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Examples Of Scapegoating In To Kill A Mockingbird

1422 Words6 Pages

Nicole Toth
Honors College Composition II
“Research Paper”
5/10/16

Scapegoating in “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
Scapegoating is a very powerful tool used by society to blame a sometimes, but not always, innocent victim. According to Rene Girard in his novel “The Scapegoat”, “When we use the term ‘scapegoat’ we refer to a society’s acting formally, responsibly, to banish someone (or an animal substitute, as in Leviticus 16) charged arbitrarily, vicariously with some burden of blame.” In Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella
Ewell; Robinson and his lawyer, Atticus Finch, have evidence otherwise, but the racist jury still places the blame on Robinson, which makes him the scapegoat. …show more content…

No, honey. Then why? Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to try to win (Lee 84)." Less than a week before Tom’s trial, a mob of people lead by Mr. Cunningham go to the
Maycomb jail with the intent to lynch Tom. However, Atticus is there guarding the jail with Mr.
Underwood and his double-barreled shotgun. (Lee 166). Scout, her brother Jem, and Dill attempt to locate Atticus and check to see if he is all right. They find him sitting outside the jail with Mr.
Underwood. The trio try to help out when, Scout sees Mr. Cunningham and points out to him the time he brought them some hickory nuts. Scout also reminds him that she goes to school with
Walter, his son, and that they invited him over for dinner once. (Lee 164). Mr. Cunningham grabbed Scout on the shoulders and told her; "I'll tell him you said hey, little lady (Lee 165)." After Scout's talk with Mr. Cunningham he disperses the mob and they leave.
The trial puts the Ewell's evidence against Tom Robinson's evidence. According to
Mayella Ewell, she had asked Tom to do some work while her father Bob Ewell was

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