Themes Of Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Improved Essays
Racism stands for more than one thing. In this case Harper Lee expresses that the theme in “ To Kill A MocKingbird” is you should never judge or mistreat someone because of their skin color. In this book a black man was found guilty for raping a white women when he was clearly innocent, in addition he was also shot 17 times because he was black. In some cases shooting someone 17 times and is unarmed is called overkill. So, therefore, racism is still a big thing in the U.S. today
Tom Robinson, an African American man found guilty for a crime he didn’t commit such as raping a white women, whose name is Mayella. Mayella’s father walked in and saw them together, but from his point of view it may have looked as if something was happening, However
…show more content…
Tom Robinson was that black, in this case he was found guilty of raping a white women. There was and exercise day for the prisoners Tom was one of the prisoners. He began to run towards to fence and started to climb it. Everyone thought he was dangerous even though he only had one arm that worked. When he started to climb one of the guards yelled at him to stop but tom didn’t listen so they shot and killed him 17 times “ Tom is dead.” “Aunt Alexandra put her hand to her mouth.” “They shot him,” “He was running. It was during the exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them” “ Didn't they try and stop him? Didn't they give him any waring?” Aunt Alexandra's voice shook.” Oh yes, the guards called him to stop. They fired a few shots into the air, then to kill. They got him just as he went over the fence. They said if he’d had two good arms he’d have made it, he was moving that fast. Seventeen bullets holes in him. They didn't have to shoot him that much.” page 315. They shot Tom way to many times, but yet if that was a white man he probably wouldn’t have been shot that many times.
In conclusion, back in the 1900s racism was a huge deal. “ To Kill A MocKingbird” was made in the 60’s which shows how much the world has changed since the 60’s

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    How Is Mayella Powerful

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mayella is a powerful due to class,race,gender A small town in Alabama called Maycomb a young woman named Mayella Ewell is saying she was raped. With it being a small town things got around fast white men were angry because tthey are very protective of their woman in the south. Mayella will have the upper hand in the court because she is a white female so their for the case will not be fair for Tom Robinson he had made the case worse for him by saying “I had felt sorry for her” and that wasn’t common for a man to feel sorry for a woman (DBQ Is Mayella Powerful 21)In Harper Lee ‘To Kill A Mockingbird” this showed that she was powerful by using race. Southern men treated women with respect and were really nice for example, they say yes ma'am,…

    • 416 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A colored man by the name of Tom Robinson is wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell and was taken to court yesterday August 26th 1935 in Maycomb where there was a very embroiled fight between the two sides. Atticus believed that she felt guilty about tempting a black man and she wanted to never see him again, so she accused Tom of raping her and beating her in her own home. In this case it would be the easiest case they’ve ever dealt with but, since Tom is black and Mayella is white, everyone says Tom is guilty anyway. According to Tom Robinson and what Atticus (the lawyer for tom) was trying to prove by asking Mr. Ewell questions like what is his dominant hand and so forth, Atticus was trying to prove that Mr. Ewell was responsible for Mayella…

    • 365 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In today's world racism is not as common as it was in the 1900's. Racism has been a problem in the United States of America for a long time, and going back on time the African Americans were treated horribly. Elizabeth Eckford was an African-American girl who attended a High School with white people only. She was cursed and hit by many people but she didn’t stop fighting for her rights.…

    • 528 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In “To kill a mockingbird” there are many examples of racism. During the 1960s when the book was published, racism was acceptable and African-American people were constantly dominated and ridiculed by Caucasian people. This novel written by Harper Lee is based on racism against African-American people and the refusal of people to treat everyone equally. Not only were African People mistreated but those who associated with them were also considered lower in status.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the author explores prejudice from the town through the use of a symbolic figure, mockingbird. Tom Robin is put on trial for the alleged rape of young Mayella Ewell, even though he is a kind man that is trying to help the young lady out. Boo Radley is victimized by the community based on town legends the the citizens of Maycomb have made about him, which forces him to live in exile inside his house. Atticus Finch is ridiculed by people for sticking to his morals and defending an African-American. As explained by Lee through her characters, the symbol of a mockingbird is to show the innocence and purity displayed throughout these three characters in the novel.. Tom Robinson was killed by the community of Maycomb, even though he was a very helpful and kind man.…

    • 864 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Tom Robinson, as know is a colored man in a time where colored people were treated differently than white people because of their skin color, as if white people were more superior. For a colored man to commit a crime as such Tom Robinson was accused for was horrible. People treated Tom like a monster, as if he was an animal not a human. Tom was obviously innocent, he never raped or abused Mayella but because of his skin color the jury could not let him go free because it would bring shame to Mayella and her family. I cannot relate to this, however I have heard racist jokes, slurs, and other mean things said in those matters and I am against racism.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “This case is as simple as black and white.” Tom Robinson, an innocent African American man living in Alabama during the 1930’s was accused of raping a white women and was put on trial. Atticus Finch was appointed to defend him and prove he was innocent. Atticus Finch proved that Tom Robinson was in fact innocent in his closing arguement. First off using Logos, Atticus states “But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal--there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man an equal of Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president” (par. 12)…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Showing Courage “You’ve always had the power my dear, you just have to learn it for yourself.” -The Wizard Of Oz. This quote means that having the power to do something, take a stand, or even sticking up for something or someone can make a difference or even a change little things in life.…

    • 504 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even in all this, with the Ewell’s case seemingly in pieces, the court still found Tom guilty of all charges, even in the ones that he was physically incapable of doing. This paints a vivid picture of the racism non whites went through with Jim crow laws. To sum up, the case of Tom Robinson, and the book To Kill A Mocking Bird, show a society racially divided and immoral. Jim Crow tore the south apart, putting a great divide between the whites and non whites, something very evident in this literature piece written by Harper…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    For many generations people have grown up in racially prejudice environments and gone through life believing they are superior to other races. As a result, they tend to make choices that though in their minds are right and fair, are not in real life. Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is in the prime time for racism and it is demonstrated throughout the book that the concept of right and wrong can be blurred when a person is racially prejudice through the jury of Tom Robinson’s case, Walter Cunningham, and Bob Ewell. The jury of Tom Robinson’s case is a quintessential symbol of racial prejudice.…

    • 711 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird shows racism through Tom Robinson’s case…

    • 856 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Harper Lee’s To kill a Mockingbird is piece of American literature that follows the story of a black man falsely accused of rape by a white woman. Set in a time period where racism is in in abundance, To kill a Mockingbird delivers the story in a raw and gut-wrenching form that causes the reader to truly face the harsh reality than many African Americans lived. Not only does To kill a Mockingbird cause readers to recognize the idea that racism was a culture in America, the book defies the idea that racism was simply an ideology, but instead a culture that celebrated the lynching of African American citizens . Lee’s use of an all white jury and false sentence, the public’s celebration, and ease with a black man being killed despite being innocent, and the social outcasting of all who tried to defend a black man all point to the belief that racism is, or was common culture in America.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Racism is alive in America. Acts of violence against individuals because of race or color have occurred well before the birth of our nation and are still ongoing today. Decades after the civil rights movement, there are still painful reminders of the injustice and depravity allowed by us against other humans just because of differences in skin pigmentation. Author of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, grew up in the Monroeville, Alabama during the 1930’s and observed discrimination during that time.…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Atticus Finch’s Closing Argument in Defending Tom Robinson Ladies and gentleman of the court, thank you for your service and attention. Many years ago, Hinmatonyalaktit, also known as Chief Joseph, said, “The earth is the mother of all people and all people shall have equal rights upon it.” Therefore not only whites, but all people, regardless of the colour of their skin, deserve to have the same privileges, the same opportunities, and the same rights. And so I stand here today in the interest of defending Tom Robinson, a Negro man, who is convicted for the alleged crime of having raped Mayella Ewell.…

    • 829 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racism is, at first, bullying and discriminative on a basic level, Atticus says, “ In our courts all men are created equal” (Lee 233). Here Atticus is trying to talk to the jury’s inside humanity. He is trying to convince people with what is right and how they should be looking at this case. They should look at the evidence provided, the real hard evidence not circumstantial evidence to base such a crime on. In Maycoumb the townspeople do not put themselves in the black people’s shoes.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays