Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Harper Lee published “To Kill A Mockingbird” in 1960. The novel is loosely based off of the Scottsboro Boys Trial that occurred when she was a little girl. Harper Lee’s father was a lawyer who spoke out about how wrong it was to accuse the boys simply because the were black. In the book “ To Kill A Mockingbird”, Harper Lee uses Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Scout Finch as symbols of a Mockingbird to tie into her overall theme of innocence. The first person that Harper Lee uses to symbolize the Mockingbird is Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a black man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell a white woman. At Tom Robinson’s trial Atticus his lawyer had Mr.Tate testify. Mr.Tate said “‘She had a black eye comin.’ ‘Which eye?’... ‘ It was her right eye.”. Then Atticus had Bob Ewell Mayella’s Father testify and write his name. They said “‘What’s so interestin’?’ He asked. You’re left

Seeing as to how Mr.Tate said Mayella’s right side of her face was busted up during the rape, we can conclude that Atticus is implying that Bob Ewell beat his daughter Mayella. Which means that Tom Robinson didn’t rape Mayella and is innocent. Harper Lee further proved Atticus’s suspicion by writing “ He guided his arm to the Bible and hid rubber-like left hand sought contact with the black binding...the useless one slipped off…”. Each man’s testimony goes to prove that Tom Robinson was innocent of Mayella’s rape. Tom Robinson could not have raped and beaten Mayella especially on the right side of her face because his left arm is crippled unlike Bob Ewell’s. Later in the novel Tom Robinson’s lawyer Atticus found out that Tom was killed in prison. Atticus says “‘ Tom’s dead’... ‘They shot him’...