Examples Of Bildungsroman In To Kill A Mockingbird

“I seen that black nigger [Tom Robinson] yonder ruttin' on my Mayella” (231)! Within the 1900s, the image of African-Americans were extremely poor and unacceptable to fit into the society of Americans for no proper reason. Harper Lee reveals the image through the bildungsroman, To Kill A Mockingbird, by introducing, Scout or Jean Louise Finch, a resident of Maycomb County, who experiences the harsh reality the Whites place on the Blacks. Told through the eyes of Scout, her father, Atticus Finch, a lawyer, attempts to make evident that a Black man, Tom Robinson is not guilty of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell. Moreover, the father of the victim, Bob Ewell, knows that this case is false and that there is a strong belief within Maycomb that

“‘She [Mayella] reached up an’ kissed me [Tom] ’side of th’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger”’ (260). Instead of actually being a chore for Tom, it was an opportunity for her to seduce a man. By the time when Bob Ewell came into the scene, Mayella made up a story in which Tom was actually the one who raped her so that Bob can follow up on her not being affected by the eyes and words of society. Using this story, Bob sued Tom and won a case in which Tom was accused of being guilty even when the judge himself knew that he was innocent. The judge only enabled Bob to win because he was white and to keep order within the society against Blacks. The outcome of the case provided Tom nothing but to lose all sense of hope. ‘“Good-bye, Mr. Finch, there ain’t nothin’ you can do now so there ain’t no use tryin’” (314). Harper Lee shows a sense of injustice and hopelessness a negro must face in order to survive within the hierarchy that lowers them. Tom knew from the start that he had little to no chance of being victorious, neither in this court or any other. He knew that a White would not let a Black win over another White. Being in jail, “Tom was tired of white men’s chances and preferred to take his own” (315). The result of his action was his own death which was eventually coming. The end of the case only opened it’s

One of the guests, Mrs. Merriweather conversates with another guest, Gertrude, “‘there's one thing I [Mrs. Merriweather] truly believe, Gertrude,’ she continued, ‘but some people just don't see it my way. If we just let them know we forgive 'em, that we've forgotten it, then this whole thing’ll blow over’” (310). Mrs. Merriweather is concerned of how people will see the case in her perspective and points out that the Whites of Maycomb have forgiven the misconduct from a Black man. However, Harper Lee reveals the way the Americans view the Africans even when have no real need to be pardoned when it was never them at fault. Mrs. Merriweather knows this but to keep Whites at the top, this step of mercy was needed. The injustice of this scene is heightened by realizing that a white created the dilemma and a black has to pay the consequence. In a sense, she reveals stupidity and invalidness of whites towards blacks. The illogical reasoning continues within the lives of