The Relevance of Black and White in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Race is the dominant cause of inequality in To Kill A Mockingbird, thus Maycomb’s views on race heavily influence every aspect of life. Although racial inequality is clearly illustrated in the in the injustice, prejudice, discrimination and antagonism surrounding the Tom Robinson trial, it is also shown more subtly throughout the novel. In chapter 25 Atticus Finch is quoted disclosing that the corrupt justice system is a direct cause of a racist society. “In our courts, when it's a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (Pg 295). To emphasize, on the same occasion Atticus attempts to explain to his children how widely spread racism is, “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men everyday of your life”

In Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed” (Lee, 245). As To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in the 1930’s, for a white woman to accuse a man of color of committing a crime would mean that the man has been declared guilty before they are given a chance to defend themselves, leading to false convictions. Even if they were to be given the chance to try to save themselves from an unjust verdict, the juries normally consisted of white men, consequently leading to an inevitable conviction. With Tom Robinson being a black man and Mayella Ewell being a white woman, this was the reality for Tom when he was accused of raping Mayella. With this accusation, it became very clear who exactly had been infected with “Maycomb’s usual disease”(Lee, 91) especially Bob Ewell, Mayella’s father. Racism and injustice are both heavy influences in To Kill A Mockingbird as the story takes place in 1930 where many white people had racist views towards people of color, giving white people a higher status in Maycomb County, Alabama, thus giving them more power than people of color. This played a large role in one of the bigger conflicts in the story with Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson as the two men hold to different social statuses showing everyone their true colors. Throughout the novel we are presented with numerous quotes showing how Tom Robinson and Mr. Bob Ewell acted before the trial and how the trial has showed us what their true intentions are.

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch states: “The evil assumption- that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are basically immoral beings, that all Negro men are not to be trusted around our women… Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson’s skin” (pg.232). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the story of a lawyer’s two children growing up in Maycomb, Alabama to a world that seems more and more corrupt to them. The side plot of the Tom Robinson v. Ewell family case highlights some of the more corrupt and wicked elements of the general Maycomb views. Thus, Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell show the prejudice between whites and blacks.

In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird, an unknown killer lies within the citizens of Maycomb. Many people would claim that the prison guards with the guns killed Tom Robinson, while the true killer manifests in the form of prejudice. Though the discrimination seems visible, many people still choose to overlook it. Prejudice did not only killed Tom, but contributes to a larger problem in their society. Tom Robinson is an African American man from Maycomb, Alabama, wrongfully accused of sexual assaulting a white women named by the name of Mayella.

The first part of the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee is discretely filled with the ingrained racism of Maycomb county. Black and White people were clearly separated in the county and how they were separated physically. While in the second part, Tom Robinson’s trial exposes how deep Maycomb’s racism went. While good men, who seemed to be respectful and good, showed how they felt about Tom, Scout and Jem started to understand what had been hidden deep in Maycomb’s heart. Even though they had lived there all their life, they had only then realized and saw in person what a black man was to the county. Even the Ewells, who were ‘trash’ for many, were defended against one of the most respectable black men in the county. The trial was

Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel that is relevant to society due to the fact that it applies to the many of the issues that still remain in society and it should be taught to students in schools today because of the several lessons learned from different characters and plots. In the past, many people were very prejudiced against the people who occupy the environment with them because of the racial, cultural, and economical differences between them. To Kill A Mockingbird shows how prejudiced people were towards others that had colored skin. In the events of Tom Robinson’s trial, people discovered the truth about the Ewells and how Mayella had made up the

To begin, injustice exists among the people of Maycomb and influences their opinions. The white people of Maycomb thought of themselves as higher than the black population because of their status within the city. People took a white woman’s word over a black man’s word any day. For instance, the jury deemed Tom Robinson guilty, despite all of the conflicting evidence. Later, Scout

In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” racism is the main problem. Whether it be white folks fighting white folks over their “nigger loving” ways or, in Tom Robinson’s case, black folks being wrongly accused of crimes they didn’t commit. The opinions of the citizens in Maycomb varied tremendously, but the thoughts of the children (Jem and Scout), their father Atticus, and the townspeople varied the most.

When Scout asked Atticus if he defended “niggers”, he responded with “Of course I do. Don’t say nigger, Scout. That’s common.”(Lee 99) Atticus demonstrates his thoughts about racism through how he responds to his daughter, Scout. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird portrays life in Maycomb County in the 1930s through the eyes of a six year old. Atticus struggles to protect his children, Scout and Jem, from the evils of racism that abide within everyone around them. His values are put to the test when he is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of rapeing a white woman. This novel portrays themes of change versus tradition, whether family is a blessing or a curse, and loss of innocence through Atticus Finch and

In the riveting masterpiece of a novel To Kill A Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, the small town of Maycomb is awakened by the events that occur in the juvenile years of the main character who goes by Scout. Formally known as Jean Louise Finch, Scout leads readers through roughly a third of a decade in the sleepy old town in which she inhabits. Through this time frame, there is one event that reveals the true personalities of the townspeople. The event that caused such a powerful awakening in the town is the trial of a man named Tom Robinson. The reason for the improvement of the existence of the trial is due to the fact that Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of raping a young white girl. The steps taken to resolve the case

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set in a small Southern United States community called Maycomb during the Great Depression era. Even though the whole book primarily revolves around Scout and her life of growing up, she also learns about segregation and racism and how it relates to Maycomb’s history. It eventually leads to the trial of Tom Robinson where he is accused of beating up and raping Mayella Ewell. Even though it was clear that Tom Robinson did not do anything wrong, he was convicted by an all white jury simply because he was black. The trial of Tom Robinson and its verdict shows an example of how segregation in the court system prevents fair trials from occurring.

During Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus had said “She was white, and tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable, she kissed a black man.” It was certain that Tom Robinson would be convicted solely because he is a black man.” The result had been unjust because not only did Tom not rape Mayella, he was resisting her attempt to kiss him and did not deserve to be accused of rape. The decision of Tom’s trial is a form of Social Injustice and the deciding factor was racism.

When first reading the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, the importance of social and historical context is immense. The magnitude of social inequality in this book relates to what was happening during that time period. The prejudice of what happened to Tom Robinson links to what occurred to the Scottsboro boys because both were convicted based on their skin color and not on the evidence. At that time, people hated anyone whose skin color wasn’t white. The evidence is clear whether its segregation, inequitable court rooms, and this is why the jury disregarded the evidence and sentenced Tom Robinson for something that he didn’t do.

In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the recurring theme of racial injustice plays a major role in how the narrorator, Scout and her brother Jem mature, and how the story unfolds. When a white woman is raped, the townspeople of Maycomb are quick to blame an innocent black man Tom Robinson. An accusation solely based on the color of his skin. The evidence is so compelling in Robinson’s favor, that race,unquestionably, is the defining component in the jury's conclusion. When Scout and Jem's father, Atticus, who is a lawyer, agrees to defend Tom Robinson, he exposes his family to the threats of the racist residents of Maycomb.

“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” --Martin Luther King, Jr., a civil right activist. Throughout the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, they are constantly talking about how people are different. The main difference they talk about is skin tone. They mention many times that black people are not as good as whites. They say that a white man’s word will always win against a black man’s word. The white people treat black people like absolute garbage. The themes of inequality and cruelty in the book is shown through Tom Robinson, Calpurnia’s church, and Atticus. The people in Maycomb County are not fair to black people, like Tom Robinson. They don’t give Tom a fair court trial! The people(white) don’t let the black people mix in with them too. For example, they don’t let black people go to the same church as them. Also, people(like Mrs. Dubose) call Atticus names and gives him crap all because he is trying to help a black man by defending him in court.