Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome. ~Rosa Parks In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Mrs Harper Lee shows her readers how society affects everyone good or bad. During the time of the great depression Scout, Jem, and Tom Robinson are influenced by society to think for themselves, look beyond the curtain of innocence, and take chances. Society’s rumors and lies no longer have a great affect on Scout. In the beginning of the book Scout, Jem, and Dill assumes that all the rumors are true, about anyone who is obviously not able or willing to be part of "normal" society, specifically about Boo Radley. Previous to the trial, Scout occupied herself
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Jem clearly speculates that the verdict of Tom Robinson 's trial will be one of innocence, after what seems like irrefutable evidence. During the start of the chapter Jem can hardly contain his elation and ask "We 've won, haven 't we?" A few paragraphs later, he asks his father, who is Tom Robinson 's attorney, "You think they 'll acquit him that fast?" Jem has not yet realized the power of prejudice in his society and assumes that the members of the jury will do what is right, and not base their decision on the color of a person’s skin. Following the trial, Jem is crushed by the verdict, but continues to try to understand how a jury could make such a poor, biased decision. Atticus tells him, in his own way, how the history of racism led to the unjust verdict: “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.” (Chapter 23) There Scout finds a roly-poly bug, and amuses herself by poking it so it rolls up, waiting for it to unroll and start walking, then poking it again. She 's about to squish it when Jem stops her; “Why can’t I mash him’ Scout asks. ‘Because they don’t bother you,’ Jem answered. {238} In Jem’s mind Boo is the "roly-poly" because …show more content…
The description on page 195 gives a perfect interpretation of what Tom was like before the trial: "That boy 's worked for me eight years an ' I ain 't had a speck o ' trouble outta him." Mr. Link Deas asserts that Tom remains a reliable and trustworthy worker. This evidence focuses on the fact that Tom was known for his genuine character, to folks of all colors. The author depicts the change in Tom after the trial: "They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over." (235) Therefore, Atticus is saying Tom tried to escape prison by running like a mad man and climbing over the fence. This gives the impression that Tom felt so hopeless of the appeal having a different result that he took his own chances, which lead to his death. This change in Tom proves that injustice and persecution have taken what he had left to
Jem clearly speculates that the verdict of Tom Robinson 's trial will be one of innocence, after what seems like irrefutable evidence. During the start of the chapter Jem can hardly contain his elation and ask "We 've won, haven 't we?" A few paragraphs later, he asks his father, who is Tom Robinson 's attorney, "You think they 'll acquit him that fast?" Jem has not yet realized the power of prejudice in his society and assumes that the members of the jury will do what is right, and not base their decision on the color of a person’s skin. Following the trial, Jem is crushed by the verdict, but continues to try to understand how a jury could make such a poor, biased decision. Atticus tells him, in his own way, how the history of racism led to the unjust verdict: “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.” (Chapter 23) There Scout finds a roly-poly bug, and amuses herself by poking it so it rolls up, waiting for it to unroll and start walking, then poking it again. She 's about to squish it when Jem stops her; “Why can’t I mash him’ Scout asks. ‘Because they don’t bother you,’ Jem answered. {238} In Jem’s mind Boo is the "roly-poly" because …show more content…
The description on page 195 gives a perfect interpretation of what Tom was like before the trial: "That boy 's worked for me eight years an ' I ain 't had a speck o ' trouble outta him." Mr. Link Deas asserts that Tom remains a reliable and trustworthy worker. This evidence focuses on the fact that Tom was known for his genuine character, to folks of all colors. The author depicts the change in Tom after the trial: "They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over." (235) Therefore, Atticus is saying Tom tried to escape prison by running like a mad man and climbing over the fence. This gives the impression that Tom felt so hopeless of the appeal having a different result that he took his own chances, which lead to his death. This change in Tom proves that injustice and persecution have taken what he had left to