Justice For All: Accuracies and Inaccuracies of Harper Lee’s Portrayal of the Justice System in To Kill A Mockingbird Racism, bribery, and predjudice: all very bad things that are sadly present in our judiciary system. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is regarded as one of the most important pieces of American literature. In the second part of the book, from chapter twelve through the end, Tom Robinson’s trial is one of the main events. In chapter twelve, the children visit Calpurnia’s church, which prompts a discussion on how Calpurnia learned to read. Aunt Alexandra and Dill both return to Maycomb unexpectedly. As the trial begins, tensions heighten, prompting a mob of people to attempt to attack Atticus. The next five chapters focus on the trial itself, with few scenes outside the courthouse. One such scene shows the children meeting Mr. Dolphus …show more content…
The outcome of the trial itself is very different from what the children see as an obvious acquittal. After the trial, Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face, but Atticus stays calm. Overall, this section shows how as Atticus works to defend Tom, the children are discovering more about African-Americans and the racism they face. This racism, along with other prejudices, causes the court system to be not completely fair, despite the fact that it should be. Courts should be completely fair and just, or, as Atticus calls them, “the great levelers” (Lee 205), however, humans are fallible, and in turn, so is the court system. These imperfections are demonstrated when Atticus says “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution” (Lee 205). These faults may include the prejudices held by the townspeople, which can affect juries all across the United states, as proved by a scholarly article on juries by Julius H. Miner “In a very real sense