Theme Of Racial Equality In To Kill A Mockingbird

Courage can present itself in varying degrees of intensity; what might take a great deal of bravery for some might not be an issue for others, depending on the individual. When faced with certain fears, different people may respond in their own unique way, while ultimately achieving the same goal. Such a concept is commonly demonstrated within the realm of literature. A key literary masterpiece to note is To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, in which many of the characters must face the resurfaced truth of the racial inequality in their society and analyze their societal beliefs. The novel follows a young girl, Scout, as she struggles to understand the world around her and the dynamics of the society that she grows up in during the …show more content…
Braxton Bragg Underwood is one of the few minor characters in the novel who changes over the course of the plot. Despite his public prejudice against African-Americans, he defends Tom Robinson’s right to a fair trial. After one of his first appearances in the novel, which was covering Atticus with a shotgun the night the lynch mob tries to take Tom out of jail, Atticus explains to Scout why this is quite unusual behaviour for Mr. Underwood in comparison to his previous stance on the matter, stating that "he despises Negroes, won 't have one near him," and yet he acts to protect Tom and Atticus from the lynch mob, in order to ensure that Tom makes it to his trial. Towards the end of the novel, after Tom is killed, Mr. Underwood writes a bitter editorial about the issue of injustice, suggesting that his attitudes towards the black community have changed and exploring the idea that perhaps the discriminatory behaviours of his society are far more complex than the simple “black” and “white" model in which many of the residents of Maycomb view it to be. Due to the fact that Mr. Underwood is such an influential figure in Maycomb’s community, openly voicing his views on the controversial issues facing the town must have taken a great leap of bravery, especially considering the amount of chaos surrounding the town’s reactions to the case. Even though the trial against Tom Robinson had resulted in a guilty verdict, some small …show more content…
When he is assigned to the Robinson case by Judge Taylor, all of Maycomb County erupts in chaos. It is clear the town realizes that Atticus is legally required to defend Tom and that he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. However, the issue isn 't that simply the fact that Atticus is defending Tom, but that he is planning on doing it to the best of his ability. Atticus could have easily idled his way through the trial and claimed it to be an open-shut case, which is what most of the townspeople would have preferred, but instead, he worked as hard as he was capable of working. This confuses most of the townspeople as it was obvious to them that Tom was very clearly guilty; to them, there was no room for doubt. The reasoning behind this is seen in the following passage, where two nameless townspeople begin to discuss the trial: “‘Lemme tell you somethin ' now, Billy,’ a third said, ‘you know the court appointed him to defend this nigger.’ ‘Yeah, but Atticus aims to defend him. That 's what I don 't like about it.’” The idea that others in their society were willing to give a black man a fair trial was completely foreign to them, and as a result, they began to react violently toward those who defended him. More specifically, this violence is seen when Robert Ewell threatens Atticus for exposing him