Theme Of Openness In To Kill A Mockingbird

To begin, Tom Robinson is a “Mockingbird”.Tom Robinson is a mockingbird because he was wrongly accused of rape in spite of being an overachieving member of society.We know this because in the book Atticus said “ And so a quiet, respectable, humble Negro who had the unmitigated temerity to “feel sorry “ for a white woman has had to put his word against 2 white peoples”[204]This explains how throughout the case Tom had been exhibiting honesty and nothing except the truth.Ultimately, this shows that throughout the case Atticus had gotten not only enough evidence to prove his innocence to himself but also enough to try and compele the jury into changing their mindsets about the case.Not to mention he also demonstrated sympathy towards a white woman henceforth it was strictly unacceptable.Considering everything, Tom Robinson was a mockingbird because he was innocent, respectable, helpful and sympathetic.He was just a mockingbird caught between the sights.

During the court case, Link Deas, the man Tom Robinson works for rose from his seat and announced, “I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boy’s worked for me for eight years an’ I ain’t had a speck o’ trouble outa him. Not a speck” (Lee 195). Also, others had physical evidence which they believed why Tom was innocent. As Atticus states, “She was white, and she tempted a negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable. She kissed a black man. No code mattered to her before she broke it, but it came crashing down on her afterwards” (Lee

Tom Robinson’s trial was a hard one to watch, but it was so intriguing for the kids. Jem, Dill, and Scout just had to watch, so they left their house without permission to go see their dad defend Tom Robinson against Mayella Ewell. Jem thought that Atticus had a good chance at winning due to his cross-examination questions and the evidence he had. Once all of the jury’s votes came in unanimously as guilty, Jem started to realize what a twisted thing racism was. “I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: “Guilty … guilty… guilty...guilty” I peeked over at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each “guilty” was a separate stab between them” (Lee 282). This quote really shows that Jem cares deeply for the trial and Tom Robinson. He does not understand why people are so rude to black people just because of skin color and he just wants everything to be equal. “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered” (Lee 284). Jem’s anger reflected the unfairness towards Tom Robinson and the fact that justice was not served. During the trial Jem never seemed too phased by Bob Ewell’s attorney Mr. Gilmer clearly showing that Tom was worthless, because he thought that his dad was a

Great authors use different literary elements to display their thoughts. To Kill a Mcokingbird, a novel written by Harper Lee, takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, during the years of the Great Depression. The novel focuses on Scout Finch, a 6 year old tomboy, and her brother Jem. They both begin realize all of the social issues, such as rape and inequality, that happens in their community throughout the course of the plot. Many people were racist against black people and judgemental against people who were not like them during this time period in the south but Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, did not want his children to become influenced by these people. Harper Lee uses literary devices such as characterization, symbolism, and conflict to develop

He shows this by going out of his way to help Mayella. Tom testifies, “Mr. Ewell didn’t seem to help her none (256)…” This shows his generosity as he helped her for no reward, just out of the kindness of his heart. Tom is an honest man who is prejudiced because of his skin colour. Scout realises, “It occurred to me that in their own way, Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s (260).” Since the community has the utmost respect for Atticus it shows that racism is the only reason they will not believe him. Lastly, Tom was killed for a crime he didn’t commit. “He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds (323)…” As an innocent man, Tom did not deserve to be killed for this crime. Even though Tom is not guilty, because of the Maycomb’s racism his innocent life was

Atticus knows what kind of A situation Tom Robinson is in, and feels sorry for him, this quote explains. Atticus wants to help the poor soul, and try to deliver him a fair trial. Atticus has to support Tom Robinson to keep his character in shape, to be a just lawyer, and to help his personal qualities, such as his patience and wisdom,

Atticus knows Tom is innocent and wants to defend him, since no one else wants to. Like he said to his son Jem Q2“Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. ”(pg.119)What he means by that is that if you know someone hasn't done anything wrong and you do something wrong to them, it's a sin. He shows courage by helping an african american in a court case accused of raping a white woman with the only evidence to help is Tom Robinson's word for it.

Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in the book. Tom is placed in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. The crime he was accused of was raping a 19 year old white girl named Mayella Ewell. In the book Tom states in the trial that he had been to the Ewell’s house before to help Mayella because he felt bad for her. She offers to pay him for the help, but he declined the offer and does the deed. Atticus was Tom’s lawyer. Atticus actually proves Tom’s innocence in the trial, but of course since Tom is a black man who supposedly committed a crime against a white girl he would have to face jail time. Before the trial everyone knew Tom was going to be guilty even if he didn’t commit the crime. While Tom was in jail he tried to escape, but ended up being

A man is not hired because of his religion; a woman paid less because of her gender and a gay man is treated differently than a straight man. Every day people are influenced by others. These influences change outcomes; ruin lives and affect others. Throughout the whole novel of To Kill A Mockingbird, people’s opinions were influenced by the disgusting rumors flowing through the little town of Maycomb. People like Jem, Mr. Cunningham and every man on that jury were influenced and these rumors mixed with unknowingness of all of them they convicted an innocent man, endangered a good man and harassed a shy one. If people including Jem, Mr. Cunningham and the jury fixed the blemish that society has endowed them with and developed a sense of individualism and rid of the fear of it, instead of following society, then many outcomes and beliefs would be different.

He asked him questions like “Did you do this to Mayella?” and “Why did you help her out at all?” Tom responded that he did not commit the crime he was being accused of and that he felt sorry for her, and that’s why he decided to help her out. Then Atticus asked if Tom could catch a cup with his left hand, and he said that he couldn’t because he was disabled in that arm, and then he noticed that the punch marks on Mayella’s face, were on the left and it wasn’t likely that Tom could of punched her.

Firstly, Tom Robinson is just one character that is prejudged in the novel. He is accused of raping a white girl named Mayella and it is a problem to the jury that a black man is trying to defend himself in court. Atticus realizes how Tom is being treated unfairly and that it is uncommon for African Americans and white people to associate with each other. During Atticus’s speech, Mayella is accused of lying in her testimony when “she kissed a black man [which is] something that in our society is unspeakable” (Lee 272). The black man who Atticus refers to is Tom. He is ridiculed and judged by several people in the book and he gets all this

With the racial tension so high during this time period, Tom's innocence was lost before he could even defend himself. This was shown through Atticus's reply to Scout's question of, "Will we win?" Atticus answered no because the case was lost before it began. Tom Robinson's response to his loss of innocence was to simply run away from the problem that had befallen him. For his attempted escape Tom suffered the highest consequence, "They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over" (235). Due to Tom's decision on how to respond, he was killed even though he was placed in his position no thanks to himself. Tom Robinson chose poorly when it came to his response towards his loss of innocence and it cost him his life.

During the trial Scout notices that Tom Robinsons arm is withered and that he couldn’t do the crime in the way Mayella Ewell said he did. Atticus calls only one witness which is Tom Robinson. Tom tells the true story, being careful to not come right out and say that Mayella is lying. Tom makes a mistake when he admits under cross-examination that he, a black man, felt sorry for Mayella

Atticus displays tremendous courage in his commitment to defend Tom Robinson, which is an extremely unpopular decision in the eyes of an ignorant community. Despite the criticism and threats targeting his work and his children, Atticus remains loyal to his own conscience. As he explains to Scout, “‘This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience-Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (analysis, not summary) Atticus’s unwavering commitment is apparent during the night before the trial as he spends the night at the jailhouse and withstands a brutal lynch mob intent on making Tom Robinson their prey.

“To Kill A Mockingbird” (1960), by Harper Lee, emphasizes and displays many different philosophical ideas. These ideas are about innocence, segregation, knowledge, and reality. Ideas include the right for all races to be treated as equals, and not be judged or segregated by the color of their skin. “To Kill A Mockingbird” especially emphasizes that children, as they grow into their teen and pre-teen years, start to realize their environment and observe the way people act. This is the idea of reality. Children will start having sophisticated and intelligent ideas whether adults like it or not but the children will fight even if parents don’t think they have a mind of their own. Children start disobeying and showing signs of rebellion.The environment we live in influences the way we think, it takes away our innocence because of bad things that happen, and give us a base to form our ideas on. Two siblings; Jean Louise “Scout” Finch, and Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch. Their Father, a southern lawyer defending a black-American man accused of rape and beating a white woman. Jem and scout are 10 and 6 at the beginning of the book. But end up being 13 and 9 by the end, Jem being the oldest. Jem and scout, along with many other characters in the book, like Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, and Charles Baker “Dill” Harris all have a message linked to them in the book.