Injustice In All Shapes And Sizes
Amongst many recurring themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, injustice proves itself the most extensive. In the small southern town of Maycomb, populated by both blacks and whites, several situations involve great injustice. One may see injustice practiced by a person making quick assumptions or judgments, or by one possessing a prejudicial attitude. Whether a minor offense or one in a courtroom, injustice is always wrong. The common theme of injustice displays itself through a variety of scenarios, such as Aunt Alexandra’s quick judgments about Walter Cunningham, the Finch’s unique experience at Calpurnia’s church, and the citizens of Maycomb’s biased verdict of Tom Robinson.
The first example of injustice involves Scout wanting to invite Walter Cunningham over to play. Aunt Alexandra does not approve of Walter’s older relatives, for many reasons. However, this does not mean she should assume Walter is the same as the rest. “’But I want to play with Walter, Aunty, why can’t I?’ She took off her glasses and stared at me. ‘I’ll tell you why,’ she said. ‘Because--he--is--trash, that’s why you can’t play with him’”(256). While talking with …show more content…
The false conviction of Tom Robinson is an example of this because the people of Maycomb walked into the courtroom with a prior bias towards Mayella Ewell. She is white therefore she must be right. This caused everyone to vote "Guilty...guilty...guilty.."(240). These votes changed an innocent man’s life, all because of a bias and an unwillingness to consider the evidence. All evidence and testimonies were presented and even a small protest from Mr. Link Deas saying Tom did not cause a "speck of trouble", but because of a set bias people still chose a guilty verdict. Especially in a courtroom, one should leave all opinion behind and listen to the evidence given in order to decide whether or not the suspect is
Amongst many recurring themes in To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, injustice proves itself the most extensive. In the small southern town of Maycomb, populated by both blacks and whites, several situations involve great injustice. One may see injustice practiced by a person making quick assumptions or judgments, or by one possessing a prejudicial attitude. Whether a minor offense or one in a courtroom, injustice is always wrong. The common theme of injustice displays itself through a variety of scenarios, such as Aunt Alexandra’s quick judgments about Walter Cunningham, the Finch’s unique experience at Calpurnia’s church, and the citizens of Maycomb’s biased verdict of Tom Robinson.
The first example of injustice involves Scout wanting to invite Walter Cunningham over to play. Aunt Alexandra does not approve of Walter’s older relatives, for many reasons. However, this does not mean she should assume Walter is the same as the rest. “’But I want to play with Walter, Aunty, why can’t I?’ She took off her glasses and stared at me. ‘I’ll tell you why,’ she said. ‘Because--he--is--trash, that’s why you can’t play with him’”(256). While talking with …show more content…
The false conviction of Tom Robinson is an example of this because the people of Maycomb walked into the courtroom with a prior bias towards Mayella Ewell. She is white therefore she must be right. This caused everyone to vote "Guilty...guilty...guilty.."(240). These votes changed an innocent man’s life, all because of a bias and an unwillingness to consider the evidence. All evidence and testimonies were presented and even a small protest from Mr. Link Deas saying Tom did not cause a "speck of trouble", but because of a set bias people still chose a guilty verdict. Especially in a courtroom, one should leave all opinion behind and listen to the evidence given in order to decide whether or not the suspect is