Examples Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

There comes a time in ones life when things become more clear, when someone begins to grow-up, during a period of realization. They loose their innocence and learn life is not always fair. They learn that people are often mistreated, people who cause no harm. For some kids such as Mayella Ewell and Walter Cunningham, this may come harder than others. Some kids have to view this mistreatment until they know how life really is. Scout and Jem are just two children who have to learn this lesson the hard way. Scout and Jem witness unfair and racist behavior throughout their town. They witness the death of harmless mockingbirds. They see Boo Radley’s connection to the children cut off for selfish reasons, they saw the unfair conviction of Tom …show more content…
This sympathy he feels puts him in a difficult and unfair situation. Tom is wrongly accused of rape. Tom Ewell claims he saw Tom rape his daughter Mayella. Tom’s case was taken to court and Atticus stood as his lawyer. Atticus made it very clear to the audience that Tom was innocent. For example, Mayella was beat up on her right side; Tom’s left arm is injured and could not be used to fight. “As he raised his right hand, the useless one slipped of the bible” (Lee 254). Obviously he would not be able to hurt anyone with it. Tom merely went to the Ewells because Mayella had called on him to help her fix the door hinges. He soon found out that this was not the case. Mayella simply wanted attention from Tom, but when her father caught her it became a much bigger ordeal. He obviously did nothing to harm her; he is all but a harmless mockingbird that was trying to help. In court the jury wrongly convicted Tom for a crime he did not commit, simply because he is a black man. This does more than upset Jem. After listening to Atticus’s closing statement he was sure the jury would find Tom innocent, but when they didn’t Jem received a rude awakening. Jem was furious; he could not believe they would convict a man of such innocents. That was when he realized they did not care as to whether he committed the crime; all that mattered was his race. Jem was so upset he began to cry. He was not only mad and confused but it upset him to the point that he felt the need to cry. Jem cried once before when Mr. Radley filled the knothole with cement. He cried not because he would not be receiving more presents, but because of the cruelty Mr. Radley was showing towards Boo. The children learned more than just about racial discrimination, during the trial. The trial also served as a moment of truth for Bob Ewell. They learned who really beat up