Tom Robinson's Crimes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Words: 367
Pages: 2
Open Document
Harper Lee contends that people commit crime because of their problems. Lee believes that a lot of people face problems such as stereotyping, racism, etc are making people guilty. In the book, one of the biggest example of this is the Tom Robinson case. He wasn’t guilty at all and Atticus proved it but he became victimized by racism. He was put in trial and even sent to jail for something that he didn’t do. All the proofs supported Tom. But he was a colored man which changed everything for him. When Jem asked his father, why did this happen Atticus explained to him, "Tom Robinson's a colored man, Jem. No jury in this part of the world's going to say 'We think you're guilty, but not very' on a charge like that. It was either a straight acquittal or nothing”(Lee …show more content…
Racism made Tom Robinson look evil even though he was not. Racism cost Tom Robinson his life. The people on the jury, their families or someone was told that colored people are terrible and they shouldn’t even be considered human. All the white folks who believed Tom was guilty were evil because they had been taught, learned that way. They did what was passed down to them. But there were some people/ kids who had no idea what racism even was because they were taught nicely. Jem, Scout, and Dil were taught everyone is equal and we shouldn’t say someone is not equal to us just because of their race, color believes etc. They had never experienced racism before and when they finally did they were shocked. When the case was progressing and when Mr.Gilmer talked to Tom Robinson in an inappropriate way he couldn’t handle it and was taken outside by Scout where he stated, “It was the way he said it made me sick, plain sick”(Lee 266).This shows how innocent and pure-hearted he was and if there was any evil inside of him he wouldn’t have reacted that way. He technically stood up for what was wrong but since he is a kid his opinion didn’t really matter at
Show More

Related Documents: Tom Robinson's Crimes In To Kill A Mockingbird

Loving Vs Virginia

Injustice: To Kill a Mockingbird and Loving vs Virginia Racial injustice has been illustrated in countless writings based on real life events. Racial inequality is treating others unfairly and poorly based on the color of their skin. In To Kill a Mockingbird, it is written about an occurrence of racial injustice in the Tom Robinson case. Throughout the years, racial injustice has gotten better within our justice system, but has never truly gone away. In the Loving vs. Virginia case and To Kill a Mockingbird…

Words 978 - Pages 4

What Is The Meaning Of To Kill A Mockingbird

In To Kill a Mockingbird the reader is introduced to the first hint to what the title means. Earlier in the novel Atticus says that killing a mockingbird is a sin because they never do anything wrong. In the novel, some characters can be compared to mockingbirds. Two characters the readers can call “mockingbirds” are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson. First, Tom Robinson never did anything wrong and was killed for a crime that he did not commit. Then there is Boo Radley. Scout says near the end of the…

Words 207 - Pages 1

Tom Robinson Discrimination

addresses this kind of thinking, that continues on today, in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. Throughout the book, Lee establishes a major theme. That theme connects to the judgment of Arthur Radley as well as the discrimination against Tom Robinson. Not only does the novel’s theme connect to the presence of judgment within society, but also connects to a motive to prevent that kind of thinking. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee establishes that in order to fully understand a person, you must…

Words 577 - Pages 3

Tom Robinson Trial

Negros.” Jem says in Chapter 23 of To Kill a Mockingbird after the Tom Robinson trial. This quote shows how the trial affects Jems' view of the world moving forward. Social inequality and class division is a main topic in To Kill a Mockingbird and is significant for many characters. This essay will be about the importance of social inequality and class divisions in Scout Finch, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson's as all of these characters are considered mockingbirds. Scout Finch's character represents…

Words 712 - Pages 3

Similarities Between the Scottsboro Boys and Tom Robinson Essay

Scottsboro trial and the trial of Tom Robinson in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. “No crime in American history—let alone a crime that never occurred—produced as many trials, convictions, reversals, and retrials as did an alleged gang rape of two white girls by nine black teenagers on a Southern railroad freight run on March 25, 1931” (Linder 1). The author of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, was a young girl during the Scottsboro trial and based the trial of Tom Robinson in her novel off of the…

Words 941 - Pages 4

Theme Of Symbolism In To Kill A Mockingbird

book To Kill A Mockingbird, there are many signs of symbolism. Although, throughout the book one sign of symbolism remains constant. The main symbol of the novel, is the mockingbird. The symbol of the mockingbird can be interpreted in many ways. The mockingbird can represent people, or many aspects of life. In the book a main representation of the mockingbird is Scout. The mockingbird is thought to represent innocence. Throughout the book, Scout loses her innocence. With the trail of Tom Robinson…

Words 340 - Pages 2

Just Mercy Comparison

Just Mercy, a memoir, and To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel, are set in different eras featuring characters who have been accused of felonies. In Just Mercy, Walter McMillan is a black man who was found guilty and sentenced to death for the murder of a white woman. On the other hand, in To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson, also a black man, was falsely accused of raping a white woman, Mayella Ewell, and was put on trial. While circumstances and factors in both cases somewhat differ, each book addresses…

Words 964 - Pages 4

To Kill A mockingbird Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird is a powerful book. It tells us about historical American culture back in the 1930s. This was the time when discrimination was very harmful. Harper Lee published this book To Kill a Mockingbird. Despite being published fifty years ago, it still manages to send us the main reason why her book is still significant. To Kill a Mockingbird is an accurate historical representation of the culture of American South during the Great Depression. The Ewell family symbolizes the type…

Words 616 - Pages 3

Essay On Tom Robinson's Loss Of Innocence In To Kill A Mockingbird

Imagine living in a small town and always being the outcast. Throughout the book, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, Tom Robinson’s innocence was lost and then eventually destroyed just like you could argue was similar to a mockingbird. Just like a mockingbird, Tom is an innocent, good man who loses his innocence. Tom’s race alone, caused him to lose most of his innocence. Going into the trial, everyone in the courtroom knew that it was unfair from the start, no matter what actually happened that day with…

Words 696 - Pages 3

Examples Of Injustice In To Kill A Mockingbird

Injustice and Innocence “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy.... That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (119). This quote from To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, perfectly demonstrates an act of injustice. It would be quite the atrocity if someone killed a defenseless bird that lived to entertain those who listened. The mockingbird symbolizes many characters in To Kill a Mockingbird, such as Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, and Arthur Radley. These characters appear…

Words 833 - Pages 4