Causes Of Conflict In To Kill A Mockingbird

The whole town of Maycomb is racist, which makes Atticus’s job harder trying to defend Tom Robinson against the word of a white man.Tom Robinson’s case is unjust since he is black and the majority of Maycomb revert to the stereotype that all blacks are immoral and criminals. “Quote” shows that it is a situation where little is possible to do when defending a black man because the town of Maycomb is deeply affected by racism they tend to only make decisions based on the race and so immediately think Tom Robinson is guilty, that he did indeed raped Mayella when there was so much evidence to prove otherwise. This is challenging for Atticus, since he has to persuade everyone to pretend there is no stereotype about blacks and that they are human

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about the struggles and many issues that happened in the south when racism was very big, and is seen through the eyes of a young girl. One of the issues Scout doesn't understand is the idea of racism. The Ku Klux Klan was very popular during the time period that the book takes place. Many events that took place in the book could have easily been influenced by the Ku Klux Klan. It also explains the message they depicted against blacks.

Basic Situation: The main characters for To Kill A Mockingbird are Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, Jem Finch, Atticus Finch, Boo Radley, Robert Ewell, Mayella Violet Ewell, Dill Harris, and Tom Robinson.

The theme of To Kill a Mockingbird is developed through the character of Tom Robinson and his court case. To paraphrase, Mayella Ewell and her father accused Tom of rape. Because Tom was a black man, he was automatically assumed to be guilty. On page 294, Atticus, Jem and Scout’s father, states that, “Tom Robinson’s a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world’s going to say ‘We think you’re guilty, but not very,’ on a charge like that.” This shows that the jury, along with just about everyone else, thought Tom to be guilty, even though he wasn’t. It was a black man versus a white man, and in that day and age, Tom didn’t stand a chance.

Conflicts happened because of the competition for power and expansion between a nation, or an empire. An example of this is in the book when it was talking about the Boston Tea Party in December 16, 1773. The British Government wanted to keep its power over the colonies and that ultimately lead to conflicts, revolts and war. “The British government responded in March 1774 by declaring the port of Boston closed until the East India Company had been compensated for its losses. This was the first of the so-called Coercive Acts--a series of laws passed in 1774 in which the British attempted to assert their authority over the colonies but instead succeeded only in enraging the colonists further ultimately prompted the outbreak of the revolutionary

In the book To Kill a Mockingbird we learn that Atticus is defending a black man named Tom Robinson in court. Tom Later reveals during the trial that he helped Mayella Ewell, the girl that is accusing him for raping and beating her, with a couple of household chores and states that he "felt sorry for her" (Lee 264) because "she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em" (Lee 264) This showing of empathy from Tom Robinson brought his ultimate downfall when he was convicted by a full jury of whites even though she was made a liar when she was questioned by Atticus. The jury stubbornly believed that her word was better than Tom's because she was

In the book, Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella. Tom is an african american while Mayella is white. Tom is convicted of doing something he didn’t do, but since he was black it was easy to put the blame on him. Atticus Finch is his defense attorney, and he does a very good job of at least making the jury think about the possibility of Tom being innocent. In Atticus’s closing statement it says, “The truth is this: some negroes lie, some negroes are immoral...But this is a truth that applies to the human race”(Lee 273). Since there was a stereotype that all blacks were bad Tom was easily found guilty. Which the truth is really that not all bad people are black and not all black people are bad. While in jail Tom is almost attacked by other community members. They go to his jail cell, but Atticus was waiting for them. The book says, “They gone?”...”Get some sleep Tom. They won’t bother you any more”(Lee 206). Atticus was waiting for them to show up, so he could defend Tom. They came to kill Tom and take the law into their own hands. They didn’t want the chance of having him get out since they just assumed he was guilty since he was black. There were some people who reacted to Tom’s trial as people reacted to Sacco and

Therefore, the mockingbird and Robinson's voice commonly are not paid attention to throughout the whole novel. "It couldn't be worse Jack. The only thing we've got is a black man's word against the Ewells. The jury couldn't possibly be expected to take Tom Robinson's word against the Ewells." (88) This quote from Atticus is noteworthy for it implies that regardless of what Tom Robinson claims in the court, the jury is expected to stand on the white man's side. Although the jury at court is supposed to make objective decisions, along the other villagers, he displays a definite bias against the black man. If there is any responsibility that falls upon Tom, it would be the responsibility for chopping wood and providing help for Mayella who is reflected as the loneliest person on earth in the eyes of Scout. However, the mockingbird figure is wrongly accused of things that he has never done or even imagined. Although there is a sufficient amount of proof that Robinson is innocent, it is ignored after all, and he is imprisoned. Emphasizing this, Atticus tells his son Jem: "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins." (220) This

In this time and place if you are white you automatically hold more power than those who are black. Mayella is a white, southern lady, and with that comes exponential power even though she is not what most citizens in the town would consider “natural”. Mayella uses her race to keep her control over Tom and the community in the trial. Reverend Sykes, a strong leader and mentor in Maycomb for the colored community, warns Jem from experience not to be too self-assured when it comes to the outcome of the trial: “Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a white man….” (Lee 21.279). Even though Atticus has shown a considerable amount of evidence to prove that Tom Robinson did not rape Mayella, the jury along with the town would rather prosecute an innocent colored man than sacrifice the power they hold. Mayella’s race power also controls Tom’s ability to tell the full story without breaking some major societal rules: “‘Yes, suh. I felt right, sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-” “You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her? Mr. Gilmer seemed to ready to rise to the ceiling. The witness realized his mistake and shifted uncomfortably in the chair. But the damage was done” (Lee 19.264). Tom is unable to express what his true emotions were towards Mayella, because of the race power she holds.

As a black man in Maycomb, Tom Robinson receives a lot of negativity from the white folks in town during his trial. In reality, Tom Robinson is a very kind person who did work for Mayella Ewell because “[he] was glad to do it, Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help [Mayella] none, and neither did the chillun, and [he] knowed [Mayella] didn’t have no nickels to spare.” (256) Tom Robinson, holding quite a demanding job, also wanted to help out Mayella for free in such a crisis because he felt like she has no one else to help her. Like a mockingbird who sings for sheer goodness, Tom helped Mayella because he felt bad for her, only to be shot like a mockingbird, “seventeen bullet holes in him” (315). After his death, Mr. Underwood published an article,

Although during the 1950’s it was said to be “separate but equal” the African Americans were still treated with disrespect like sitting in the back of the bus or even had to use a separate bathroom than white people, so when the trial started most of the people would believe the “victims” story since she was white. This trial would not even happened if Tom Robinson would have walked passed Mayella instead of helping her with a dresser that was clearly not in need of being fixed.Which the Mockingbird represents all that is good and Tom Robinson is obviously a prime example of that because no matter what was thrown at him he still helped people when they

Tom Robinson is a young black man in the story who was put on trial because he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Atticus Finch, a white man, was Tom Robinson’s lawyer who tried to prove to the court that Tom Robinson was innocent and didn't rape Mayella; but because Atticus was white and he was defending a black man, everyone in Maycomb talked about Atticus behind his back for defending a black man, because racism played a big role during this time. Racism was so big in this story that because Tom Robinson was black, he was proven guilty anyway and sentenced to death, even though he was innocent and Mayella had made up the whole story. The problem is that Mayella accused Tom Robinson of raping her just because he was a black man. Plus, Tom Robinson had a mutilated hand, which would’ve made it harder for him to rape Mayella, “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him” (Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Grand Central Publishing, 1982) If Tom Robinson were a white man, Mayella probably would have never even accused him and Tom Robinson would have never been sentenced to

Tom, a black man was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white women, and she took it to court. Mr. Gilmer questions, “‘You're a mighty good fellow, it seems—did all this for not one penny?’ ‘Yes, suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-‘ ‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling.” (Lee, 264). Tom was a good guy, so it didn’t make much sense on why Mayella tried to make him look like some monster that raped her. It was easy for Mayella to make Tom look bad, because Tom (a black man) doesn’t nearly have as good as a life as Mayella, (a white woman). Yet, Tom tells everyone that he feels bad for Mayella. In their society, Tom shouldn’t think this because in everyone else’s minds, he isn’t the same and can’t be better than her so how could he feel bad for her? However he acknowledges that he feels bad for Mayella and wanted to help her. Tom was accused of something he did not do because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Mayella got away with accusing Tom because she’s white and he’s black, symbolizing another example of a mockingbird in Maycomb. Later, Tom was shot 17 times trying to run out of jail because he knew he was supposed to be a freeman. Scout explains, “Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom

Tom Robinson wants to be killed by everyone because of what “he” did to Mayella. “He chunked me on the floor an’ choked me’n took advantage of me” (Lee 241). This relate to Tom being a mockingbird and being in the minority. For even if he didn’t take advantage of her he is still going to jail or sentenced to death. Since he’s black this is said because Atticus said, “When it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Lee 295).

After Tom Robinson was killed, Maycomb said, “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was Typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run …. Funny thing, Atticus Finch might’ve gotten him off scot free, but wait - ? Hell no. You know how they are…. Nigger always comes out in ‘em’” (Lee 275). Because the townspeople of Maycomb think it is typical of African Americans to run from prison, the townspeople are indirectly saying Tom Robinson is wrong. Anything that is stereotypical of an African American to do is wrong according to Maycomb; thus, he deserved his death. In addition, Maycomb has another reason why Tom Robinson made a mistake of running from jail. Because Atticus Finch might have been able to free him, the townspeople claim Tom made a blunder in running away from prison. However, a stronger argument is Tom Robinson is a mockingbird. In the trial, Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor, was interrogating Tom Robinson, “‘But you weren’t in a fix - you testified you were resisting Miss Ewell. Were you so scared she’d hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you?’ …. ‘No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do’” (Lee 225). Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he was helping Mayella Ewell with a chore when she accused him of rape. As a result, Tom Robinson is a mockingbird since he helped others around him rather than harm