There many characters in the book “To kill a Mockingbird”. Scout’s father, Atticus Finch, is a white southern lawyer with high moral standards. Atticus Finch is appointed to defend Tom Robinson, an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus proves Tom’s innocence; the prejudice white jury’s verdict is that Tom is guilty. Jem is Scout’s older brother, who starts
Ewell being a malicious evil introduced to the children’s lives, his very presence contributed to the meaning of the story. Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, the children learn that every person is not what they seem and with every trial comes a lesson. In Chapter 10, Atticus Finch says, “‘ remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’” (119). The significance of this quote is later understood by Scout Finch; it was a sin to kill a peaceful creature that never harmed anyone. Mr. Ewell’s wrongdoings lead to the death of Tom Robinson, and later he himself was killed for his unjust actions.
“I’ve always been fascinated with the stealing of innocence. It’s the most heinous crime, and certainly a capital crime if there ever was one.”(Clint Eastwood) In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, this quote reigns true for many reasons. The book starts as a family and friend oriented community, but its true colors show when Atticus Finch takes on a black mans trial. Tempers flare throughout the county and many people end up getting hurt; physically or emotionally. This only proves that the spread of evilness can diminish any bit of innocence left in a persons mind.
Jem is shocked by the verdict: ”His [Jem’s] face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting…‘It ain’t right, Atticus,’ said Jem. ‘No son, it’s not right.’ We walked home” (p284). The inequitable judgment forces him to confront his previous morals of justice and goodness; realizing that they seldom patch up with the real world, it leaves him lost and vulnerable. Notwithstanding, he still manages to retain
Atticus is defending Tom because he was accused of rape. Atticus knew that it would take a lot of work to find a black man not guilty vs a white woman. There was a mob that showed up at the county jail where Tom Robinson was and wanted to kill him. The mob was telling Atticus to stop defending Tom and his son Jem spoke up. That made the mob mad and they picked Jem up.
“I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all the time . . . it’s because he wants to stay inside” (Lee 259). Boo
His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting” (Lee, 284). All throughout the trial, Jem was listening to every detail. He was catching every word and absorbing it, like a sponge to a dripping faucet. So when the verdict was delivered, it was clear to why he was so upset.
The evidence also proves that Jem wasn’t aware of what could happen when they planned to make Boo come out. Jem wasn’t really aware to why Boo might actually want to stay inside away from the problems of Maycomb. Another quote says, “Jem threw open the gate and sped to the side of the house, slapped it with his palm and ran back past us, not waiting to see if his foray was successful.” (18). As this evidence suggests, that Jem hadn’t yet matured and never took the time to consider why Boo Radley stayed inside. This shows that he wasn’t really mature enough and is still in the
After Jem first witnesses the racial injustice in Tom Robinsons trial, he comes to an understanding of why he thinks Boo is always inside. During the conversation between Jem and Scout, Jem says “I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time . . .
The evidence boils down to you-did-I-didn 't. The jury couldn 't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson 's word against the Ewells, '" Atticus solemnly explains this to his brother. First of all, Atticus demonstrates courage when he undertakes the task of defending Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of rape. Atticus knows he won 't win the case and like Mrs. Dubose in her battle against morphine, he is "licked" before he begins. Nevertheless, Atticus knows that Tom is innocent and that he must fight for him, since no one else will.