Tom Robinson best reflects a mockingbird, illustrated through his guilty conviction despite his innocence during the trial, the mob attempting to lynch him at the jailhouse, and his wrongful murder by a prison guard. In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, many characters symbolize a Mockingbird, but Tom Robinson, hands down, most represents the characteristics and traits of a Mockingbird, which shows through his innocence and bravery. Tom Robinson is a Negro man who faces racism throughout his life and never has a fair shot because of the color of his skin. Tom Robinson is on trial, accused of beating and raping a white woman named Mayella Ewell. The prosecution has no substantial evidence to prove Tom was liable, however, a jury …show more content…
“‘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. Right in front of them—”'(Lee 268) This quote shows how innocent Tom is because all he wants to do is go back to his three kids and wife. He almost made it over to freedom where he could try to get back to his family, but Tom didn't make it over. The guards say that Tom Robinson would have made it over the fence if he had two good arms, but while trying to escape Tom Robinson is shot seventeen times. Everyone Tom saw said he was so kindhearted and was always there or ready to give a helping hand if need be, and that truly does represent everything a Mockingbird stands for. Tom's death has such an impact on everyone that even Aunt Alexandra has empathy for a black man and that shows something. Later after Toms death Atticus is explaining to Scout why Tom is going to be forgotten and says,“‘What was one Negro, more or less, among two hundred of ‘em?’ He wasn't Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner.”’(Lee 269) All Tom Robinson has ever been seen as is just a black man who was irrelevant to the rest of the world, just a shadow that always causes trouble. Yet he is just a mockingbird trying to make people happy. Just because of his race, Tom Robinson is sentenced to inevitable death. His words meant nothing, and because Mayella was white everyone believed
Titus Smith Mrs. Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 Who is to blame? Mayella Ewell had no evidence to prove Tom was guilty, but on Tom's side, there was specific evidence that proves he is innocent. The story of, ¨To Kill a Mocking Bird¨ by Harper Lee, is about a little girl living through the experiences of a court case between a local family daughter Mayella Ewell, and a black man Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused by Mayella of rape when he came to the Ewell house to help her. Mayella invited Tom inside to help her and considering Tom Robinson was a black man, the community already did not treat him well.
Tom Robinson and many others like him have been victims of racism in the United State. Tom Robinson was a character in To Kill A Mockingbird and he was falsely accused of a crime and then was later killed for it. Tom Robinson from To Kill A Mockingbird is the best representation of racism because of its historically accurate representation of racism when he was almost lynched and later judged by the jury on his case. Tom Robinson is also current accuracy in the fact that he was a victim of police brutality.
In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, a mockingbird is someone who does nothing wrong, and only does things for the good of others, and is sometimes thought of in the wrong light. Tom Robinson is a black man from Maycomb, Alabama, who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a woman from the same town. Robinson is a crippled man, who only has one arm after it being destroyed in a cotton gin, and he helps Mayella with small tasks free of charge whenever he is asked. Tom
Cael Schofield Mrs. Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 The Innocence of Tom Robinson African Americans are often judged by the color of their skin. This is shown in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, it takes place in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama where African American named Tom Robinson is accused of mistreating a woman named Mayella Ewell. Mayella is the daughter of Bob Ewell and they have one of the messiest home lives in the town.
Innocence is the lack of knowledge of a person understanding towards certain subjects. Which often makes people react in many ways or it changes the person's point of views. Through the children one thing that makes them so pure and beautiful is there quality of being innocent in certain situations of the book. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the author Harper Lee is showing that life is full of innocence whether it be through lack of knowledge, being unaware of the bias, or avoiding the selfishness of others opinions.
Tom died because he lost hope and therefore tried to escape from prison but got shot seventeen times, as a result. In summary, Tom Robinson represents the mockingbird because he was failed by the justice
Sofia Martinez Mrs. Keisha Lennon Language Arts 9 January 19, 2023 Rough Draft: Literary Analysis Final Draft: Literary Analysis Violent disunity, wrongful conviction, untimely death. The character Tom Robinson in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird represents or symbolizes all the black people who are treated wrongly. Tom Robinson is a black man in the book. He was wrongfully convicted of raping a girl when he was only helping her.
African Americans were loved by most and welcomed into their household, but they were also still resented and hated by some. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Tom Robinson was resented and falsely accused by the people in the community of doing a hateful crime. Tom Robinson is a colored man in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. Society at that time did not treat people like him fondly.
Tom Robinson is considered a mockingbird because he was slaughtered for doing nothing but trying to live his life, “...There’s a black boy dead for reason” (Lee 233). In the quote when it talks about the "senseless slaughter," and the unreasonable, unjustifiable death, it relates to Tom because he is being punished for his false accusations, and it relates to an innocent mockingbird being killed. Tom Robinson symbolizes an innocent fragile songbird because he does no harm to society, his voice is ignored by almost everyone, and he gets shot and killed just like an innocent fragile songbird which reaches the theme of the novel, ‘To kill a mockingbird’. The book exploration of the moral nature of human beings—that is, whether people are essentially good or essentially
Uniquely in many ways Tom Robinson is shown as a mockingbird. They wondered why Mayella couldn't be like Mr. Dolphus and enjoy the company of negroes. The author states “Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her” (Lee 257). The quote is saying how he was a kind person
Tom Robinson is a vulnerable member of society, sent to his death by men privileged because of the whiteness of their skin, and a perfect example of a “mockingbird”: innocence tarnished by
¨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¨(pg 241). Tom Robinson, a young black man accused of a crime, is a main example of blindness to prejudice throughout the novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Taking place within the Great Depression and the Jim Crow era, these issues affected many people's lives. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee writes about issues with prejudice that are presented often through racism, social class, and sexism.
Later, he was arrested and sadly killed after trying to escape out of prison. Unfortunately, this changes very little about how the people of Maycomb view him, therefore causing to reinforce the stereotypes about African Americans even more. However, Mr.Underwood renders Tom’s death to the senseless killing of a mockingbird “likened…”(323). Just like a mockingbird, he was an sweet,innocent person but he ends up losing his innocence when he was surrounded by the racial prejudice around him.
Additionally, Tom Robinson is a Mockingbird in the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Lee displays Tom as a faithful man that strives to aid others. One way Tom demonstrates this need to do good, is when he assists Mayella Ewell in demolishing a dresser, "... she asked me to come inside the fence and bust up a chiffarobe for her "( ). Another key point of Tom's kindness, he never said anything but the truth while on trial.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a beautifully written piece of literature that illustrates the symbolism of a mockingbird. Harper Lee has created this to show how not only is it a sin to kill a mockingbird but also people who act in the same manner. Tom Robinson plays a major role as a mocking bird because he is discriminated against, knocked down, and doesn’t fight back harshly. All mockingbirds do is sing sweet songs in the treetops and the only thing they get in return is death. Tom Robinson, similarly, shows kindness toward others but gets hatred in exchange.