Many times, people’s misguided dislikes and …show more content…
When a black man is falsely accused by a white woman of rape, the whole town immediately believes him to be guilty, for his community is considered lying, dirty, and good-for-nothing. While those familiar with the man can confirm that he is honorable and well-mannered, and all evidence directly points to his innocence, the jury declares him guilty. Atticus explains to a confused Jem that, “Tom Robinson’s a colored man [...]. No jury in this part of the world is going to say, ‘we think you're guilty, but not very,’’” (Lee 294). Tom Robinson could be compared to a Mockingbird, considering that being a ”colored man” gives him immediate scrutiny and dislike, just as being a bird gives the mockingbird an instant reason to be shot as a “pest”, even though it is harmless. A “jury”’, which is meant to be open-minded and understanding of both sides, should not already have a decision based completely off of assumptions. In addition, the fact that they “think” Tom is guilty shows that they are establishing the probability of him committing the crime on assumptions, and not truly understanding the situation. When Atticus says, “in this part to the world”, he is referring to the social injustices their society has based on race, which alter the people’s mentality, leading them to label whole communities as …show more content…
She discovers that beings, such as the Mockingbird or Tom Robinson can be easily misunderstood, or not given a chance to show their true selves. Because of this, they are typically hurt in ways that are accepted, until the both sides are considered fairly. This is a reminder that before one makes a decision about another, they must first see things from both sides and try to understand it with as little bias, and as well as