Similarities Between Radley And To Kill A Mockingbird

Atticus Finch, the best lawyer in Maycomb, was sitting nervously in his chair as he waited for the town Judge to arrive in court. Tom Robinson, Atticus’s client, was scared of being proved guilty of raping Mayella ,and also beating her. As the judge came in the courtroom, you could feel how tense it was between the two defendants. The judge sat down and started talking to both of them.

During the trial, Atticus reveals that, “Mayella Ewell was beaten savagely,”(Lee). Mayella and her father claimed the abuser to be Tom Robinson. As Mayella had been beaten mostly on her left side, Atticus mentioned that Mayella’s father “swore out a warrant, no doubt signing it with his left hand,”(Lee). By showing Mayella’s father’s dominant hand, the newfound information that he was possibly guilty entered the jury’s minds, yet Tom Robinson was still a suspect. To defend Tom, Atticus said that, “Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses-his right,”(Lee).

In the end, Arthur Radley even rescues the children from the drunken and loathsome Bob Ewell. The mockingbird of the novel is Arthur Radley because of his heroism and how Harper Lee regards him, despite the crimes he was acquainted with in his youth. Arthur Radley’s kindness makes him fit for the mockingbird role. Scout observed this kindness in the gifts Arthur left for her, “He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives” (Lee 278).

In a society like Maycomb’s, rude and distrustful white people, like Bob Ewell, could easily have an advantage over African Americans simply because of the way the social pyramid is laid out. On page 101, Atticus and Scout discussed the future of the case, “‘Atticus, are we going to win it?’ ‘No, honey.’” The fact that Atticus was actually positive that he would not win the case, shows that the society truly believed that Tom Robinson actually raped Mayella Ewell, even without any information or evidence.

Atticus takes Robinson’s case on ethical grounds based on the stereotypes of Macomb already labeling him as guilty. "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" (220). The folks of Maycomb, the white population that is, are quick to judge Tom, not taking the time or decensy to understand him, but merely labeling him as a criminal. However, the black folks of Maycomb are not the only people to be discriminated

Mayella Ewell the girl who Tom is accused of raping had bruises, and a beat up face from the seen, but this was from someone who led with their left hand, and Mr. Robinson “swore out a warrant, no doubt signing it with his left hand, and Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses- his right hand.” (Lee 204) Tom’s hand shows he is innocent, he couldn’t have possibly beaten Mayella so savagely with his non dominant hand. Tom is represented by the mockingbird when he is proven innocent by Atticus. The jury destroyed his innocence when they convicted him of a crime he did not commit, even when the evidence is on his side.

“Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.”(Lee 119 ) To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee about two young kids named Scout and Jem who live in the town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930’s. Maycomb is a town infected with racism like much of the south in that time, but it is also a quiet town where nothing really happens. That is until Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused by the Ewell’s, a white family, of raping their daughter. As Tom’s trial occurs, a chain of events is set into place that teaches Scout and Jem about the harsh reality of innocent people who fall victim to circumstance. That is why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds symbolize innocent people who are hurt by evil, and it is a sin to hurt innocent people.

Atticus illustrates how black people feel less superior to whites. They are conditioned to believe in the labels they are given and struggle to deny them. Atticus brings attention to how these labels not only apply to black people, but whites still lie, cheat, and take advantage of women. He displays empathy towards Tom Robinson and the negroes in the courtroom when he says that everyone is human and makes mistakes, not just blacks. This addition to his closing statement

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel which focuses on the lives of Scout and Jem Finch, two children raised in mid 1930s Maycomb, Alabama. The novel deals with corrupt morals and ideals of society and how they affect others, often showing the injustice and wrongdoings done to those who are undeserving of them. This concept, although not uncommon in our society, is a relatively new idea for Scout and Jem. It is explained through Harper Lee’s famous quote which says, “‘[m]ockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us.

Atticus Finch is very courageous and this is evident when he stands up for what he believes in despite the prejudice of other people in Maycomb. Since he goes against the status quo, he gets discriminated against. Other people criticize his actions behind his back, and

In paragraph 7, Atticus puts some blame on Mayella because Mayella lied. She lied to hide her own mistake of tempting a black person. And the fact that Mayella would hide the evidence like that and put an innocent man’s life at stake makes Atticus angry. Atticus states in paragraph 9 that Mayella knew what she was doing and that she knew what the consequences of her own actions were. In paragraph 10, Atticus goes on to say that “Tom Robinson was being a decent human being and that Mayella knew she had to put Tom Robinson away from her because of the fact that Mayella had to put him away from her to hide the evidence.”

Tom, and African American living in Maycomb county, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a poor, white female. When Tom is accused of beating and raping Mayella, many people around the town think that he’s automatically guilty. Atticus, Tom’s defending attorney, agrees to take on the case to help Tom because

The reason why Atticus defended a black man and did what most everyone would never think of doing is because of justice and civilly going against the norm. The character, a lawyer named Atticus, also endangers not only his own life but his family's, by defending a Negro. He believes he is protecting an innocent man. Even though he is black.

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is set sometime in the 1930s in Maycomb County Alabama. The story is told through the point of view of Scout Finch who lives with her father, Atticus, and brother, Jem. The kids like to play pretend with their friend Dill about the man who lives in a scary house down the road, Boo Radley. The kids come in a few close counters along the way during these games in which Atticus does not approve. Scouts’ father, a lawyer, is appointed by Judge Taylor to defend Mr. Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a young girl.

Tom Robinson is a young African-American who's been accused of raping and abusing Mayella Ewell, a young and closeted white woman. Racial discrimination is hinted throughout Tom’s trial as Atticus Finch explains to Jem that a white man’s word will always win over that of a black man’s - "... In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life" (220). Atticus explains to Jem that in the courts of Maycomb, a black man’s state of innocence or guilt is truly determined by a white man’s testimony.