Who Is Tom Robinson Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

Maycomb’s Mockingbird: Tom Robinson Tom Robinson is arguably the greatest example of a “mockingbird” in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird because he never intentionally caused harm, faced a biased community, and died a guilty, forgotten man. Atticus claims mockingbirds are different from other birds by saying “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Harper Lee 103) Figuratively, this means the innocent, in this case Tom Robinson, do not deserve suffering.

Mr. Robinson never intentionally caused harm to others. One day, Tom noticed a young, white woman named Mayella needed his help and enters the Ewell house. Mayella makes advances on him while her father walks in. Her father, Bob Ewell, becomes furious but Tom runs away before Bob could hurt him. The Ewells decided to bring the issue to court by accusing Tom Robinson of rape. Later in court, it is discussed that Tom runs away. He makes a valid point that any black man would be convicted and he was scared. Tom pled “Like I says before, it weren't safe for any ni**** to be in a--fix like that. . . I's scared

Tom is a black man living in Alabama during the 1930s. Long before his trial, he faces prejudice for simply being a successful, working family-man. While Tom was court, it was so far fetched to the jury for a black man to be innocent, that they overlooked the fact he was missing his left hand. Mayella Ewell’s bruises were on the right side of her face, therefore her abuser is left-handed. Scout narrates “Atticus was trying to show… that Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. …If her right eye was blacked and she was beaten mostly on the right side of the face, it would tend to show that a left-handed person did it.” (Harper Lee 192 ) Bob Ewell had a known history of abusing Mayella but Tom was still convicted. In Maycomb, a white man’s word had more