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Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Decent Essays

The youthful innocence and childhood ends when a child is exposed to tragedy. The grim reality of adult life can ruin a child’s positive outlook on life. For example, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout’s traumatic experience made her see her town in a whole new way after witnessing Tom Robinson’s trial. She now see the bias and racism that the men she sees everyday. As Scout read Mr. Underwood’s editorial, she realized the truth about the unfairness of the trail. The excerpt that displays Scout’s thoughts says, “How could this be so, I wondered, as I read Mr. Underwood's editorial. Senseless killing—Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death; he had been tried openly and convicted by twelve good men and true; my father had fought for him all the way. Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: 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 was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed,” (Lee 323). Scout is discouraged when she realized the moral advice that Atticus had given her had failed in the courtroom. In Tom’s trial, she saw how racism trumps justice. In The Pact, Mike suffers a great loss at such a young age. The death of his best friend was a traumatic event that went with him his whole life. As weeks passed after Ricky’s death, Mike felt an overwhelming sense of regret that weighed on his heart forever. An excerpt from the book states,

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