People either have a firsthand experience with or an eyewitness account of the heinousness or racism. Our culture, personal lives, and communities are all divided as a result. Both Hapers Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird and Tate Taylor’s film The Help display how Skeeter and Scout experienced the division caused by racism in their communities and dealt with the damage caused by it. However, Skeeter faces criticism for writing and publishing a book detailing the unjust treatment of black maids, while Scout gets viewed differently for defying the gender norms of society.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout observes prejudiced decisions made based on Tom Robinson’s skin color. Tom Robinson appeared in court to defend himself for allegedly beating and raping Mayella Ewell,
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Even with indisputable evidence that he was innocent, Tom ultimately lost the court case. When asked about what happened when he and Mayella were in the house alone, Tom said, “So I done what she told me, an’ I was just reachin’ when the next thing I knows she—she’d grabbed me round the legs, grabbed me round th’ legs, Mr. Finch”(Lee 220). This evidence in his testimony demonstrates that he wasn’t the one attempting to initiate contact with her, and when she attempted to commence contact with him, Tom instantly retreated. Given the amount of evidence and the fact that his left hand isn’t capable of functioning properly, there was an astronomical amount of proof that it wasn’t Tom who commit the crime. Despite this, the jury concluded that Tom was the offender, but not because he was guilty, but rather due to his skin color.