Acceptance This novel is understandably important since it was published July 11, 1960 and many people are still reading it to this day. It is also taught in countless schools all over the United States. This story is about a small-town Southern lawyer that defended a black man by the name of Tom Robinson who was accused of rape. There is also Arthur Radley who has all sorts of stories made up about him because he doesn’t fit into Maycomb. Throughout this, the story shows racial issues in the South and what it was like to grow up in the 30s while still including a fun story. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is about the acceptance of all people, black and white or living differently than the average person. Maycomb County has a hard time accepting. This is for many reasons including the time and the ideas already set in people’s minds. This is shown in Arthur “Boo” Radley’s case. “Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were bloodstained – if you ate animal raw, you could never wash the blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” (pg. 14) Stephanie Crawford also says …show more content…
He is accused of raping a girl by the name of Mayella Ewell and Atticus is appointed as his lawyer. Mayella accused Tom because she needed him to disappear after what she’d done “She was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable: she kissed a black man” (Lee, Pg. 204) Atticus said this to Jem after losing the trial. If people of color weren’t viewed as negatively none of this would’ve been an issue. Mayella’s father was likely the one that beat her since the beatings were mostly left hand driven, Tom Robinson’s left arm is severely damaged and he couldn’t have done
In the classic novel To Kill A Mockingbird, author Harper Lee takes on the malignant impact of racism, a deeply rooted problem, from a different perspective and teaches readers what it truly means to be a good person as she brings to life one of the most virtuous characters in American literature-Atticus Finch. Told through the eyes of a young child, readers learn about the heavy prejudice embedded in the people of Maycomb County and the loss of innocence that is brought upon the kids as a racial conflict spurs a series of significant events in their quiet town. Taken place during the early years of the Great Depression, Maycomb must face its biggest problem-racism. Atticus Finch is the lawyer who defends this case and ultimately brings a
Back in the 1920’s, slavery was just ended and people were still prejudiced and many people despised the black people. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the characters scout, Jem, and Dill show lots of courage. The book is set in Maycomb county, Alabama. The main characters in this book are Dill, Jem, Atticus, Scout, Calpurnia, and Tom Robinson. In this story it is mostly about the trail, the trail is about how Tom Robinson was accused of rape by the Ewell family.
The firm declaration of Mayella denying that her father abuses her after claiming he can be intolerable while drunk and her hesitant answer gives us the clear conclusion that Mayella is being abused by her father and her injuries and rape were done not by Tom Robinson but by Mr. Ewell
When Scout asks him why he is doing this, he explains that “… if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.” (75). Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman & one of the children in the (poor) Ewell family. When Atticus is visited one night, he is asked to represent Tom in the case, and Atticus accepts. Representing a black man is a serious thing to do.
The rare quality of courage is highly praised in society today. For some, courage entails daring feats of bravery; for others, it simply means doing the right thing, whatever the outcome. In her novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee switches many of the traditional stereotypes. Children and old folks display outstanding valor, while grown, able-bodied men exude extreme cowardice.
Courage is a common occurrence everywhere in the world, especially back in the 1900s when colored people were thought to be different because of their skin color. In the book “ To kill a mockingbird” By Harper Lee, courage is shown all throughout the book, from Scout, a 8 year old girl, to Jem and Atticus, her brother and her father. Courage allows them to protect the ones they love, grow exponentially, and to stand up for what they believe is right. First of all, Jem demonstrates courage when Scout claims to have found a snake under her bed, she says “ I think there’s a snake under my bed, can you come look?”(Lee,185)
The novel To Kill a Mocking Bird is written by Harper Lee in 1960. The story takes place in the tired old town of Maycomb, during the Great Depression. It is inspired by the author's own experiences growing up during these hard times. During the novel, Scout and Jem mistake physical strength for courage. However, true courage is the inner desire to do what is righteous, no matter the consequences that result from your decision.
When Atticus was defending Tom, he knew they had lost the court case, but he still made a final argument and tried to show the jury how unfair the court case was and that it was only because of prejudice: "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. " At that time, all people in court are supposed to have a fair trial, no matter their race or where they come from. But people do not do that; they carry their hatred and bitterness into the court, and the court is not ruled fairly. Tom was only convicted because of his color and other people’s hatred and bitterness, not because of the truth. Also, a little before the final argument, Jem was convinced they had won because it was shown that it was physically impossible for Tom to rape Mayella because his left arm was crippled and useless.
Have you ever done something that you never thought you would? Or that took a lot of courage? This idea is strongly suggested in Harper Lee’s historical fiction novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. This story follows Atticus, Scout, and Jem Finch in Maycomb County during the Great Depression. It carries you through the struggles the Finch family faces while Atticus defends Tom Robinson, a black man who is being falsely accused of rape.
When Reverend Sykes whispers to Scout and Jem and says,”He got caught in a cotton gin, caught it in Mr. Dolphus Raymond’s cotton gin when he was a boy … like to bled to death … tore all the muscles loose from his bones-” This shows in detail how Tom became disabled and how and why he can no longer use his arm. Mr. Robinson’s left hand was disabled when he was just a boy and now he can no longer use it. Mayella's right side of her face was beat up so someone punched her with the left hand. These details help prove the innocence of Tom
“[Courage is] when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what” (Lee 112). When courage is mentioned, one may think of “a man with a gun in his hand” (112). This is a myth that Harper Lee debunks in her book To Kill A Mockingbird. Courage is a recurring and vital theme in her book because many of the characters show the other townspeople what courage looks like.
He tells Scout, “Scout, Simply by work, every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one is mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold your head up and keep your fist down no matter what anyone says to you.” Atticus knows this case might draw people to say ugly things about his family and possibly want to bring harm to them. By doing this, he is emphasizing Tom because he understands his situation and is choosing to defend him despite his race, nor yet jumping to a conclusion and declaring the man guilty because it is the right thing to
During the novel, Jem and Scout’s Father, Atticus, is asked to defend a young black man named Tom Robinson. Tom has been accused of raping a white woman, which is a crime punishable by death. Because Atticus is a deferential man of integrity, and pushes for what's right, he agrees to take upon Tom’s case, knowing the criticism and disapproval
Tom was accused of raping a white woman who was Mayella Ewell, Mayella said he raped her while he was helping her with chores. She later on tells the readers that it was false allegations. The reason why she didn 't tell the truth at her first trial was because, Mayella was afraid of being embarrassed because she kissed a black male. She rather have an innocent man get charged with a crime than that. “However, Robinson was transferred from the state prison to Maycomb 's county jail on Saturday, two days before he stood trial on Monday, and Atticus had to defend him against a lynch mob”.
He was trying to help out Mayella Ewell by gathering firewood and chopping dressers because he felt sorry for her, but was accused of rape because of his color. On page 87, Atticus said that “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win.” He was trying to help those who are innocent and in need, and even though he knew that he was going to lose the case, he wanted to try. Atticus hoped to better the lives of the mockingbird-like African-Americans in the South, so he attempted to help an innocent and helpless Tom to the best of his ability. Also, Tom’s crippled left arm is proof that he did not attack Mayella, however, he is accused because of his color.