ipl-logo

Comparing Justice In 'The Reader And To Kill A Mockingbird'

1234 Words5 Pages

Both “The Reader” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” contain societies that struggle to change their views. Does justice prevail in these texts? In both Schlink’s “The Reader” and Mulligan’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, justice only prevails to an extent when perspectives and views begin to change. When “baby steps” are taken by society, they begin to “understand” those they feel “responsible to enlighten and accuse” leaving justice to “the courts”. In Mulligan’s film, Atticus is portrayed as a righteous, esteemed member of the Maycomb society, who can understand “anyone or anything”. His ability “to climb into [a person’s] skin and walk around in it” makes him the only one who is willing to defend a “black man” and see him as “not guilty” due to ability to go against societies “evil assumption” that “black men are bad”. Even though society …show more content…

He always treated her with respect as he believed that “all men are created equal”. During the trial of Tom, Atticus frequently went to visit Tom’s family and spent a night outside his prison to protect him from the lynch mob. This shows his empathy towards others and his willingness to protect those outcast by society, an understanding that leads to the “baby steps” taken by society to trust in “the moral integrity of the courts” and to not take justice into their own hands. In comparison, Hanna’s lawyer in “The Reader” seems disinterested in her case and does not understand her and her story. He lacks the perspective

Show More
Related
842 Words | 4 Pages

Thus, assuring the jury that, unlike the common assumption, Tom is not like “all” Negro men. Following his earlier claim, Atticus reiterates the, “truth”, being, “ Some Negroes lie… are immoral… [and] are not to be trusted around women” (232). Atticus adjusts the statement in order to reveal the real legitimacy surrounding the actions of Negro men. His frequent use of parallelism adds depth and power to his statements,furthermore generating a stronger impact on the viewpoint of the jury.

Read More
620 Words | 3 Pages

Isaiah 59:8 illustrates, "The way of peace they do not know, and there is no justice in their paths. " Clearly, Scripture recognizes the existence of flaws of the behavior in man. Injustice comes in many forms. Racism, prejudice, false judgment, and stereotyping are all skewed perceptions. These distortions spill over into behaviors and human interactions, often resulting in the suffering of the innocent.

Read More
1119 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
284 Words | 2 Pages

Disregarding The Fact That You Already Lost In the book To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee, Atticus is a father of two kids who has integrity. He is a man who stands on his own opinions even if it is against the majority of the society. Although most of the citizens in the Maycomb County are against blacks, he is willing to protect and fully give all of his power to defend Tom Robinson, a Negro who is in trial. He strongly believes that Tom is innocent and deserves to have a fair fight because “…he’s a member of Calpurnia’s church, and Cal knows his family well” (Lee 100).

Read More
2400 Words | 10 Pages

The new readers of the novel see Atticus in a positive light until they take a deep dive into “why” he does what he does. The book is from the perspective of Scout who idolizes her father and sees him as a God-like figure. Therefore, her views on Atticus are biased and she sees past the intent behind his actions. Behind the heroic front of Atticus, he truly is a selfish man protected by white privilege. The true reason he represented Tom was to receive respect and praise from both black and white communities.

Read More
546 Words | 3 Pages

The author presents this idea through irony, setting, and characterization. This book gets its point of how injustice blacks were through irony because in court you are supposed to have a fair trial. However, in the Tom Robertson case it is a social rule to always believe a white man over a black man. Atticus states “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levelers, in our courts all men are created equal.”

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

In the world there are many injustices, right now there is an injustice happening. A lot of books help show that injustice happens not always in big moments but, also in everyday moments. In the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the main theme is injustice. There are a lot of injustices, including during the Tom Robinson vs Ewells court case. Another big injustice is how the town of Maycomb treated Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

Read More
1040 Words | 5 Pages

The meaning of justice is the quality of being just, impartial, or fair. The meaning of fair is free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, justice and fairness are synonyms. Contrary to the dictionary, in today's day in age you can see the acts of being just and being fair aren’t always the same thing. You might see these two actions conflicting in your everyday life, when one kid gets longer on a test then another because of a disability they may have.

Read More
529 Words | 3 Pages

There is no doubt that injustice exists among society, and there is no doubt that they impact the society in a very negative way. However, who should take the blame for these injustices, and should children be taught to deal with these society’s unjust ways? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the protagonist Scout and her brother Jem look back at their childhood adventures that have introduced them to these deeply rooted evils in society. Scout and Jem attend an unjust trial that eventually leads to the disappointment and disillusionment of both of the young children. Jem is especially shocked as his strict morality is shattered by the evident injustice in the trials.

Read More
441 Words | 2 Pages

‘Justice always prevails’, is probably a statement many of us would like to believe. However, in a world and society where racism and all other types of discrimination exist, it is easy to become disillusioned with this belief. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem becomes disillusioned after witnessing Tom Robinson’s trial, learning the hard lesson that justice and goodness do not always win. Before Tom’s conviction, Jem’s hope in justice is highlighted when he tells Scout, “He’s just gone over the evidence… and we’re gonna win, Scout. I don’t see how we can’t”

Read More
1575 Words | 7 Pages

A Vietnam vet? Where am I going to find a Vietnam vet for this assignment? When I first learned about this interview assignment, I did not know what to write about of who to interview. Until I remembered that my grandfather name Felix Ruiz went to the Vietnam War. My grandfather was born in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico in 1938.

Read More
912 Words | 4 Pages

The main theme of the book is that fairness and justice are two virtues that are extremely hard to find. The central question, “How can a virtuous person continue to believe in these morals and not get discouraged?” is portrayed by the central characters Atticus and Scout. The deeply ingrained prejudice, that people of color cannot hope to live up to those who are “high class and white ” is explored and exposed. Sexism and class warfare are other conflicts within the story line. People in Maycomb are discriminated against because of the color of their skin, their social class and their gender.

Read More
186 Words | 1 Pages

In conclusion, we see through the text how not only does Harper Lee use characters' viewpoints to demonstrate their judgments and ideas of justice, but also through simple phrases and the conversations that follow to understand what a silly phrase has to do with anything. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Scout spends much of the book talking to different character hearing many different opinions on the case of Tom Robinson and her father taking such a case she also runs into phrases with meanings hidden between the line, she uses these opinions and the facts she knows to come to understand the case. Scout's curiosity plays an important role throughout the message of this book throughout the book is that without knowing the different sides

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Justice is the principle of fairness and what is morally right and equitable, often involving the punishment of wrongdoing and the protection of individual rights within a society. In literature, justice often refers to the moral and ethical outcomes experienced within the narrative. It involves fair treatment, the resolution of conflicts and the punishment or redemption of characters. Additionally, justice in literature can reflect broader societal issues and serve as a commentary on real world justice systems. The theme of justice is prevalent in Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill a Mockingbird” that was written in the 1960s, where justice systems were heavily influenced by racial segregation.

Read More
1108 Words | 5 Pages

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that social inequality breaks down a society through the use of conflict, symbolism and irony. Social inequality plays a pivotal role in the novel because the whole conflict between Bob and Tom is wrapped in it. From the first accusation to the final conviction inequality is intertwined in every paragraph, every word. To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that stands the test of time because while our society has made improvements, inequality will never truly go away. This novel displays characters you relate to, ones you despise, and all that you fall in love with.

Read More

More about Comparing Justice In 'The Reader And To Kill A Mockingbird'

Related Topics

Open Document