To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel by Harper Lee, provides a compelling example of critical race tenets, as seen through the eyes of a young white girl growing up in Alabama in the 1930s. In the book three children, sisters Scout and Jem and their friend Dill realize they are living in an unjust and corrupt town and they struggle to come to terms with this unfairness. The main character and narrator, Scout, tries to understand how Arthur “Boo” Radley and Tom Robinson end up in vulnerable positions through the unfair actions of others. Scout, Jem and Dill try to understand and reach out to Boo, a 33 year old son of a white neighboring family, who is kept in seclusion by his parents due to his deviant behavior. The children also try to understand how Tom Robinson, a 25 year old black father of low social class, ends up being wrongly convicted of a crime by a corrupt legal system, despite the best attempts of Scout and Jem’s father, Atticus, Tom’s defense attorney, to prove Tom’s innocence. As the children come to realize that the court is corrupt and try to understand why, Atticus clashes with the court and its racist attitude. The story ends with Scout’s family trying to continue to live their lives in the town while grappling with their immense disillusionment with its legal system and the racist attitudes of the community. Through the trial of Tom Robinson Lee depicts an unjust government institution and engages the in thinking critically about race and its impact on how individuals are treated. Through the literary criticism of critical race one can focus on the problem of racism specifically and see this issue from the perspective of the author. Critical race theory states that one should examine parts of the book or novel that deal with unjust or wrongful laws going against a minority. These minorities vary from religious to racial groups. For example, Scout realizes “He (Tom) would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long” (Lee – p. 260-261). Harper Lee adds this thought to get one to think how things may differ if Tom was white. This not only highlights race, but gives the reader another reason to believe Tom’s story. Harper Lee is trying to say that race, at least in Maycomb, Alabama, matters whether we realize it or not. She notices that Black men and Women not only start with less, but also have less of an opportunity to advance their social and economic status. This sparks the reasoning for Scout saying, “Atticus says cheatin’ a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin’ a white man,” (Lee – p.-269). This relates to the way the court cheated Tom Robinson by declaring him guilty even though the evidence toward his innocence overwhelms that of the prosecutor. Mr. Raymond furthers this by saying, “Cry about the simple hell people give other people – without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they’re people, too,” (Lee – p. 269). Both of these quotes show how black people have a harder time developing their success then white people. After
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The judge doesn’t want this to come out at the trial because it will help Tom’s case. This creates an awkward scene where the whole court knows why he, “Told the reporter to expunge anything he happened to have written down after Mr. Finch if you were a nigger like me you’d be scared too, and told the jury to disregard the interruption.” (Lee – p. - 262). Judge Taylor makes sure that Tom Robinson’s employer gets thrown out of the court so he can’t “interrupt” the case anymore.
In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird when analyzed through critical race unveils a very clear picture of how Harper Lee wants African Americans to be seen. She wants readers to experience Tom’s struggle through the corrupt court system. Lee shows how races will not get equal treatment in a community where one is a minority. This occurs especially when a community’s government is composed of only one race and has no diversity. The members of the government may all agree on a decision, but that doesn’t mean that said decision can be marked as the right
The judge doesn’t want this to come out at the trial because it will help Tom’s case. This creates an awkward scene where the whole court knows why he, “Told the reporter to expunge anything he happened to have written down after Mr. Finch if you were a nigger like me you’d be scared too, and told the jury to disregard the interruption.” (Lee – p. - 262). Judge Taylor makes sure that Tom Robinson’s employer gets thrown out of the court so he can’t “interrupt” the case anymore.
In conclusion, To Kill a Mockingbird when analyzed through critical race unveils a very clear picture of how Harper Lee wants African Americans to be seen. She wants readers to experience Tom’s struggle through the corrupt court system. Lee shows how races will not get equal treatment in a community where one is a minority. This occurs especially when a community’s government is composed of only one race and has no diversity. The members of the government may all agree on a decision, but that doesn’t mean that said decision can be marked as the right