How Does Dill Present Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Greta Konecny Autumn Moen Honors Language Arts 9 April 16 Children’s Responses to Injustice in To Kill a Mockingbird To Kill a Mockingbird is about a young girl named Scout, her family, and friends growing up during the Great Depression and a time of racial injustice. Together they face trials, especially since Scout's father, Atticus, is an attorney who is defending a black man. The whole town reacted differently when they heard the news that Tom Robinson, the black man on trial, was convicted. Scout, her brother Jem, and their friend Dill battle with the trials and deepen their connection to their values and emotions. The three children react differently to the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird such as, Dill being emotional because of his family

While Tom Robinson's words are getting twisted as he is being interrogated by Mr. Gilmer, Dill's emotions get out of hand. Harper Lee states, “For some reason, Dill had started crying and couldn’t stop quietly at first, then his sobs were heard by several people on the balcony”(Lee 225). Dill witnessed Tom being questioned and Tom trying to hopelessly defend himself, which stirred up Dill's emotions. He started to cry unconditionally to the point where Scout was asked to take him outside. This reaction suggests that Dill is very sensitive, this is likely due to his complex family situation in which he feels abandoned and misunderstood. Dill's reaction to the trial illustrates how his family background has a major emotional toll on his life. The way his family treated him is the reason that he ran away from his home to see his summer friends, which led him to see the

Scouts often struggle to grasp the complexities of the world, especially when it comes to the Tom Robinson case. Harper Lee explained this struggle by writing “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts, Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (Lee 224). This quote illustrates that Scout does not quite understand the injustice of the Tom Robinson trial. Despite Atticus doing his best to defend a black man with evidence and logic, deep-seated racism still prevails in the court. Scout, being a young child under the age of ten, struggles to understand that the truth does not always prevail, leading her to feel confused about the fairness in the world around her. Due to Scout being immature and young, she is confused about the injustice in the trial, she is becoming more in touch with the fact that the world is just. Lastly, Jem reacts to the trial with anger because he despises the injustice of the trial. During the trial Jem, who is Scout's older brother, displays a strong emotional response due to his maturity and understanding of the justice system. Harper Lee writes "It ain't right, Atticus," he muttered. No son, it's not right." Lee 224. Jem is