Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird By Harper Lee

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, imagery and diction helped me develop the theme of innocence and how there is always purity in the darkest of things and how the darkest things are humans.
One of the many themes Harper Lee wrote about is racism. On page 223 was the start of Tom Robinson’s trial which was one of the scenes from the book about racism. During the trial Bob Ewell yelled at the court when he said “I seen that black n***** yonder ruttin’ on my Mayella” (231) Also when Mayella refers to Tom in the N word. In my opinion the Ewells chose Tom Robinson to accuse of rape because they knew that it wasn’t common for a black person to get off scotch free during the trial. That’s why the jury chose Bob Ewells side of the story even though they knew how disgusting he could be, he was white. This scene screams racism also because of how Mr.Gilmer addresses Tom in a mean and cruel way accusing him with every honest word coming from Tom’s mouth. When Mr.Gilmer addressed Mayella and Bob he was patient, calm and forgiving not accusing them of anything, ignoring their mistakes.

There was a part in the book when Atticus stood outside Tom Robinson’s jail cell knowing people were going to come to try and kill him. When they did come Dill, Jem and Scout stepped in trying to protect Atticus. That action alone showed courage also on page 205 when Scout recognized one of them as one of the Cunningham’s and started talking to him. “Do you remember me, Mr.Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?” This gained his respect and everyone cleared out not going after Tom. Scout unknowingly saved Tom’s life. This personally touched me because scout is such a sweet and innocent girl who taught us to be strong in the worst possible