Tom Robinson Development

The conflict of Tom Robinson’s case changes Scout’s development drastically by making Scout see that dark sides exist in Maycomb. Formerly, Scout assumed the world was totally fair. Her father, Atticus, argues that the fairest place is a court of law. Atticus argues, “Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, [but] ... in our courts all men are created equal” (Lee 274). Scout expects to see Tom Robinson get a fair trial due to her belief: the world is fair. Just before the jury casts its vote to convict Tom or not, Atticus tells the jury, “The defendant is not guilty, but someone in this courtroom is” (Lee 271). This shows that Tom is accused as guilty of raping Mayella because of all the people on the jury are on the white

After the jury comes back in from their vote about whether to convict Tom or not, Scout knows that “a jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson” (Lee 282). This quote shows that the jury is hinting about what the verdict will be: guilty. This also shows that the jury, made of all white men, are all biased based on their own beliefs. They believe that in a conflict between a black and a white person, then the black person is automatically guilty, no exceptions. After Atticus leaves the courthouse in defeat, Scout comments, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd” (Lee 284). This quote shows that everyone on the white side, the cheerful crowd, do not care the slightest about Tom. They only care that Tom is convicted because they think all African Americans are guilty no matter what. After Scout realizes that the white townspeople of Maycomb are biased, she better understands the people surrounding her. She understands both the jurors and her father more deeply after the trial. Although she sees the white jurors are oblivious to the truth because of their own views, she is also aware of her father’s bravery and dedication. At the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout views all the grown-ups in her town as kind people and that her father as no different from the rest of them. By the end of the trial, she sees that most of the adults are biased against a different race, but that Atticus fight really hard to establish fairness and