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Who Is Walter Cunningham A Victim In To Kill A Mockingbird

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"Permanent remorse about failing to do your human duty, in my opinion, can be worse than losing your life," Miep Gies has stated. Mr. Walter Cunningham, seen as poor, but respectful in the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, invades Maycomb's town prison, drunk and armed, aiming to kill Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of rape, along with multiple individuals supporting him. They approach Atticus, currently defending Tom Robinson, and threatens to kill him if he refuses to allow the group to slaughter Tom Robinson. Atticus asks politely for them to turn back and to go home, which they harshly decline. As Atticus slowly nears his death, Scout, Atticus's young daughter, appears, surprising all individuals present in the situation. Scout converses with Walter Cunningham about his son and his entailment, causing him to perceive his true identity: an honest man, not a killer. …show more content…

Walter Cunningham, I was present in a group spreading false rumors about a classmate. Being a former victim of bullying from previous school years, I understood how it affected those it chose to touch and victimize, and felt tremendously guilty after realizing the damage that I've inflicted on the individual. Rumors of the victim's tablet containing inappropriate content was spreading, eventually having many believe it. I, not knowing if the claims were true, laughed seeing others talk about it, ignoring the possibility of the victim's feelings being hurt. After realizing the negative damage I might have caused, I began to deeply regret my actions. He has been undergoing similar experiences I have had. Desperately wanting to repair my character, I apologized to him for my severe actions, becoming his friend. I've learned how being with others is easily able to drive you to act violently. I eventually forgave myself, and even applauded myself for becoming his only friend, similar to Walter Cunningham who desired for the jury to acquit Tom Robinson intending to restore his

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The man has a kind disposition and only wants to be a friend to the children. Through this experience, Scout gained the moral of not trusting the hearsay she has heard and not judging someone because of a

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To Kill a Mockingbird, Mayella Ewell is an overworked and unappreciated nineteen-year-old woman who accuses Tom Robinson of taking advantage of and raping her. Tom, an African American man who is disabled, is testifying in court against Mayella Ewell, and evidence shows that Mayella may be lying about her testimony. Mayella is worthy of compassion when taking account of her past experiences. Mayella Ewell should be treated with compassion because she has been abused physically and sexually by her father during her life. While Tom Robinson

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Scout’s innocence and bravery manage to make the men leave. Despite feeling intimidated by all of the looks she received from the men, she still found the courage to talk to Mr. Cunnignahm. In the end, her bravery and ability to stand up to the men unintentionally save the lives of Atticus and Tom Robinson. In addition, Scout also expresses her bravery when she fights Cecil Jacobs. Everyone learns that Atticus is appointed as a lawyer for Tom Robinson’s case and the people of Maycomb are not happy about it.

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To KIll a Mockingbird by Harper Lee uses the town of Maycomb changing throughout the story ultimately affecting the ending. Lee represents society as an ever changing factor to people life. There are a few things that attribute to this change including the case against Tom Robinson as well as the mob that confronts Atticus wanting to get at Tom Robinson. Characters such as Atticus Finch have seen this change in Maycomb and are personally affected by it.

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His life comes to an abrupt and unnecessary end after Mayella “tempted a negro” and he is forced to pay the ultimate price, despite all evidence indicating his innocence (Lee 204). Tom adds to the long list of victims of racial prejudice in Maycomb because of others who share Mrs.Dubose beliefs. In a similar way, racial prejudice is also exemplified through Scout’s conflict with Francis and Atticus’ conflict with the mob. While Scout is visiting her family at Finch Landing she gets into a heated fight with her cousin Francis. Francis, who caught Maycomb’s usual disease, calls Scout a “nigger lover” causing Scout to punch him (Lee 112).

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The children feel it was unfair, but then again they are naïve to the racism. Atticus appears unmoved at the verdict. Atticus, a lawyer at Maycomb, supports Tom Robinson and feels as if he is innocent. Taking on the job to help defend Tom was an act of courage, seeing how everyone else was so opposed to this man because he was black. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.

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When Atticus is explaining to Scout the possibility of outcomes associating the case, he tells Scout that he wishes that she and Jem will learn a valuable lesson. “‘All I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you’ll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn’t let you down.’” (Lee 139). What this quote demonstrates, is how Atticus wants his children, and the people of Maycomb to learn the importance of this case and the moral lesson it teaches. In chapter three, Atticus teaches Scout, how to view things from another person’s perspective.

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Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man in court (Lee 254). In a town where black people are seen as lower in importance than white people, this is a tremendous act of compassion. Atticus tries to put himself in Tom’s shoes and see things from his perspective. He pities Tom’s situation as a person who faces persecution and prejudice simply because of the color of his skin, so Atticus makes an effort to protect his client’s rights and defend him in court. Another time when empathy is shown in To Kill a Mockingbird is when the Finch children invite Walter Cunningham home for dinner (Lee 30).

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“...there was no ‘race problem’ for me because I had simply never thought about it”(Conine, “How a Southerner Licked Intolerance”). Harper Lee in To Kill a Mockingbird creates a similar situation by demonstrating that prejudice is a dangerous force that can change an individual’s sense of right and wrong without him or her even knowing. To Kill a Mockingbird features two siblings named Scout and Jem Finch, who are growing up in the racially-biased town of Maycomb. A black man named Tom Robinson is on trial for raping Mayella Ewell, and it seems that he is innocent. Nonetheless, a guilty verdict is delivered due to the entire jury being white men.

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Furthermore, Tom Robinson is mistreated due to his skin color, as a result, he is falsely accused of raping a white girl. No one in town is willing to help him in any way because of the racist mentality of the town, except Atticus. As a lawyer, Atticus supports Tom Robinson and states an important statement that describes the racist minds of the residents of Maycomb, “The state has not produced one iota of medical evidence to the effect that the crime Tom Robinson is charged with ever took place. It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination, but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant. The defendant is not guilty, but somebody in this courtroom is”(Lee 271).

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How is the racial problem of the southern states of USA in the 1930s portrayed in To Kill a Mockingbird? INTRO In the 1930s the Southern states of America suffered from a strong discrimination and racial hatred towards colored people. They had no rights, no respect and were not allowed to go places white people went. In other words they were segregated from the rest of the society.

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To Kill A Mockingbird Themes “‘You never really understand a person until you consider his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it’” (Lee 39). This quote from the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee includes many characters who suffer from the Great Depression and other conflicts that break out in the town of Maycomb. Racism, poverty, and domestic violence attend in the book and continue their way through to create rising conflict between the people of Maycomb county. Atticus Finch is a lawyer of Maycomb and a father of two children, Jean Louise Finch, also known as Scout, and Jem Finch.

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The mockingbird in the title of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," symbolizes a number of characters throughout the novel. In order to fully understand why these characters symbolize killed mockingbirds, one must first understand what the title represents and why it's wrong to kill a mockingbird. The idea that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird was first mentioned by Atticus Finch (the protagonist's, Scout, father) when he saw the children shooting things with BB guns. As he knows that soon they will go after birds, he tells them: "Shoot all the Blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”. As Miss Maudie (the Finch's next-door neighbour) explains to Scout, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because

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Tom was charged with the rape of a local young girl, Mayella Ewell. Although he did not commit the crime, the town’s racist mindset led them to side with the guilty party, Bob Ewell. Tom Robinson was shot and killed, so in a sense, Maycomb County killed a mockingbird. The second is Boo Radley, a mysterious man that never shows his face, causing him to fall victim to the imaginations of Maycomb residents, especially those of children like Jem and Scout. Although Jem and Scout have their theories and alleged stories about Boo, he ends up saving their lives in a plot twist.

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Just one year after To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published, it was awarded the illustrious Pulitzer Prize as well as several other literary awards. This novel displays the prejudice and discrimination against African American people that was present in the south during the 1930s, which was during the Great Depression. Prejudice is an unfavorable opinion that is formed before actual knowledge or experience, and discrimination is the unfair treatment of others. Discrimination includes but is not limited gender, race, and social status. Some examples of prejudice and discrimination shown in To Kill A Mockingbird are Aunt Alexandra pushing Jean Louise (Scout) to behave “like a lady” would, Boo Radley being prejudged for staying inside

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