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Secondary Characters In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a beloved American classic set in 1930’s Alabama. The novel follows the lives of two children, Jem and Scout, as they grow up. However, the theme of this story is cultivated by two secondary characters-- Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. From them, we find out that things are not always as they seem to be. 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.
Even so, Atticus was Tom’s lawyer and he intended to fight for him. Atticus defended Tom to the absolute best of his ability. His evidence was very strong and refuted that of Mayella and her father, Bob. On page 272, Atticus argues that, “[Bob Ewell] did what any God-fearing, persevering, respectable white man would do under the circumstances-- he swore out a warrant, no doubt signing it with his left hand, and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he

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