To Kill A Mockingbird Faults In Our Society

When Jem an’ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too…” (113) Atticus exhibits fairness with his

Atticus is guarding the jailhouse to make sure no one hurts Tom Robinson before his trial, when he is approached by Walter Cunningham and his fellow goons. Atticus shows his bravery by standing his ground for what he believes is right in front of his son. When Scout lashes out to her father’s side, Jem holds onto her and tries to stop her from interfering. Then Jem refuses to go home and stands up for his father’s side although the odds were against them, while trying to protect his sister from harm. In page 152, chapter 15, Scout says, “... but from the way he stood, Jem was not thinking of budging.” This shows us that Jem has matured from the boy who would do anything if dared, to a young man who can barricade his emotions and proceed with reason in difficult situations.

Some people never change – you just get to know them better. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a complex novel about a young girl, Scout, learning about the world of Maycomb with her brother Jem and friend Dill. Harper Lee uses To Kill a Mockingbird to show how the perception of the unknown changes with age and knowledge through Bildungsroman and Othering aspects throughout the novel. This is mainly displayed in Scout’s constantly changing idea of, and attitude towards, Boo Radley.

Over the course of the novel, the reader watches Jem mature from age 10 to age 13, growing up from a brave and playful boy, to a calm, collected young man similar to the likes of his father Atticus. One of the most important life lessons that Atticus teaches Jem is to always do the right thing even if it’s the hardest thing to do. Atticus Finch is known as a man who is “the same in his house as he is on the public streets.” (Lee, pg. 61) He lived by morals, and always abade by them. After Atticus took up the court case of Tom Robinson, a coloured man, he had many people insult him and make fun of him. Atticus knew that he couldn’t refuse the case, as he stated “before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”(Lee, pg.140) Atticus took the job that no person wanted, especially knowing that he was going to lose the case before it even began. In doing so, Atticus shows Jem that you should always be a man of your morals, that you should always do the right thing even if it is the hardest thing to do. Although he has a hard time understanding Atticus’ actions at first, Jem begins to comprehend his father’s values in the world around him, with more mature eyes.

He implies if one does not follow their conscience will, they will live overwhelmed by guilt. Here, the moral of human beings is threatened by the recurring subject of racism, as well as discrimination issues. Jem is an epitome of a corrupted person as he justifies that Atticus is wrong because everyone else thinks so. Nevertheless, he finds himself after the testimony is given. When it comes time for the trial, Jem follows it closely. Having grown up in the home of a lawyer, Jem understands the workings of the courtroom, besides its racial bias. Once the judge goes over the evidence, Jem becomes increasingly confident that Atticus won but his belief that Tom is innocent contrasts with what actually occurs: Tom is found guilty. While looking at Jem, Scout sees how his “shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between them.” By comparing Jem’s reaction to a “stab,” Lee not only shows Jem receiving blows of devastation over the case and feeling physically attacked but also points to the broader attack on things that Jem thought were once true. This is something that causes him great emotional pain as he has a hard time coming to terms with general unfairness. Jem has counted on the strength of bigotry but in

Throughout the he starts to become aware of the guilty verdict against Tom is unjust to the extreme. Even though the townspeople and jury see clearly in just how much evidence proves Robinson’s innocence they still sentence him to death. Jem becomes frustrated that the impact upons Robinson’s and the statement of inequality and prejudice is all based on one fact of their daily life racism. Jem’s cries symbolizes that he is so upset, angered, and saddened by what he sees as an injustice that he breaks down and cries.

During the process of the trial, Jem experiences his coming of age and lost innocence moment by opening his eyes to the racism he is constantly surrounded by. When Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem instantly matured and realized how racism in Maycomb was the only reason Tom lost. After Tom was declared guilty, the kids walked with Atticus, “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’” (Lee, 1960, p. 284). Throughout the entirety of the trial, Jem was blinded by his innocence and thought there was no possible way that Tom could lose the trial. It was the moment when the jury declared Tom Robinson guilty that Jem lost his innocence and started opening his eyes to the world. This quote illustrates how frustrated Jem was by the unfairness of the trial. Jem now understands the only reason Tom Robinson lost the trial was because of his skin color. Due to his young age, he had not yet succumb to the disease of Maycomb and realized racism is not right. Furthermore, when Tom Robinson lost the trial, Jem’s perspective of Maycomb changed Jem is left to understand the reality of people’s biased opinions. When talking to Miss Maudie, Jem described to her, “‘It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a

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

“How could they do it, how could they” “I don’t know but they did it. They have done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it-seem that only children weep. Goodnight” This quote is basically showing, even though Jem has grown up and matured a great deal over the course of the novel his reaction to the outcome of the trial reveals that he is still a child because he fails to comprehend the prejudice in Maycomb County.

Jem starts to become more responsible and mature. Jem begins to learn about the case and it interests him. He discovers that Tom Robinson is being discriminated causing him to lose the case, and Jem responds by saying, “It ain’t right,” he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting” (Lee, 212). Jem is heartbroken and realizes that Tom is innocent when he lost the case. Jem reveals that he is maturing and learning about how society treats black people.

Literacy Essay “Mockingbird” refers to the innocence in persons identity in this novel. The author of to kill a mockingbird is Harper Lee and published in 1960. Boo Radley is defined as a mockingbird in the novel for his kindness, his generosity towards people and helping people without expectation of return. Boo Radley is a victim of the society’s prejudice, who is hurt and destroyed by the evil of the mankind. When jem is talking about Boo radley and saying “ There was a long jagged, car that ran across his face, what teeth he had were yellow and rotton; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.”

During the trial against Tom Robinson, Jem is always mumbling to himself and explaining his point of view. He believes wholeheartedly in the case and its injustice. While Mr. Ewell is testifying, Scout observes, “Jem seemed to be having quite a fit. He was pounding the balcony rail softly, and once he whispered, ‘We've got him” (Lee 238). Unlike Scout, Jem understands everything that is going on at the trial.

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a beautiful story depicting a family living in the South of the 1930’s, and their struggle against the prejudice which was common to that time. The book centers on Atticus Finch, the father of the family as well as a lawyer, and his fight against prejudice. We see the story unfold through the innocent eyes of his young daughter, Scout, who is free from prejudice and not yet jaded. By viewing events as Scout sees them, the author shows us how to overcome prejudices, and gain tolerance.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has become a mainstay in American high-schools. This is a classic novel that has inspired many people of all ages. It had a big impact on how people viewed and treated each other. This is a story that teaches everyone about the value of honesty, love, friendship and trust. Every word written in this book has a truly deep meaning to it. The time period that the book was written in was during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. This setting was in a small town in Maycomb, Alabama with people who did not get along. During this time there was a lot of segregation within America and different races. To Kill a Mockingbird is about a family who believes in doing the right thing and being honest. There was a

The moment where Tom Robinson is found guilty, is not only heartbreaking for Scout and Atticus who believed in his innocence, but it is also heartbreaking for the audience who wants the best for our protagonist. The filmmakers beautifully manipulate the audience’s emotions, we feel anger at the white jury who cannot see pass their prejudices and Bob Ewell the one who should be convicted, but we also feel sympathy and pity for Tom Robinson and for Scout who experiences the real world for what it was at the time. These emotions are crucial to the representation of the theme of racism. Due to the historical feelings of America in the 1960s, the film needed to show the cruelty and use strong emotions, but also logic in order to reach the hearts of those who encouraged segregation.