Examples Of Social Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

In America back in the 1930s, social injustice was a normal thing, and even today, America struggles with this same problem, even though it may not be as bad as before. Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a story set in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. It is about a young girl, named Scout, and the events that led to her brother, Jem, breaking his arm, while dealing with the everyday injustice and racism in Maycomb. Throughout Lee’s novel, there are many instances where things happen differently to certain groups of people, based upon things like their race, family name, and past. One notable event from the story is when Scout’s father, Atticus, stated, “You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them,” and through the use of diction and symbolism, Lee proves that this quote is …show more content…
For example, during the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus stated, “You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negros lie, some Negros are immortal, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women – black or white. But the truth is that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immortal thing, are there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire,” (Lee 173). In this quote, Atticus was trying to prove Tom’s innocence to the jury by saying that just because he’s black, doesn’t mean he has to be guilty of a crime, while also indirectly stating that the facts prove that he’s innocent. The jury wasn’t convinced though, and still found Tom guilty of raping Bob Ewell’s daughter, Mayella. The result of the trial, following Atticus’s quote, prove that the jury didn’t put themselves in Tom’s shoes, and instead decided whether he’s guilty or not based on their opinion towards non-whites, further proving that Atticus’s quote is