Moral Cowardice In Mark Twain's To Kill A Mockingbird

How does it feel to live in a world where the amount of melanin in your skin automatically decreases the value of a person? In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch takes on a case where the amount of melanin in your skin matters to the jury, not the truth. With Scout Finch as our narrator, we learn the important elements of the before and after occurrences before the trial and each lesson the Finch children learn in between. Mark Twain’s article, Moral Cowardice expounds in the one daring man that has enough courage to do what right. In Andrew Cockburn’s article, 21st Century Slaves, sex-trafficking is addressed and tells the story of how a girl became a debt slave. Both these articles help conveys the three apparent themes throughout the novel. Losing hope, love and

Furthermore, Mayella Ewell is another character who lost hope in the residents of Maycomb. Bob Ewell, her father, undeniably abused Mayella throughout her livelihood and was brought into question and confrontation during court. “He does tollable, ‘cept when-’ ‘Except when?’ Mayella looked at her father, who was sitting with his chair tipped against the railing. He sat up straight and waited for her to answer. ‘Except when he’s drinking?’ asked Atticus so gently that Mayella nodded”(Lee 244). ‘Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father?’ No answer. ‘Why don’t you tell me the truth, child, didn’t Bob Ewell beat you up?” (Lee 251). “It was too late” (Cockburn 3). The cross-examination between Mayella and Atticus indubitably shows that Atticus is giving her an opportunity to end the dishonesty. Despite being given the opportunity, to tell the truth, she chose the latter. Mayella had no consolation that she’d escape Bob unscathed, consequently losing hope of being free from the taut grapple Bob has on her lifeline. Not to mention, Victoria, former debt slave, lost