. During the 1930s, the time this novel took place, America was a very segregated country. At the time when Harper Lee wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird," America was fighting a civil rights movement. The events of racism in “To Kill a Mockingbird” reflect the time period.
Firstly, Atticus Finch acts justly, fairly, and always helps others who need it. One of his clients, Mr. Cunningham, pays Atticus in entailment. Scout asks her brother, Jem what the meaning of paying in entailment is, “Jem described it as a condition of having your tail in a crack … one morning Jem and I found a load of stovewood in the back yard … Mr. Cunningham had more than paid him” (Lee 20-21). Atticus believes that no one should get any disadvantages because of one’s lower financial state. He shows justice by allowing Mr. Cunningham to pay him in different sources other than money. Also, Atticus is a very wise man. He talks to his daughter with full empathy and understanding to try and help her. When Scout is complaining about her teacher’s attitude towards her, Atticus gives her great advice that, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view … until you climb into his shoes and walk around it” (30). He is teaching Scout to be just. He tells her to look at things from a different perspective and notice the difference from hers to someone else’s. Similarly, Atticus who is a white lawyer takes on a case of a black man, Tom Robinson. Therefore, Scout is made fun of for having her father d...
In To Kill A Mockingbird Lee tells the story of a Mr. Tom Robinson who is an African American who is being charged with rape against a white women. Atticus is the lawyer who must defend Robinson in court. In the Scottsboro case a central figure was a heroic judge who overturned a guilty verdict against the young men. The judge went against the public in trying to protect the rights of the African American men. In reading the novel you learn that Atticus arouses anger in the small community when he tries to defend Robinson.
In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of the most interesting and loving characters in Maycomb. He shows throughout the book what it looks like to truly be a respectable father, and an honorable man in general. Atticus stand up for the people that are persecuted for the things they cannot control, and he sees all people, regardless of skin color, as equal. He shows all of this when he represents a black man by the name of Tom Robinson in court. His love extends far off the court as well, as he is a loving father that is trying to raise his kids to be good people. Throughout the novel, it is plain to see that Atticus Finch is a noble man that will not allow himself to be tempted by a society that is filled with hate.
He believed that everyone was equal no matter what. Most of the town disapproved of Atticus’s decision to defend Tom because they didn’t want Tom to get a fair case. “.... without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up, is something I don’t pretend to understand” (Lee 117). This shows that Atticus believes that no one should be treated differently because of their race. He views everyone as a human being. Atticus is trying to teach his kids to see others as a human being and view things in others point of views. “ You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view---until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 39). He believes that in order to truly understand a person, you need to see things from their point of view. This isn’t an easy task to accomplish with the disapproval of the white town’s people, but he believes in doing the right thing even if there isn’t a good chance of winning. “ Simply because we’re licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 101). Atticus’s drive is to be a good role model for his children, as well as to defend an innocent man, despite the fact that he is a black man. His world view may be different from his fellow town folk, but it is
Lee illustrates Atticus Finch as a very understanding character, especially during the Tom Robinson trial. During the revolting times of the 1930s, it was outlandish for a white man to stand up for a Negro man. For example, when the towns’ people are talking about Atticus, they say, “You know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.” “Yeah, Atticus aims to defend him, that’s what is don’t like about it” (218). When Atticus is delegated to defend Tom Robinson, he not only defends him because he was ordered to. Atticus intentionally helped Tom and wanted Tom to win. Even though the towns’ people did not like Atticus aiming to defend Tom, he understood that it was his duty to help him. Another example is in chapter 22 when Bob Ewell spits on Atticus’s face. Atticus didn’t react intrusive because he knew that it would affect people’s outlook on the trial and on Tom. Atticus stood above the standard and helped a black man, which earned him respect from the Negro people in town. Atticus was very wholehearted when deciding to help Tom Robinson in the trial.
Atticus Finch is the most significant character, in To Kill a Mockingbird, who challenges racial prejudice as he does not follow the norms, in Maycomb, of being racially prejudice towards others. At first, Atticus Finch is reluctant to take on Tom Robinson’s case; however in the end, he willingly accepts. Unlike the majority of Maycomb residents, Atticus is not racist and makes no distinction upon race, he sees Negroes, just like Tom Robinson, as the same equality as any other person in the Maycomb community. For this reason, he believes they should be trea...
The novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee has numerous accounts of racism and prejudice throughout the entire piece. The novel is set in the 1930's, a time when racism was very prevalent. Although bigotry and segregation were pointed in majority towards blacks, other accounts towards whites were also heard of, though not as commonly. There are acts that are so discreet that you almost don't catch them, but along with those, there are blatant acts of bigotry that would never occur in our time. Lee addresses many of these feelings in her novel.
Harper Lee’s unforgettable novel To Kill A Mockingbird, illustrates the character of Atticus Finch to establish the themes of sympathy, empathy, and a symbol of the dying past. The setting of the novel takes place during the 1930’s in the small town of Maycomb County, Alabama. During the 1930’s, discrimination towards black people was heavily segregated in the south. All throughout Lee’s novel, Atticus is characterized as being empathetic towards all of the Maycomb County citizens, and encourages his children “to consider things from [other people’s] point of view.” He is appointed to defend an innocent black man on trial for accused rape of a white woman. Lee establishes the idea of injustice through Atticus’ integrity and beliefs that “all
Atticus took the case, even though he didn't believe he could beat it. He only took it because it was his job to defend and protect citizens. Calpurnia, Atticus’s maid, knows Tom Robinson well, he's a member of her church. Atticus explains to Scout that he wouldn't be much of a lawyer if he had chosen opposite, about