In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, the concept of social injustice is explored extensively throughout the story. Many of the characters and the events which take place relate directly to this theme of injustice; the Finch family was frowned upon for supporting a black man and Tom Robinson faced racism, but despite all this, the potential for positive change was also displayed. To begin with, an example of how social injustice is portrayed in the novel can be seen with how the Finch family was treated. When Atticus was appointed to defend Tom Robinson, he decided to accept the case and planned to do his best. This shocked and disgusted the people of Maycomb solely due to the fact that Tom was black. The quote "One of the idlers says, 'you know the courts …show more content…
Secondly, the biggest instance of injustice in the story is the case of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, but there was no evidence to support this claim. There was, however, plenty of evidence which pointed towards Bob Ewell as the offender. Despite it being clear that Tom Robinson was innocent, he was still convicted by the jury due to it being a black man's word against a white man's word. It was unimaginable for the people of Maycomb to see a black man above a white man, no matter the circumstance. Lastly, the story displayed the possibility of change for the better. Although it was inevitable that the Jury announced a guilty verdict, it took the Jury an extraordinarily long amount of time to come to the decision. This shows that the Jury was having a difficult time coming to a decision which would normally be made in an instance. Miss Maudie states that "...we're making a step-it's just a baby step, but it's a step". It is also pointed out that there are many people who already are against discrimination, such as Atticus and Judge
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird depicts the story of an egalitarian man living in a racially prejudiced society. In the town of Maycomb, Alabama, most people are racist towards African Americans, leaving only a few people believing that racism is unethical. Atticus Finch, a respected man, fights for the equality of a colored man in a trial. In addition, he also looks upon his children as if they were his peers. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee portrays Atticus Finch as egalitarian to establish that when one is faced with unjust circumstances, then one should overcome hindrances and do what is honorable in order to reveal oneself as respectable in society.
The dominating theme of racial discrimination is clearly evident throughout the book. Unfortunately, the society itself is the ultimate cause of such dilemma. Maycomb County is segregated into the hardworking, honest black people, and the privileged and prejudiced white people. The long hold racist attitude towards the black people are unforgiving as they have not been recognised as human beings, and are treated inhumanely. When Tom Robinson; a respectful black man is wrongfully accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, Atticus is assigned to fight for Tom in the trial. Due to Atticus being a white man ...
Social Justice There are many responsibilities and duties that one should fulfill to rid the world of social injustices and inequalities but if no one doesn’t step in then how is this issue supposed to be put to rest? In To Kill a Mockingbird, the fictional town of Maycomb County isn’t a perfect little town but one that is filled with racist, critical, and judgmental people with no morals. On the other hand, there are people like Atticus Finch who do what they believe is right. Atticus filled his responsibility for this issue by defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping Mayella Ewell. This was a pivotal moment in the book because Atticus took the case when no one else in Maycomb would because they are too afraid and racist to defend a man like Tom Robinson, an African American.
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.
A possible reason as to why the book was called “To Kill a Mockingbird” is because a mockingbird is a harmless and innocent animal. Therefore, when it is killed, peace is disturbed. In the story, Tom Robinson, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Due to this, innocence and peace have been disturbed.
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.
Racial prejudice is widespread in the county of Maycomb, and a prime example is the Tom Robinson case. Tom, a black man, was accused of raping Mayella, a white woman. Atticus puts forward all evidence from his witnesses that clearly proves Tom was innocent, Jem even says, ?and we?re gonna win Scout. I don?t see how we can?t? (pg 206), but Tom still received a ?Guilty? verdict. Atticus tried removing the prejudiced thoughts of the jurors by saying, ??the assumption - the evil assumption - that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings??. (pg 208). Atticus? saying insinuated the point that all of God?s children were created equal. To the jury, the only important thing was that Tom was black and the accuser was white, he never stood a chance under those conditions. These racial tensions between blacks and whites had made their way into the courtroom, a place where everyone should receive a fair trial no matter what race or colour, but an unjust verdict was reached. The prejudice that was felt towards Tom made him lose all hope of freedom, and as a result, he died upon an escape attempt. Tom was victim of racial prejudice and loss of hope.
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.
“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.
Were you put out of a job just of your gender or because you were not confident or strong enough like everyone else? In the 1920’s and 1930’s they had specific gender roles for men and women. Women had to cook, clean, and stay home with the kids while the men work all day. The children had to experience this at a young age to be ready for adulthood. The novel To Kill a Mockingbird have many social inequalities that occur and in our society today.
Life is not always fair for everyone. People can have advantages and opportunities immediately waiting for them, while others can have bad luck and almost no support. Some people have their fate determined simply by their: appearance, ethnicity, and how they are living their lives now, rather than how they want to live in the future. Social inequality can influence the opportunities a person has to achieve an objective in life or in a story. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, protagonist Scout observes the inevitable effects that social inequality has on lives through the members of her community.
In the Hurwitz and Peffley reading, the findings conclude that whites are generally ignorant about the injustices in the CJS towards the black community. However, in To Kill A Mockingbird, the white community has total clarity about the injustices in the CJS, and considers the double standard to be fair. The shift in the white community to go from accepting an unfair justice system as a fair one to being ignorant about the injustices in the system has taken over a century to progress. However, the black community has remained consistent in its distrust in the CJS to provide them with fair trials and sentences. Why is the CJS intrinsically unfair to the black community?
This is due to the entire lead up to the court case preparing us by giving us insight to the views of the people of Maycomb and by Atticus expressing his helplessness with the case. From the very start of the book we are shown that Maycomb is a very tightly knit community that is set in its ways and quite narrow minded in some respects. At the beginning of the book when we are learning about Boo Radley, it is stated that the sheriff “hadn’t the heart the heart to put him in jail alongside the Negroes” which sets the scene and makes us aware of the unfairness and social rank very early on. Children, family, and other members of Maycomb County also call Atticus a “nigger lover” and make numerous hateful comments towards him to Scout and Jem. This makes us aware that Atticus does not have the support of the community and therefore dampens our hopes that Tom Robinson will win his case a little bit further.
Justice for most, injustice for some As Pope Paul VI once said, “If you want peace, work for justice.” As there were many struggles occurring during the time period To Kill a Mockingbird is based in, such as racism and sexism to name a few, injustice was a common thing to witness. In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird Scout Finch and Helen Robinson persevere through injustices. This injustice, however, was not fictional, as seen in America Says Thank You by Achieve3000 where the Tuskegee Airmen also face injustices that they must overcome.
Hypocrisy is as much a part of Maycomb’s society as church and community spirit. For example, Mrs. Merriweather talks about saving the poor Mruans from Africa, but she thinks black people in her community are a disgrace (p.234). The hypocrisy of this teaching is shown as soon as she mentions the word ‘persecution’. This is due to the fact that she herself is persecuting the black people of Maycomb by not raising an eyebrow at the killing of innocent black men. Furthermore, it is obvious Bob Ewell is abusive to his daughter, Mayella, and that he is the one who violated her, not Tom Robinson (p.178). Since there is such hypocrisy in Maycomb, there are excuses made for whites. The jury probably thinks that if they pronounce Tom innocent the citizens will mock them as they do to Atticus. Harper Lee uses hypocrisy to show how the people of Maycomb are so engulfed in a variety of elements that they unknowingly complete acts of unjustified discrimination.