Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

The word "justice" appears frequently in many of the United States' documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Pledge of Allegiance. According to Wikipedia, “justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, equity and fairness, as well as the administration of the law, taking into account the inalienable and inborn rights of all human beings and citizens, the right of all people and individuals to equal protection of their civil rights, without discrimination on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, and / or other characteristics" (Wikipedia). Harper Lee expands on the idea of justice in her novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.
The novel takes place during the 1930s in the town of Maycomb, at a time of racial discrimination and inequality. Tom Robinson is a kind hearted African American who is wrongly accused and convicted of raping Mayella Ewell, who is a white woman. His lawyer Atticus Finch, although white, does not back down from representing Tom Robinson in court. He already knows to expect a negative reaction from society.
Although he is a strong figure in the community, people now see Atticus as a disgrace. They believe he is bringing shame to his family, and call him a “nigger-lover”. His children, Scout and Jem, also suffer the repercussions due to their father’s actions. It is unfair for these young, innocent children to be put through such traumatic events. Atticus Finch is a good role model to his children, as well as to the community. He himself is also like a mockingbird.
Atticus Finch’s idea of justice includes protecting the innocent and those wh...

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...he justice system is not always successful. Although the idea of fairness is present, how it plays out can vary. Justice is only a moral based idea. People are bound by their own values, not a universal set of values.
Justice cannot be defined as just this one thing. Justice depends on many things, such as the society and the culture, the type of government running the country, the people living in that country, etc. A good leader has to show legitimacy in his ways of ensuring the laws are just and administered fairly. Throughout history, we have seen how the government can be unjust. An example can be the time of slavery when blacks did not have the same rights as the whites, and were treated very poorly compared to the whites. Traces of such behavior can still be seen in today's society. Therefore, while there is justice, there will always be some injustice.