Tom Robinson Trial

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is about a small family that lived in a fictional town called Maycomb County, Alabama in 1938. The main character and narrator, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, lived with her brother Jem, who is three years older than her six years of age, and her father Atticus, a lawyer. The author, Harper Lee, introduces the idea of discrimination to the main characters of the book. She shows this through the town’s opinions, Tom Robinson’s court case, and the way people avoid expressing positivity towards African Americans because it is not socially acceptable in that time.

In 1938, the common view of African Americans was not a very positive view. An example of a character with negative views would

Mayella claimed that she had called Tom Robinson to break down an old wardrobe for her. Mayella continued to say that she went to get him a nickel for his services, but when she turned around he attacked her and took advantage of her. Mayella’s story is similar to that of her father, Bob Ewell, but she answers inconsistently which suggests that she is making up a story on the spot. There was one important detail which proved that the Ewells were making false claims. Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb County, testified that Mayella was bruised mainly on her right side. The narrator states, referring to Tom Robinson, “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side” (188). This shows that it would have been nearly impossible for Tom to effectively hurt her on the right side of her body. When Bob Ewell was testifying, Atticus asked him to write his name. This proved that Bob Ewell was left-handed, making it easier for him to have beaten Mayella rather than Tom. Regardless of all of the facts that contradicted the Ewells’ testimonies, Tom Robinson was still found guilty. The outcome of the court case displays that the people of Maycomb County would most likely agree with a white man with inconsistent evidence, rather than an African American man with logical statements. Bigotry and discrimination are also shown through many character’s