How Does Lee Show Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Kennedy stated, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” Kennedy’s words are powerful in revealing that people need to speak out for those who are oppressed or shown prejudice in our society, for each voice can make a difference in how society treats those who are victimized in these ways. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel that has created many ripples of hope throughout generations. Lee’s story is set in Alabama in the 1930’s and is told from the point of view of a 6 year old tomboy named Scout. She is innocent and misunderstands some of the events she faces over the two year span of the novel. Throughout

Through the voice of an innocent six-year old narrator, Lee takes the reader on a journey of lost innocence as Scout imagines her neighbor Boo Radley as “the boogy man” because the people of the town of Maycomb view him as recluse. Boo’s backstory unfolds, revealing the abuse he suffered as a child that caused him to become withdrawn from people. Boo thought Scout and Jem were nice and innocent, which drew him to them. He left gifts, such as carved soap dolls resembling Scout and Jem, in the knot hole of the Radley tree because he wanted to connect with them. Scout begins to understand that adults can be judgemental through developing her own opinion of Boo. The people of Maycomb thought of Boo as “weird” and violent because he “drove the scissor into his parent’s leg, pulled them out, wiped them on his pants and resumed his activities” (13). Because of this, Boo was thought of as a monster in Maycomb, but Scout and Jem had a different experience with him based on his gifts. Then at the end of the novel, Bob Ewell attacked Scout and Jem because he was so angry at Atticus Finch for defending Tom Robinson in court and making him look

Moreover, Scout lost her innocence through learning about her father’s court case in school. Atticus explains to her that he is defending an innocent black man accused of raping a white woman. This topic alone takes away Scout’s innocence. Tom is black and faces an all-white jury. He tells Scout he can’t win the case, but he will try. Scout feels sorry for Tom Robinson and this feeling shows she is maturing. Being able to understand other people’s sadness is a part of growing up. She isn’t thinking of just her own feelings, as children do. As a result, Scout loses her innocence and begins to mature through thinking of the injustices in the world around her. In addition to serving justice and lost innocence, changing perspectives is shown when Scout is on the porch of the Radley’s house, and she sees the town from Boo’s perspective. He is able to see the whole town and this makes her aware of his feelings of isolation. Atticus tells Scout, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39). Atticus is teaching her to have empathy for other