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What Is The American Dream In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Recommended: Critical review for to kill a mockingbird

When the best selling novel of all time, the King James Bible, is beaten in a poll among librarians of books to read before you die, you know there must be a good reason to read it. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, this tale of southern pride prejudice reflects the American Dream ( or lack thereof) for many. From Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly convicted to Atticus Finch, the brave and just lawyer assigned to defend him, the many diverse characters represent the many faces of America. Even today, the book still resonates with audiences because of its themes of racial inequality, and how the American Dream differs for different people. To Kill a Mockingbird is a perfect example of American Literature for the message it sent (and still sends) to the American people. …show more content…

For many in the south, particularly African-Americans, the American Dream was well out of reach, due to the legal and social injustice they faced. This shines in Lee’s writing, as it is established in the novel the Tom Robinson, on trial for sexually assaulting a white girl, is innocent. His lawyer, Atticus Finch, makes it quite clear to the jury that he is telling the truth, (as he only has one working hand it’s difficult to grab someone by the throat) and that the victim is lying. But since this is 1930’s Alabama, a white person’s word is worth far more than a black man’s, and so he is wrongly convicted. Harper Lee is pointing out that even when the truth is clearly established, racism still prevails at that time, and still at the time of her writing this book. “The American Dream is Dead” could apply very nicely to this

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The ever present distaste from whites in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, shows the issues that blacks had to deal with constantly. Lee was able to portray this hatred by putting and important character, Tom Robinson a black man, on an unjust trial for the alleged rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell. This classic story reveals the awful conditions and intense racism during this time in the southern Unites States. Some of the many African Americans affected by southern white racists in court or otherwise include the Scottsboro

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