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What Extent Was Tom Robinson Is Responsible For The Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Noah Matt Mrs.Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 Title In the 1930s, people of color often found the justice system stacked against them. This happened especially in small, rural communities such as the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. This unfair situation is what awaits Tom Robinson as he is wrongly accused of rape in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird. What separates Tom Robinson’s case from other cases of black men accused of crimes they didn't commit, is that Tom couldn't have possibly done it. The woman that Tom was accused of raping and beating was attacked on her right side, and Tom has a disabled right arm. This means that the case should have been opened and shut very quickly, with the jury assuming him not guilty. However, despite these facts, the court still finds him guilty. Almost the entire community of Maycomb turns a blind eye to these facts and assumes Tom Robinson is guilty, except for Tom’s lawyer Atticus. Although a small minority of the community was responsible for accusing Tom Robinson, The entire community is responsible for what happens to him next. …show more content…

This is exemplified when Atticus states “Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury” Lee 209). This shows that the court system of Maycomb county is bound directly to the men who make up the jury, these men being randomly selected from the community. If just one of these men had chosen not to convict Tom, the jury would have hung and he wouldn't have been convicted or died. In this way, it is shown that the community as a whole is responsible for what happens to Tom

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