Colorism In To Kill A Mockingbird

“Life is about using the whole box of crayons”(Rupaul). Some people chose not to acknowledge all of the colors in the box. Tom Robinson, a man of color did not deserve to go to jail for actions he never committed. Robinson was doubted and put down by the rest of his community for the color of his skin. One man, Atticus Finch, had hope for him, this man sacrificed his own life along with his children’s to prove a point. In Harper Lee’s coming-of-age story, To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was mistakenly accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Robinson was later to be found guilty of raping Mayella Ewell. He was found guilty because justice isn’t blind. The courtroom is supposed to be a place where religion,

As stated in the novel, a white man's words is always won against a black man’s. "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 their resentments right into a jury box"(Chapter 23). In this case the power is in one person’s words based on the color of their skin. Through the eyes of the courtroom nobody was blinded nor equal. The color of one’s skin determined who was guilty and who was innocent. The Ewell’s were lucky enough they were white because the color of their skin was the only reason their words were able to overrule Robinson’s. Although Tom is the innocent one, there was no way of his side winning, even having one of the best lawyers, Atticus Finch. This creates an illusion because even though Atticus seemed he was going to win, with his strong points made in the courtroom, the Ewell’s were still stronger for the color of their skin. Atticus seemed to have had a lot of power because he was known as a great lawyer but even he knows there was no way of him winning the case. “Atticus said, “I just wanted to make sure, Judge,” and the judge smiled”(Lee 224). In the courtroom Atticus’s points and the way he was cross-examining created an illusion that made him seem as if he was going to win. This was also noticed by the judge as she smiled at him. The citizens with the color of white skin mind’s were corrupted. They can’t see past the color of a black man’s skin. So, no Atticus does not have power over the Ewell’s. Although Atticus is a white man, he was defending a man of color. The Ewell’s had gained power over Atticus because they were not defending a black man and Atticus was. Therefore, the illusion is Atticus being known as a great lawyer anyone can make an assumption that Robinson’s side would win and that he would have more power because of his reputation. But that is