As the story, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee progresses, the characters become more aware of the real world through their interactions with people in Maycomb of varying ages and races. The first event in this book that helps the characters become more aware of the real world is when Miss Caroline tells Scout to stop reading with Atticus. When Scout comes home upset after school, Atticus asks what’s wrong and she explains, “‘...and she said you taught me all wrong, so we can’t ever read any more, ever. Please don’t send me back sir’” (Lee 33). This discourages Scout, and the first solution she thinks of is to not return to school. Atticus teaches Scout to keep her cool, and find a way around it before getting upset and acting unrealistically. He makes a deal with her and Scout agrees to keep going to school if …show more content…
Because he is a black man living in a racist time period, we knew from the beginning that the final verdict of this trial was not going to be fair. Atticus explains, “‘There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads - they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life’” (Lee 251). Because Tom Robinson’s jury was made up of all white men, there was little to no chance of him being proved innocent no matter the evidence. During the trial, Atticus made a point to prove that there is no way that Tom Robinson could be guilty, as he does not have a left hand. When the verdict came out, Tom Robinson was guilty, even though there was evidence to prove that he was innocent. This helped Scout and Jem to understand the prejudice and racial issues in this world that have no reason behind them. It also helped them to become aware of how although Maycomb was an enjoyable and safe place for them to live, it was unfortunate for