In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the Maycomb court system is totally biased in a discriminatory way. The case of Tom Robinson, if it had not been in this court with its racist jurors, would certainly have not ended the way it did. It only ended the way it did because of peer-pressure, a scared victim being manipulated and believed, and an honest man not. Through her testimony, Mayella Ewell constantly lied.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee conveys that prejudice divides communities and that persecution of innocent people is evil; furthermore; these two minor themes reinforce the major thematic idea that a simple assumption can divide people. When Tom Robinson is put on trial for supposedly raped Mayella Ewell, the racism in Maycomb surfaces and creates conflict. In the novel, a stranger says, “You know what we want,” ‘another man said.’ “Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.”(172). Some drunken men want to harm Tom Robinson for the wrong that he did.
Mayella was white so the jury believed her more than Tom, and the obvious evidence that was given. The community of Maycomb was responsible for the imprisonment of Tom Robinson. This just shows how the color of your skin affected how people saw and treated them during this time period. Luckily today’s society strongly pushes for equality for all people which is what was the problem during this specific time period. Times have changed for the better and some things have changed for the
The significance of this event is that it emphasises to the reader that the prejudices of Maycomb were essentially a death sentence to Tom, or more figuratively to the black community as a whole, long before the Ewell’s ever screamed rape. In the end, not even Atticus’ stirring defence of Tom is enough for the white community to abandon their prejudices. Scout realises the frivolousness of the trial whilst reading Mr Underwood’s editorial - no matter how astounding of a
The racist community and jury were the reason for the outcome of the trial. Not only were they racist, but Maycomb treated Tom Robinson with a lot of disrespect. The way Tom Robinson was treated in Maycomb was unfair and another reason for his situation. On page 229, Dolphus Raymond says “Cry about the simple hell people give other people without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks.
At one point in the story a mob attempts to get rid of Tom, but Scout, Atticus’ daughter, made it stop. Mostly every white resident of Maycomb was against Atticus. The story behind the crime was that Tom Robinson was helping out at the Ewell house when he
The trial of Tom Robinson shows just how ignorant the general population of Maycomb is. Atticus, Tom’s lawyer bombards the courtroom with obvious evidence against Bob and Mayella Ewell’s case and Tom is still charged guilty. It’s really important because it shows that even if there’s an obvious right and wrong, people will still follow the wrong as it’s easier not to go against the grain. “Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: 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.” (245).
"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying resentments right into a jury box. " By seeing Tom through the lense of their own ignorance, resentments, prejudices, and opinions, Tom faced a trial in which he could not win, no matter how strongly the evidence proved his innocence. The inherent racism of Maycomb's society prevented the existence of a fair trial for any person whose skin was not
In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the story is set in the 1900’s, Maycomb, Alabama. During this time there was racism in the south and segregation which separated the whites and blacks from everything. There was also the Great Depression, the whole country was poor and people living in the country had to trade and do other jobs for people to either pay them off or to buy something from them. The trial in this book is about Mayella and Bob Ewell, two white people, claiming and arguing that Tom Robinson, a black person, raped Mayella Ewell. This trial is really important because at that time in the south, white people took advantage of black people and their kindness and thought they would take that or shut up just because they were black.
For instance, Tom Robinson was convicted of a crime, even though all odds were in his favor. This shows that the people in Maycomb do not care about what is right, but rather the color of a person's skin. On page 267, Scout says, “Calpurnia said Atticus told her that the day they took Tom to prison he just gave up hope. She said Atticus tried to explain things to him, and that he must do his best not to lose hope because Atticus was doing his best to get him free” (Lee 267). To explain, Tom was tired of putting his faith in the court system.
It was up to the jury to decide if Tom was innocent, but to Maycomb’s turmoil, Tom was “‘Guilty… guilty… guilty… guilty…’” (Lee 112). This demonstrates that even though it was evident Tom was innocent, it had been his skin color which cost him to lose in court. In all of Maycomb history, a black man has always been convicted guilty. Tom was certainly not the first black man to be unfairly convicted and he will not be the last either.
The courtroom scenes show how ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a coming-of-age novel which I believe teaches young children and readers how extreme racism could be in the 1930’s-1940’s, but it also educates them on how racism is still very much real in the world
During the 1930s the south was still raging with racism, and the thought of a black man raping a white woman lead to no further investigation whether it was true or false, he was simply sentenced to death. Atticus Finch, Toms adept lawyer, believed Soulfly in equality and justice for all and was more than happy to defend Tom Robinson with all his heart no matter his race. The Finch family felt very different than the majority of people in Maycomb Alabama. When Tom Robinson has accused the entirety of the town flocked to the courthouse to view the trial. Some with hopes for justice and liberty but most unapologetically hoping for an unfair sentence.
Racism is so prevalent in Maycomb that the town was ready to convict an innocent man based on his skin color. Mr. Ewell accused Tom Robinson of raping his daughter and beating her. Although the Ewells are the lowest class in Maycomb, that was not even an issue next to a black man supposedly committing a crime against a white girl. If a white man raped his daughter it wouldn’t have been made as public but because it involved a colored man it is unforgivable. Without even seeing or hearing the evidence, the townspeople believe that Tom Robinson is guilty, all based off the accusations of one man and his daughter.
Because the jury did not favor black men, Tom Robinson did not receive a fair trial, although Atticus made a great case. Segregation directly disobeys the fourteenth amendment, “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.” Maycomb Alabama is where the story, To Kill a Mockingbird takes place. Tom Robinson’s trial out come was not based on factual evidence. Mayella was lying to the jury, while Tom was completely innocent.
