An innocent black man, a selfless lawyer, and a misunderstood recluse all face the overwhelming prejudice and stereotypes of Maycomb County, which affects the way in which they live. Each man plays a pivotal role in the society of Maycomb County, and although they each live divergent lifestyles, they are all mockingbirds in their own unique way. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee compares Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley to mockingbirds to show that innocent men are victims of society’s prejudice. The first character that can be compared to a mockingbird in the novel is Atticus Finch. Throughout the novel, Atticus’s integrity reveals that he is an innocent man who only intends to help the community. In chapter nine …show more content…
This quote reveals that Atticus can be compared to a mockingbird because while he is discussing why he decided to defend Tom Robinson to Scout, he goes in knowing he is more than likely going to be defeated, but he knows it is the right thing to do. Atticus is an innocent man trying to do his job, but is going to be defeated by the prejudice of Maycomb County; therefore, he is a mockingbird. Another reason why Atticus can be compared to a mockingbird is because of the incident involving Bob Ewell. While Atticus was leaving the post office one morning, “Mr. Bob Ewell …show more content…
During the trial, Atticus reveals that since Mayella was hit on the right side of her face, the one who abused her must have been left-handed. Later, Scout describes an observation she makes about Tom and says, “His left arm was fully twelve inches shorter than his right, and hung dead at his side. It ended in a small shriveled hand, and from as far away as the balcony I could see that it was no use to him” (Lee 211). This observation that Scout describes adds more evidence to Atticus’s claim that Tom Robinson was falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Scout’s observation also compares Tom to a mockingbird because he is physically disabled, which fits the description Miss Maudie gives of a mockingbird in the book. Another example of how Tom is affected by the prejudice of Maycomb County is that he is falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell. When Mayella takes the stand during the trial, she claims that Tom attacked her and then proceeded to rape her: “He come in the yard an’ I went in the house to get him the nickel and turned around an ‘fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did. He got me round the neck, cussin’ me an’ sayin’ dirt- I fought’n’hollered, but he had me round the neck” (Lee 205). Even after Atticus reveals overwhelming evidence that Tom was not the one that harmed Mayella, Mayella still sits at the witness chair
Up till this point everyone in the courtroom learned that Tom Robinson’s left arm is crimped and is way too weak to even scratch the girl, let alone hold her down and attack her. As Mayella kept stating that somehow Tom Robinson was the one that hurt her he finally asked, “ How?”(Lee 249). The question left the whole room in suspense to wait to see if Mayella’s response would be valid. It truly seems that Atticus has this case in the bag.
The Mistreatment of Tom Robinson Tom Robinson was a falsy accused man, all because of the community's biased opinion. Tom Robinson’s court case was shown in the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Tom Robinson, was accused of beating and raping Mayella Ewell. Since the town of Maycomb thinks all African Americans are harmful, it is nearly impossible for him to win this court case. Even though the evidence did not line up to where it could not possibly be Tom, he still lost.
Once Atticus fully understands what he has been told by Mayella about what happened the day of the crime, he does his job as a lawyer and strongly defends Tom Robinson. He accuses Mayella of lying, knowing that she was only doing it to get what she and Maycomb wanted. “‘Tom, stand up. Let Miss Mayella have a good long look at you. Is this the man, Miss Mayella?’...
In Harper Lee’s book, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, the Finch children begin seeing their father Atticus Finch differently as the story goes on. It has to do with how things are perceived vs. reality which The Truman Show touches on. Up until later sections of this book, the way the kids viewed Atticus was as a placid and innocent old man. The narrator stated, “Atticus was feeble… He sat in the living room and read.”
Atticus knew that Tom was not responsible for the crime, “... to remind you that this case is not a difficult one, it requires no minute sifting of complicated facts, but it does require you to be sure beyond all reasonable doubt as to the guild of the defendant” (2). This shows that Atticus doesn’t think Tom was guilty because there was no facts and his character has good judgement. Atticus felt sorry for Mayella, “ I have nothing but pity in my heart for the chief witness for the state, but my pity does not extend so far as to her putting a man’s life at stake, which she has done in an effort to get rid of her own guilt”(4). This reveals that Atticus feels sorry for Mayella because she was beaten and the way she has been treated at home but not for lying. Mayella wasn’t real raped, “ Tom Robinson was her daily reminder of what she did.
Tom did not commit the crime that he was charged with. This is illustrated by the account of Heck Tate (192), Atticus’s cross-examination of Mr. Ewell (202) and Tom’s handicap (212). Mr. Tate tells the court that Mayella was mostly beat up on the right side
In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the trial of Tom Robinson serves as the pivotal and highly-anticipated moment in the novel which displays the power a white woman has over a black man. Tom Robinson is accused of raping a young white woman named Mayella Ewell. The Ewell family lacks education and money, representing the lower class. The Ewells were described as living a vile lifestyle, “...behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin” (Doc A).
Within the first ten chapters of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the characterization of Atticus Finch is made clear. One example of his characterization is how his children refer to him. The first example of this is on the first page of chapter one “..so we consulted Atticus. (3)” Scout and Jem, call Atticus by his name.
In her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces and builds upon a wide variety of characters, who all have a wide range of interests, likes, dislikes and common philosophies; they are best described as either being a mockingbird, or a blue jay, both complete polar opposites of each other. Atticus Finch, as well as Scout Finch, would best be described as mockingbirds, whereas Miss Alexandria Finch would be described as a blue jay. This extreme contrast would represent the difference between people who are relentless for social justice, who are also willing to sacrifice themselves and their reputation to uphold egalitarian principles, and those who are intolerant of people different than they are- superficial beings. In nature, mockingbirds
Mockingbirds are an important symbol in the novel. Mockingbirds are distinguished for their pure, innocent personalities, and sweet music. Two characters who are representations of the innocent mockingbird are primarily Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. Through the theme of destroyed innocence, Harper Lee teaches readers that doing harm to undeserving people is morally incorrect. Harper Lee’s first example of the mockingbird’s significance is through Boo Radley.
Another model that belays that………………………is from American literature, written by Harper Lee, “To kill a mocking bird”. In the story, there was lawyer named Atticus Finch; He was pleading a black man who assaulted a white woman. All through the story, you can find that: in the past if there were a white person and a black person who fought, the white person would always be the inculpable although he might be culpable. Atticus fought against segregation and cushion the black man.
I am reading To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and I am on page 259. In this part of the book the trial begins and Mayella and Tom testify. Mayella lies about how Tom hurts her. Atticus knows that Mayella is lying and that Tom would not hurt a white woman. Unfortunatley, Mayella wins the trial and Tom is accused of raping Mayella.
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the term mockingbird symbolizes innocence in a person. In the novel it focuses on the fact that innocence, represented by the mockingbird, can be wrongfully harmed. There are two characters: Tom Robinson and Arthur “Boo” Radley that are supposed to represent the mockingbird. In the novel, Tom Robinson is the best example of a mockingbird because he is prosecuted for a crime he did not commit. Also, he was judged unfairly based on the color of his skin in his trial.
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”.
A person cannot call themselves a noble person if they can’t understand others. Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is told in first person by Jean Louise Finch or by her nickname, Scout a 6-year-old. Harper Lee, depicts Atticus Finch as a proficient father to his two children, Scout and Jim, 10-year-old. Atticus teaches his children life lessons, one being it 's a sin to kill a mockingbird.