In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County in the late 1930s, where characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will experience prejudice Maycomb brings during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin, and class. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and they all contribute to how events play out in the small town. Many of those in Maycomb face and express sexism, racial discrimination, and classism their whole lives. This disables the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley’s isolation from the Maycomb county, Tom Robinson’s black skin colour, and Atticus …show more content…
Due to this, he is being falsely accused of raping a white woman and is automatically set to be found guilty due to the colour of his skin.“ ‘It couldn’t be worse, Jack. The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells’. 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’...” (100), here, Atticus knows even if everyone knows Tom is innocent and Tom’s opponent is white trash and ignorant, everyone understand that he will suffer racial discrimination and will be labelled guilty no matter the proof. Racial segregation will be the main factor as to why no one will choose a black man’s side over a white’s. No matter how much evidence there is, the mindset on blacks in Maycomb is nearly impossible to discard. “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (276), it is no surprise when Tom tries to escape the prison and dies doing so, because everyone knew there was no hope for him once a white accuses him. The prejudice against those with black skin leads to injustice such as Tom Robinson’s case which unfortunately ended as people expected, him losing the case. Tom, being born black, already faces racial prejudice which …show more content…
Though people are fond of Atticus himself, his decision to aim for Tom Robinson’s justice causes discomfort, “ ‘Lemme tell you somethin’ now, Billy’ a third said, ‘you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.’ ‘Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That’s what I don’t like about it” (186). The quote exposes that everyone understand the fact that he is assigned to the case but do not understand as to why he is so intent on proving a black man’s innocence. Since Atticus exceedingly expresses his thought on Tim’s innocence and involves so much of himself in the case with a black person, he obtains negative feedback and gets called a nigger-lover. “Grandma says it’s bad enough he lets you all run wild, but now he’s turned out a nigger-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’” (94), even Atticus’ family does not support his decision on taking the case. Atticus’ family shames him because they believe his case will cripple the family’s reputation and taint the family name. This reveals how racist people get when it involves black people, that if a white person has anything to do with a black person, they receive the nickname “nigger-lover”. Atticus and his family struggles with the racism as everyone talks about how personally involved Atticus is. Thus proving the prejudice against blacks
1. A young girl named Scout lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her older brother Jem, and her father Atticus. Atticus, a lawyer, takes on a rape case concerning a Negro named Tom Robinson and a white woman named Mayella Ewell, as Tom’s defense. Many of Maycomb’s residents didn’t appreciate Atticus representing a Negro and Atticus was, as their cousin Francis put it “Nothin’ but a nigger-lover!” (Lee 83).
In a society like Maycomb’s, rude and distrustful white people, like Bob Ewell, could easily have an advantage over African Americans simply because of the way the social pyramid is laid out. On page 101, Atticus and Scout discussed the future of the case, “‘Atticus, are we going to win it?’ ‘No, honey.’” The fact that Atticus was actually positive that he would not win the case, shows that the society truly believed that Tom Robinson actually raped Mayella Ewell, even without any information or evidence.
Atticus Finch is a well respected lawyer in Maycomb County. However, many individuals in the community turn their back on Atticus when he plans to defend an African American man, Tom Robinson, in court. Taking place in Alabama during the 1930s, “To Kill A Mockingbird” accurately portrays the hostile environment for
Atticus is appointed a case by Judge Taylor to defend a black man named Tom Robinson who has been accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of the racism and prejudice against black people, he believes that he will not win this case and could risk the life of Tom Robinson. Because of this case, Scout gets bullied by Francis about how his dad is defending a black man, Atticus later talks to Scout about how “[Tom Robinson] lives in [a] settlement behind the town dump….there’s been some high talk around the town to the effect that I shouldn’t do much about defending this man” (Lee 86). Atticus knows that something bad can happen to him if he were to defend Tom Robinson but still does so because he has the courage to do it. After the trial had ended, Atticus was waiting for news but he did not expect something so terrible and heartbreaking, Tom Robinson, unfortunately, died after being shot several times.
An old town, and a tired one at that, it’s a town where the respect of others is valued above the dollar, a place where your ancestors dictated who you were, a place embedded in the Southern way of living. The result of this mentality is racism, where Negroes wouldn't dare breathe the same air as a white person, but rising above the racism and societally enforced norms are Atticus Finch. Atticus takes no heed of colour so when Tom robinson’s (a coloured man had been accused of raping a white woman, Miss. Mayella Ewell) case came around he snapped at the opportunity to defend a man he believed innocent.
Maycomb refuses to accept Tom Robinson’s innocence and instead uses him as a scapegoat to protect the Ewell’s pride and to justify blaming him for Mayella’s circumstances which preserves Maycomb’s power over the African American community. Maycomb’s inability to believe Tom’s innocence is because his case is a “black man’s word against the Ewells” and “the jury [can’t] possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s word” because Maycomb deems ignorant, uneducated white people, like the Ewells, as more respectable, valuable, and trustworthy than black people (88, 108). Tom’s case demonstrates how Maycomb sees African Americans as expendable because of deep-rooted prejudices. Maycomb chooses to condemn a black man to death over damaging Mr. Ewell’s pride. Maycomb attempts to rationalize this verdict with stigmas about black people, falling back on their ingrained prejudices.
Atticus also takes on defending an African American. Not many people would do this back then people they were racist and rude. When Atticus took on this case he knew that they didn’t have a shot at winning, but he took it on anyway because he knew it was the right thing to do. The town was rude and disrespectful to Atticus, but Atticus never backed down. Atticus also did his best to defend Tom and overall with all the evidence Tom should not have been guilty.
During 1960 when this book was written racism was still a thing if you were black you would be discriminated. Tom Robinson was accused of raping and beating a white women Mayella Ewell. He is put on trial and Atticus has taken action and defend him, but he knew that Tom Robinson would have a slim chance of winning because of the jury. The Jury had racial views against Tom Robinson. “The jury couldn’t possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson’s against the Ewells”(Chapter 9).
The only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells‘. 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’—” (Lee 117). Every adult in Maycomb, who knows the ways of the town, knows that Tom has absolutely no chance of winning. The hate, and peer pressure to hate, is rooted to deep into the minds of the citizens, that they know the outcome even before the
In our society, innocent people, known as mockingbirds, experience prejudice in their lives. A/T: In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Background: Tom Robinson is a black person who’s was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell which he has never done. For this reason, Atticus Finch was appointed to be his lawyer. As a result, Atticus takes a stand for him by approving his case and standing up for him, but Tom was still found guilty.
When Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell everyone in Maycomb was for the side of Bob Ewell and Mayella, The white people always put their word before a black man's word. This means that Tom Robinson had no chance, but Atticus believes Tom’s word and believes in equality between white and black people. When
In To Kill a Mockingbird prejudice in Maycomb is terrible. There are two major people in To Kill A Mockingbird that are prejudged severely. Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the two main people who are prejudged. There is also one other man who prejudged, Atticus Finch. All three of these men are mockingbirds.
In the South of the United States in the 1930´s, the justice system was very unfair towards colored people. Colored people that were sent to court could not receive a fair trial because of the prejudice and racism from the jury. This happened all the time, especially in Maycomb Alabama. In the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a colored man named Tom Robinson was convicted of assaulting a white woman just because of the color of his skin. Tom Robinson should have been found not guilty for many reasons.
Why did Atticus defend a black man? Justice and being given the chance of a fair trial. Atticus Finch believed that everyone, black or white should be given the chance, to be proven not guilty. Even though some people thought Atticus was wrong in defending Tom Robinson, Atticus knew it was right to defend Tom because he knew everyone deserved a fair trial.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee teaches us about the town of Maycomb County during the late 1930s, where the characters live in isolation and victimization. Through the perspective of a young Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, readers will witness the prejudice that Maycomb produces during times where people face judgement through age, gender, skin colour, and class, their whole lives. Different types of prejudice are present throughout the story and each contribute to how events play out in the small town of Maycomb. Consequently, socially disabling the people who fall victim from living their life comfortably in peace. Boo Radley and his isolation from Maycomb County, the racial aspects of Tom Robinson, and the decision Atticus Finch makes as a lawyer, to defend a black man has all made them fall in the hands of Maycomb’s prejudice ways.