Tom Robinson Trial Essay

During every person’s childhood, an event, person, or lesson changes their view on the world. This circumstance provides them with knowledge about what it means to be an adult and what humanity and society really are. In Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem and Scout Finch are growing up during the 1930’s-a time where racism was very prevalent in Southern American society. The two children live in Maycomb County with their father Atticus. At only twelve years old, Jem is encountering experiences such as Tom Robinson’s trial. . During this trial, Tom Robinson is being accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Even though there is subsequent evidence to prove that he is innocent, the jury decides that he is guilty.Through Jem’s childlike viewpoint

When the jury makes the decision on whether or not Tom is guilty or innocent, Jem is certain that he is going to be proven innocent. He believes that the jurors will not decide the verdict of the case simply based on the color of Tom’s skin, but on the facts that were presented during the trial: “Jem smiled. ‘He’s not supposed to lean, Reverend, but don’t fret, we’ve won it,’ he said wisely. ‘Don’t see how any jury could convict on what we heard—’” (212). Jem is very confident that Tom will win after what they heard during questioning. When Lee describes how Jem talks she uses the word wisely, indicating that Jem spoke confidently and thought he knew all the information about the trial. Telling the Reverend not to fret means that Reverend Sykes thinks that he will be proven guilty because the color of his skin. Jem did not know how big of an impact the color of one’s skin had on the decisions that happen in government and everyday society. When he is thinking about the outcome of the trial, he did not take into account Tom’s race, he only focuses on the facts of the trial. Because Jem is only focusing on the facts, he does not know that racism has such a big impact on decisions. He is naive to believe this:“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd; “It ain’t right,” he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting.” ( 215 ). After Jem finds out about the verdict of the trial, he is crushed. He was positive that Tom would be proven innocent, but instead, he was found guilty. Jem thought that race would not matter in this court case, but it was the deciding factor of the case. Even though Jem does not believe that race was important in the court case, other people did and he was aware of this now, and because he knows this, he is no longer as naive and innocent as he once was. His perspective on how society works