Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has the common motif of a mockingbird throughout the entire novel. Although the novel never directly states who or what the mockingbird is intended to represent, many believe that Tom Robinson was the only true mockingbird. However, the entire black community in Maycomb has been peaceful in the manner a mockingbird should be. Having the black community as the mockingbird shows how extensive the issue of racism is in our world. The black community as a whole was the mockingbird in this novel due to their selflessness while working hard and remaining peaceful even with the injustice surrounding them; the ‘white trash’ attempted killing the mockingbird.
Due to the social hierarchy in Maycomb, black people tended to work for richer white men disregarding the fact that it was more often than not unfair. These
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A prime example of white trash lying about the black community occurred in Tom Robinson’s trial. Knowing that Tom did not do the crime, Mr. Ewell lies on oath by rudely shouting, “I seen that black nigger yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella!”(Lee 231). The emphasis of his race and lies showed the hatred towards the minority in Maycomb. Although Mr.Ewell’s actions were extremely disrespectful, Tom Robinson remains collected and does not take vengeance. In a similar manner, acts of odiousness occur to Helen Robinson after the trial. Even after the trail ending in Mr. Ewell’s favor, he remains bitter and continues with his immaturities. An example of his emotions were in his actions towards Helen in which he “‘chunked at her’ the first time she tried to use the public road,” as a form of harassment (Lee 333). The tormenting Helen had to face was belittling, however, instead of stooping down to his level, she peacefully tells her employers and friends about the situation as another example of a