What Is The Message Of Just Mercy

The novel Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson, presents its story through first-person narratives that explore the identities of multiple death row inmates through the perspective of a lawyer, Bryan Stevenson. Most of these inmates are given names and backstories, such as Walter McMillan, an innocent African American man who was accused and sentenced to death for the murder of a young white woman. Through these personal experiences, Stevenson can relay his message of equality and justice to his audience as he explores the inmates' humanity which is presented through their emotions and their kindness toward Stevenson throughout the novel. Stevenson also establishes throughout the novel that these men acted toward Stevenson with an "unusual warmth

This is the moment of exigence for Stevenson and his commitment to becoming a lawyer to help those in need while facing capital punishment. His tone shifts from his feelings in a narrative to his realization of the flaws in the American justice system. He describes the United States as having a "radical transformation that would turn us into an unprecedentedly harsh and punitive nation and result in mass imprisonment that has no historical parallel" (15). This description of the United States also shows his reasons for becoming a lawyer. He recognizes the injustices established within the American judicial system, such as the high incarceration rates of African Americans. Because of this, he is driven to create the Equal Justice Initiative to protect American citizens and their rights from the growing threat of the government. He further explores these injustices from the government by exploring the abnormal conditions in the case of Walter McMillan. Walter McMillan was arrested for the murder of Ronda Morrison, a white woman, despite no substantial evidence against McMillan.

Even though it was evident that Myers had never met McMillan before, as it was seen that "[Myers] was unable to identify McMillan" in the courtroom, the biased jury believed the testimony of the white man as opposed to the Black defendant because they were angry that McMillan had been having an intimate relationship with a white woman (33). This relationship was completely unrelated to the case, but the opinion of the biased jury is ironic considering the ideals that the town of Monroeville praises. Stevenson reveals that "Monroeville is the hometown of Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird" (23). The story of To Kill a Mockingbird involves the trial of Tom Robinson, an innocent African American man accused of raping a young woman. When discussing these two trials, the trial of Tom Robinson and the trial of Walter McMillan, it is easy to draw parallels between the two stories. They both involve the wrongful conviction of an African American man and the attempts by the lawyer to