Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

James Baldwin once said, “It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.” In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird several individuals show the burden and weight of injustice by racism. Although they are overruled, the fight should stay strong. In the beginning Harper Lee displays racism mostly in a verbal context, and towards the end, racism is seen physically and emotionally damaging its victims. The people in the town of Maycomb are accustomed to using offensive language aganinst black people. Scout explains to Atticus how Cecil Jacobs called Atticus a “***** lover” (Lee 85) for defending Tom Robinson. Atticus tells Scout not to say that word. He says, “that's common” (Lee 85).

Scout doesn't understand the wickedness of the word Cecil used, but Atticus makes sure she doesnt use it again. He explains to her how the word is common and that they shouldn't use it just because everyone else does. It is a harmful word that discriminates against many people. The people of Maycomb do not understand that their harsh words are significantly and emotionally hurtful towards others. Despite the common use of the words for discrimination, it is crucial to not follow the crowd and to fight for the injustice. Racism is shown in a specific altercation towards the end of the novel that greatly harms many people. As Jem shares his confidence in the case with Reverend Sykes, an alarming fact is shared by him. He says, “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem. I ain’t never seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man” (Lee 238). The truth of the matter comes down to a white man’s word against a black man’s. Sadly at the time, the white man’s word would always overrule, despite the facts of the case. The people’s ignorance and racism leads them towards the biased answer. The injustice seen in Jem’s eyes is a heartbreaking matter. Reverend Sykes understands how it