In the classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson, a black man, is unfairly accused and later found guilty of a crime he didn 't commit. While talking to Jem and Scout Finch, Ms. Maudie says “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we’re making a step – it’s just a baby-step, but it’s a step.” During our recent “Socratic Seminar”, Adam Ross made an insightful comment. He argued that the events that took place in the courtroom that night were not a step in the right direction, as the time that the jury took was just part of the due process of the court. He stated that the time the jury took wasn’t a representation …show more content…
A huge issue for minorities in their path to equality was being outnumbered; there is power in numbers and it isn’t often that the oppressed group is the larger. For Tom Robinson, the events that took place were a small step forward because he had support of some white men, a few of which haven’t ever supported a black person before. For example, on page 289, Jem makes a great point after Scout asks him a question. ‘“Who in this town did one thing to help Tom Robinson, just who?” “His colored friends for one thing, and people like us. People like Judge Taylor. People like Mr. Heck Tate. Stop eating and start thinking, Jem. Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor might have had his reasons for naming him?”” Right there, Jem named the Finches, Mr. Tate, and Mr. Taylor. This support from these white men is something relatively new for a black man, and for this reason it is clear that a baby-step has been made. Even more, the fact that Judge Taylor gave Tom support to an extent shows that an extremely important person in the society was giving Tom support. This means that black people on trial in Maycomb will have more of a chance in the