How Does Lee Present The Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird is set in segregated Maycomb, Alabama, in the early to mid-1930s. The book is narrated by one of the main characters, Scout. The first half is lighthearted and takes us through her childhood and the little challenges she faces. The second half, however, follows the trial of a black man accused of a crime for which there is not enough evidence that it actually happened or that he genuinely committed. A central theme of this book is that we should empathize with people, rather than judge them for what we do not know. Two characters that express this theme are Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Boo Radley depicts the theme throughout the book. Most people in town judged him before they had even met him. He never really

He is vulnerable due mainly to the fact that he is a black man in the South and is subject to tons of prejudice, with a lot of the evidence in his trial being supported by the fact that he is black. When Jem is eating dinner after they got kicked out of the trial, he says, "'It's like being a caterpillar in a cocoon, that's what it is...Like somethin' asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that's what they seem like.'" Lee 246. In this quote, Jem talks about and realizes Tom's unjust treatment in the trial and how he didn't expect that from those around him. He compares himself to a caterpillar in a cocoon, suggesting that he feels isolated and trapped, with no one supporting him in the trial or in general. He also says it is like being wrapped up in a warm place, likely comparing it to the false sense of security Tom felt in his town before the trial. While also implying a lack of awareness of the prejudice black people were facing in his town. The book subtly references the theme throughout the