What Does Atticus Learn From The Tom Robinson Trial

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel considered a classic that was written during the 1960s when racial equality and prejudice were huge. This novel explores the ideas of racism and stereotyping surrounding Negro individuals. The novel follows the story of Scout Finch, (who at the beginning of the novel) 6, and her brother, Jem, 10 (in the beginning), as they watch their father, Atticus Finch, defend a Negro man, Tom Robinson, that was convicted for raping a white woman. While it is evident that Tom is not guilty, he is condemned by the jury because of the bias against Negroes. At that time, most white people believed that every negro was dangerous and it was unspeakable that a black man would win a case against a white woman. Many of the citizens

This is shown when Atticus gets spit in the face by Bob Ewell after the Tom Robinson trial. “…see if you can stand in Bob Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with…He had to take it out on somebody and I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there” (Lee 218). When Mr. Bob Ewell spit on Atticus's face, Atticus used it as a way to teach Scout that it is important to examine situations from all perspectives, including those of who cause the problem. At this point, Atticus is trying to tell Scout that it is beneficial to “climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30), meaning that he must inspect problems many different ways, not just with her

Scout is taught this when Mrs. Dubose died. Jem and Scout disliked Mrs. Dubose for many years because she would call out mean things to them both. It got worse after the town learned that Atticus was defending Tom Robinson. One day, Jem snapped and cut all of Mrs. Dubose’s camellias. He was then sentenced to read to her every afternoon for a month. After her death, the siblings learn that Mrs. Dubose was fighting a morphine addiction and conquered a morphine addiction at a time when she needed it most. "She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. Jem, when you're sick as she was, it's all right to take anything to make it easier, but it wasn't all right for her. She said she meant to break herself of it before she died, and that's what she did " (Lee 111). Jem and Scout learn of her addiction only after Mrs. Dubose’s death. They both learn that Mrs. Dubose is a strong and courageous woman, in spite of her resilient opinions, to try to conquer her addiction while she was at her worst. From this, Scout learns of the importance of respecting people if she does not know what they have done in their lifetime or what they have been