The Trial in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

1127 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: theme racial and class discrimination in to kill a mockingbird

The Trial in To Kill a Mockingbird

The trial of Tom takes up a great deal of space in the novel because it gives Harper Lee a chance to do an in-depth exploration of characters and situations. The people involved in the case are Bob and Mayella Ewell, Tom Robinson and Atticus Finch. The alleged rape of Mayella by Tom allows Harper Lee to look in detail at issues of racial and social prejudice in Maycomb.

Bob Ewell is the villain of the novel and, as a result of the trial, he tries to get revenge on Atticus and his family. In the trial itself he is revealed as a very unpleasant character. We learn that he drinks and sometimes leaves his family for days, he is violent and he may even be committing incest with Mayella. Atticus establishes that he is left-handed and that Mayella was probably beaten up by a left-handed man - it seems that he, and not Tom Robinson, beat up Mayella after he saw Mayella trying to kiss Tom. Bob therefore lies during the trial and is prepared to sacrifice the life of an innocent man for the sake of his daughter's reputation. His unpleasant behaviour during the trial and his assumption that everybody will be on his side against a black man convince the reader that he is a thoroughly unpleasant character.

Mayella Ewing also lies in court but for different reasons to her father. She is the only responsible member of one of the poorest families in Maycomb. She looks after herself and her brothers and sisters and even tries to bring some beauty into their lives by growing geraniums. Her family is so poor that white people will have nothing to do with her and, at that time, it was not possible for her to be friendly with black people. Scout calls her "the loneliest person in the world". Tom Robinson passed her house every day on his way to work and, according to Scout, he was probably the only person who was ever nice to her. Tom's evidence at the trial shows that she had planned to make a pass at him for a long time. It took her nearly a year to save enough money to send all her brothers and sisters into town to get ice creams.

Show More
Related

  • Biomedical and Sociological Approach to Melanoma

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health Melanoma Treatment (PDQ) Treatment Option Overview 2012 retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/melanoma/Patient/page4

    Read More

  • The Major Differences Between Two Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet

    1694 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Major Differences Between Two Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet The major differences between the two movies Romeo and Juliet who were

    Read More

  • Comparing the Luhrmann and Zeffirelli Versions of Romeo and Juliet

    888 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparing the Luhrmann and Zeffirelli Versions of Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play by Shakespeare written in the sixteen

    Read More

  • Comparing and Contrasting Shakespeare's Play Romeo and Juliet and the Movie Version

    1971 Words  | 4 Pages

    The original drama and the 1996 movie production have more differences than similarities that can be seen in comparing them both. The scenes and the language in the movie are easier to understand than reading the play because of the modern day setting and the conversational use of Shakespeare's language. In the movie, the hatred that is held between the Montague and Capulet families and leads to the destruction of the love that is found between Romeo and Juliet is portrayed more clearly than in the play. The feud between the two families can be seen in the characters and the scenes compared in the play and the movie.

    Read More

  • Two Film Versions of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

    1333 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ended. While Zeferelli’s version held true to the way the play has been written, only to take liberties with some of the dialogue, Luhrmann set the play in modern times. With his updated version Luhrmann was able to bring Romeo and Juliet to an entirely new, and younger audience. He directed the film so that today’s teenagers could relate to it. While the language may have confused some of today’s teenagers the majority understood the story. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is a timeless, and romantic story that everyone at some point can relate to. This is not a fairytale it doesn’t have a happy ending, but it is a love story. Romeo and Juliet is a play that can be updated time and time again without ever loosing its original luster, and brilliance. I can only hope that when my children are teenagers another inspired director will bring this love story to life again.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Two Film Versions Of Romeo And Juliet

    1780 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Comparison of the Two Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet I have been studying the prologue to 'Romeo and Juliet' written by the

    Read More

  • Romeo And Juliet 1968 Vs 1996

    645 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet is about purity. That´s what Romeo and Juliet are, a story of two young teenagers, against odds, falling in love in an absolutely beautiful way. The 1996 version ruins this purity by having the two lovers die in front of each other. It takes away the feel of originality. The play didn't need extra drama, and neither should the movies. The story line involves, the non adulation of two rebellious youth who decided to fall into a perfect world. Their death is suppose to be a tragic tale, in which fate killed them. This story doesn't need the excess drama of Romeo and Juliet dying in each other's

    Read More

  • Overview of Malignant Melanoma

    909 Words  | 2 Pages

    Malignant Melanoma is a type of malignant cancer that affects the melanocytes. A melanocyte produces the pigmentation in our skin and melanin gives us the color to our skin. These cells occur in the skin and can be found in other parts of the body. It is important to realize that melanoma can begin in any part of the body that can contain a melanocyte. Melanoma is considered less common than other skin cancers. It is a cancer that can be very dangerous if not detected early. Although in most cases it is diagnosed in time and can be cured. Many people are diagnosed with this cancer and it is said that 160,000 cases are diagnosed a year. ( ). In men a common site is on their back and for a woman is on their legs.

    Read More

  • Melanoma

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first sign of melanoma is often a change in the size, shape, or color of an existing mole or the appearance of a new mole. Men most commonly develop melanoma on the trunk, particularly the back, and women on the legs or arms. Melanoma develops in a manner similar to other cancer types. A cell's DNA genes, which control cell division and reproduction, become damaged. The damaged genes cause the cell to divide and grow without control or order, eventually becoming a malignant tumor.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet Movie versus Play

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most celebrated plays in history, “Romeo and Juliet”, was written by William Shakespeare in the late 16th century. It is a story about two lovers that have to meet in secret because of an ongoing family feud. Tragically, because of their forbidden love Romeo and Juliet take their lives so they can be together. In 1997, a movie was adapted from the play “Romeo and Juliet”, directed by Baz Lurhmann. However, as alike as the movie and the play are, they are also relatively different.

    Read More

  • Adaptation Of Juliet And Baz Luhrmann's Romeo And Juliet

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    Romeo and Juliet is a play about two lovers who have to risk their lives in order to demonstrate their love and will to stay together, regardless the feud between their families. By the end, the death of Romeo and Juliet finally bring the reconciliation to these two families. It is fate that the two most shall-not meet people fall in love and it love that eventually won against hatred. Since then, there have been many different versions of Romeo and Juliet, whether it was for film, stage, musicals. These different recontextualised adaptions change the original play by many ways, some modernise the language, environment, props as well as changing the original characteristics of some characters. Out of all the different adaptions of Romeo and Juliet, two stood out the most. One was the Romeo and Juliet (1996) and directed by Baz Luhrmann and the other one was Romeo and Juliet Broadway (2013) play version,

    Read More

  • Victim or Villain? Mayella Ewell in To Kill a Mockingbird

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the major events in Harper Lee’s award-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird is Tom Robinson’s trial. It is based on the Scottsboro Case that took place in 1931 in Alabama, in which several black men were accused of raping two white women. Both the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson are unfairly judged, however, because of prejudice against colored people. The racial discrimination makes whites’ testimony more believable even when it contradicts itself. The same happens in To Kill a Mockingbird. As we delve deeper into the case and get increasingly closer to the truth, it is quite suprising to see that Mayella Ewell is the true villain rather than a victim. She shall and must bear full responsibility for her actions because she makes the decision to tempt Tom Robinson, gives false testimony in court that directly leads to Tom’s death, and has been well aware of the consequences of her behaviors.

    Read More

  • Differences Between Romeo And Juliet Play And Movie

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have people ever wondered which is better actually reading the the Romeo and Juliet play that's about true love or being lazy and watching the movie first and go off that ? There are major differences in comparison from the actual play from 1595 to the movie that was made in 1969. That Zeffirelli had chosen to changed while directing the Romeo and Juliet Movie were scenes like the balcony,the fighting, and the very end of Romeo and Juliet Scenes. Why did he do it no one really knows why he did.

    Read More

  • Romeo and Juliet: A Text to Film Comparison

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e tragic celebration of young, forbidden love told by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, has been tailored for many motion picture adaptations. The most famous of these adaptations are Franco Zeffirelli’s version and Baz Lurhmann’s film produced in 1996. These two films applied Shakespeare’s most well-known work as a basis for their motion pictures. Both films had similarities, but the differences were much more apparent. Ever since William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been debuted, it has and forever will be an artistic influence for playwrights, directors, and other artists.

    Read More

  • Skin cancer

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    Skin cancer is a disease where cancer (malignant) cells are found on the outer layer of the skin (epidermis).      The three types of cells found in the epidermis are squamous cells, basal cells, and melanocytes. These cells in time grow to be cancerous. Thus, the three types of skin cancers are squamous cell, basal cell, and melanoma. Melanoma is the most deadliest and destructive type of cancer. (“Skin Cancer” infotrac.com) The number of people with melanoma has risen in Scotland from 3.5 in 1979 to 10.6 per 100,000 in 1998 for men and 7.0 to 13.1 for women. (Miller 945) Squamous cell and Basal cell skin cancer can kill up to 2,200 people a year in the United States. (Sommerfield SIRS.com) Basal cell, being the most common type of skin cancer, is the cancer that about 75 percent of the people have. (“Skin Cancer “ infotrac.com) Melanoma is mostly seen in older men but ever since tanning came in during the 1970’s, it has increased in women 60 percent around the ages 15-29 over the past three decades.(Sommerfield SIRS.com) “And basal cell and squamous cell cancers are increasing at a rate of about 5 percent per year”(Sommerfield SIRS.com).

    Read More

More about The Trial in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Open Document