Examples Of Manipulation In To Kill A Mockingbird

Using common goals, the characters in “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and people today all take advantage of others through dishonest methods, which is why the novel is still prevalent in today’s society. Throughout time, lies and manipulation have both been used to forge the pathway for injustice and control.

Used both by modern day parents and the people of Maycomb County, lies are often bred to force results. After being informed that the knothole in the tree was cemented by Nathan Radley because it was “sick and dying”, Atticus tells Jem “That tree’s as healthy as you are, Jem” (Lee 63). Upon the realization of Mr. Radley’s lie, Jem is left crying. Nathan Radley had cemented the knothole because he didn’t want Boo getting into deeper

Often those who are respected and considered trustworthy are at the helm of the manipulation. Last year, Ricky Jackson (an African-American male), who spent nearly 40 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, filed a federal lawsuit against the police officers who “helped frame him in 1975” (The Guardian). At the time, the trusted police officers accused Jackson of the murder and kept him silent as he was beaten and threatened to have his parents thrown into jail. The officers involved went behind the scenes to ensure Mr. Jackson was thrown behind bars - perhaps only due to racial prejudice. Atticus Finch defends Tom Robinson who was falsely accused of rape by Mayella Ewell who “knew full well the enormity of her offense, but because her desires were stronger than the code she was breaking, she persisted in breaking it" (Lee 203). As the evidence points toward abuse from Robert Ewell more so than it does to Tom Robinson, the fact that Mayella is trying to cope with her own father's abuse by accusing an innocent black man becomes clear. The all-white jury, who presumably knew Tom Robinson was innocent, convicted him. Not only does Mayella manipulate her story, but the jury alters their belief of Tom’s innocence to accommodate the racist crowd of Maycomb County. In 2006, white players from the Duke Men’s Lacrosse team were accused of raping an African-American woman. One of the prosecutors, Mike Nifong tampered the evidence because he was “in the midst of a difficult Democratic primary election campaign to keep his position as Durham County District Attorney… Nifong's prosecution of the Duke lacrosse players and his many statements to the media were driven by his political strategy to attract African-American voters” (Wikipedia Duke Lacrosse Case). As an African-American, the false victim was