The world is not fair. In To Kill a Mockingbird, we see Scout Finch struggling to cope with this realization. She witnesses the false conviction of a Black man her father is defending. As Scout grows up, she sees that Maycomb is a town full of prejudice and racism and has trouble understanding why the world is this way. Set in the South of America in the 1930’s, Scout describes her feelings as she exposed to the real world that was hidden from her when she was a child. The three main characters, Dill Harris, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley represent mockingbirds, prejudiced against because of their innocence.
Dill is a character that does mature through the story as Jem and Scout do, he remains his childlike ways throughout the book, staying positive and cheerful. When Scout first meets Dill she immediately notices his peculiar appearance, she describes, “His hair was snow white and stuck to …show more content…
Tom is an honest man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Even though Tom is a colored man, he pities Mayella, who is White. He frequently helps her with chores around her house knowing her father is abusive and drunk, however on the witness stand he makes the mistake of saying he feel sorry for her. He quickly realizes what he said wrong, knowing that a Black man should be worse off than a White woman. The jury starts to shake their heads, as Tom attempts to take it back, “I don’t say she’s lyin’, Mr. Gilmer, I say she’s mistaken in her mind” (Lee 67). The jury clearly reacts negatively to this because in Maycomb an honest Black man’s word against a White man has no credibility. The jury is not swayed by Atticus's attempts to take back his statement hence Tom is accused of rape without a “fair” hearing. Tom understands the people of Maycomb and tries to escape knowing that he would not make it. When he runs, he is shot seventeen times. In the guard's eyes, he was just another Black man that was better off
Dill is a character that does mature through the story as Jem and Scout do, he remains his childlike ways throughout the book, staying positive and cheerful. When Scout first meets Dill she immediately notices his peculiar appearance, she describes, “His hair was snow white and stuck to …show more content…
Tom is an honest man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Even though Tom is a colored man, he pities Mayella, who is White. He frequently helps her with chores around her house knowing her father is abusive and drunk, however on the witness stand he makes the mistake of saying he feel sorry for her. He quickly realizes what he said wrong, knowing that a Black man should be worse off than a White woman. The jury starts to shake their heads, as Tom attempts to take it back, “I don’t say she’s lyin’, Mr. Gilmer, I say she’s mistaken in her mind” (Lee 67). The jury clearly reacts negatively to this because in Maycomb an honest Black man’s word against a White man has no credibility. The jury is not swayed by Atticus's attempts to take back his statement hence Tom is accused of rape without a “fair” hearing. Tom understands the people of Maycomb and tries to escape knowing that he would not make it. When he runs, he is shot seventeen times. In the guard's eyes, he was just another Black man that was better off