Importance Of Justice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Great Essays
Register to read the introduction… This would encourage discrimination against individuals.

Maycomb County’s beliefs are provoked by the social structure in which they live. Highlighted throughout the novel is how the blacks are immediately discarded as below the rest of the general public. This is demonstrated when Aunt Alexandra, who has the typical views of a white middle class person, refuses Scout to go to Calpurnia’s house purely because she is black. Later, Alexandra refuses Scout to
…show more content…
Through the characterisation of Atticus, we are given an example of what the people of Maycomb County should be like. He represents bravery, dignity and the importance of justice. Although he was very well aware of how prejudice the town was and the extent of the abuse he would receive for representing Tom, he agreed to represent him as he felt he needed to bring Tom the justice he deserved. This demonstrates bravery and how important it was to him that he try and change the discriminating views of the people. Also, when Bob Ewell spat in his face, he did not retaliate and later made the comment, “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco.” This displays dignity and humour in his character. By not retaliating, Atticus showed his children that there are more important things to get stressed about and made them realise that Bob was not worth the effort. Furthermore, this incident is a great example for the other people in the town to reflect over and hopefully follow the example that Atticus …show more content…
The mockingbird is the most significant symbol and was first mentioned in chapter ten when Atticus makes the statement, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” By this he suggests that mockingbirds are neither harmful nor destructive and only make music for people to enjoy so therefore would be a sin to kill one, as they have not done anything to deserve it. This is linked to Tom Robinson and less obviously to Boo Radley, as they were both innocent of what they were accused of, Boo’s evil persona in which he is associated and Tom of the rape. They were both victims of prejudice. They both demonstrated kindness, Boo to the children and Tom to Mayella. Also they were both imprisoned and potentially vulnerable, Boo was confined in his house as a separate world to protect him from people’s prejudice and Tom was imprisoned and killed as a result of people’s prejudice. The Atticus’s family name “Finch” is perhaps deliberate because mockingbirds are a type of finch and this promotes the idea that Atticus sees the mockingbird of the novel (Tom Robinson) as part of the family to be protected. An example of further symbolism used in the novel is when Scout and Jem build a snowman made up of mostly mud rather than snow. He continued to add more snow and mud to it thus making the snowman change colour. This represents how irrelevant the skin colour of a person

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This simple phrase seems unimportant and trivial, however, it has a much deeper meaning. The understanding, or misinterpretation, of this phrase makes all the difference in this book. In the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, there are three main literary elements throughout the story. These elements are imagery, symbolism, and allegory and are used to show the themes of misunderstandings, courage, and prejudice.…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in the 1930s in a fictional southern town in Alabama. Told through the eyes of 6 year old Scout Finch, you learn about her father, Atticus Finch, an attorney who tries to prove the innocence of a black man falsely accused of rape of a white girl; and about Boo Radley, a mysterious neighbor who saves Scout and her brother Jem from being killed. To Kill A Mockingbird includes themes such as racism, prejudice, and ____. Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all victims of prejudice, but Maycomb begins to change in a positive way from prejudice.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To quote Atticus Finch, the sapient attorney of Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, and his belief in justice that is indiscriminate, “...in this country our courts are the great levelers, and in our courts all men are created equal” (274). However, this ideal presumes that the law, those very words on which a court is built, is fair—but it was not so. In the dark times of Atticus Finch, indiscriminate justice was absent from the legislation, and often laws were built specifically to restrict racial equality, known now as the Jim Crow laws. Named after a derisive minstrel show of the late 1920s, Jim Crow refers to a set of unjust laws upheld in the post-Civil War era that violated at least three amendments of the U.S. Constitution.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Justice comes in many different forms. Many fictional authors like to play off this, and create characters that show justice. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is a perfect example of this. The character ATticus finds justice for a black man in their 1900’s unjust society. As the novel plays out, Atticus shows courage for standing up to a cause that many would not do.…

    • 352 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Lack of Morals “Jem, how can [Mrs. Gates] hate hitler so bad an’ then turn around to be ugly about folks right here at home-” (331). Scout is wondering how her teacher and the rest of the town of Maycomb can hate hitler for persecuting people, while they themselves are oblivious that they are persecuting african americans. Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” follows a young girl named Scout Finch and her brother Jem Finch. They live in a small, fictional, racist town by the name of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout’s father Atticus is a lawyer who is appointed to a case to defend a african american man by the name of Tom Robinson.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In To Kill A Mockingbird some characters like Jem, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, Dill and Mr. Raymond are identified as mockingbirds. To kill a mockingbird can be referenced to destroying innocence, or in this case innocents who have been destroyed or injured through contact with evil. In this case, it could be Atticus, Tom Robinson or Jem. Atticus is a very important character in the story as he is the father of Scout and Jem, he is also very smart and still learns as much as Jem and Scout.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee the mockingbird symbol is mentioned multiple times. The mockingbird is symbolic for innocence hence the quote by Miss Maudie Atkinson, “... that’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (pg.119). Mockingbirds do not do anything but sing for their enjoyment. In the novel there are three mockingbirds, they are Boo Radley, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As Diane Grim once said,” It’s better to walk alone, than to walk with a crowd going in the wrong direction.” In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, Atticus and Scout are both very involved in their society of Maycomb, but go against some of their mainstream ideals. People can be a loyal member of a society yet oppose to the society’s standards. Not all of Maycomb, Alabama residents agreed with the town’s prevalent racism and segregation. Atticus, a white lawyer in the town of Maycomb, was providing voluntary legal representation of a black man accused of committing a crime against a white woman, which was frowned upon by many of the town’s white residents.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Figurative Mockingbirds

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Throughout the story a prominent symbol is that of the mockingbird. There are two main figurative mockingbirds in the story, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. When Boo Radley was a young man he hung with the wrong crowd and ended up getting in trouble with the law, which lead to him being locked in his parents house for over 15 years. As the years ticked by and no one had seen Boo a sufficient amount of rumors were spread in regards to him and what he did with his time. If someone’s azaleas froze it was because he breathed on them, and any small crimes that occurred in town were his doing.…

    • 685 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Maycomb’s Disease British writer Amelia Barr once said, “Injustice is a sixth sense, and rouses all the others” (A-Z Quotes). In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee, the author, displayed different cases of injustice in the cozy town of Maycomb. For instance, black women experienced inequity just because of their race. In addition, those who believed in advocating African Americans encountered persecution for their beliefs. Correspondingly, different adults in a young girl’s life attempted to take away her optimism and constraint her to behave like everyone else.…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The first of the last section of this book is the falling action, after the trial is finished. The readers see how Maycomb reacts to Tom’s conviction. Jem is devastated, He was angry at the jury for convicting Tom, even though he was innocent. Mr. Ewell was vexed, because, as Atticus said, “‘I destroyed his last shred of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with.’” (pg.250).…

    • 2196 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    To Kill A Mockingbird written by Harper Lee is written to address the horrendous issues of the 1930’s, The Great Depression, the Jim Crow Laws, and segregation. It explores a variety of themes, all of which affect the reader greatly. Its portrayal of white supremacy, injustice, and prejudice is evident in many occurrences during the novel. The way the characters react to these times of hardship, however, defines their real strength stated by Martin Luther King Jr with the quote “the ultimate measure is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. These significant themes, white supremacy, injustice, and prejudice, are reflected through the characters Scout Finch, Atticus…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This essay is about the existence of justice in Maycomb, which is a town in the book To Kill a Mockingbird. This topic is spread out through many characters. I was very confused when I tried to think of a topic to form a thesis statement. I wanted to write about racism at first. But then I thought that racism was mainly reflected on Tom Robinson, which was not easy for me to develop and write for about three paragraphs.…

    • 202 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this chapter Atticus speaks to Aunt Alexandra at a time when Jem is particularly annoyed after Tom Robinson passing whom Atticus was defending in court counter to the false allegation that he had raped ella Ewell. Atticus rationalizes that Maycomb community is their home and so they should learn to get use to the life. Atticus believes the children ought to be exposed to the realities of their hometown as he believes in upright upbringing and respect for others; thus whether the situation is good or bad. He further adds the prejudice placed upon Tom Robinson in court is as much a component of the community’s as the commendable aspects such as missionary teas. In their Aunt Alexandra’s point of view, in as much as unconscious attitudes…

    • 244 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ever since the news spread around Maycomb that Atticus will be defending a negro, there has been gossip all throughout the town. Atticus is looked down upon trying to protect a black man. For example, Francis, his nephew says to his daughter, “I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family—” (Lee 110). Francis tells Atticus’s daughter that Atticus is bringing shame to and ruining the reputation of his family by taking part in Tom’s case. Atticus does not get angry hearing this from Scout, instead he tells Scout to keep her head held high and her fists down.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays