In this essay I will be stating my reasons for Tom Robinson’s innocence in the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”. The evidence I will be giving will put Mr. Robinson in the right and will question Bob Ewell’s actions towards Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is a good man and would never rape another human being. When we first hear of the case Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell after coming home from work. It was said that Robinson took advantage of Mayella, when in fact through this case the Ewell’s took advantage of Mr. Robinson.
In other words, he is very courageous as he ‘know(s) you are (he is) licked before you (he) begin (s) but you (he) begin(s) anyway’. Moreover, Atticus is courageous as he is willing to uphold his principles by defending Tom, which he considers a ‘matter of conscience’. He does this despite knowing that society greatly disapproves of his actions, and many consider it reprehensible that he is defending a Negro. It can be seen just how much his actions go against Maycomb’s social code, when he is verbally abused by Mrs Dubose, and even children like Francis and Cecil Jacobs for
Knowing that he would never be able to defend Tom Robinson well enough to persuade a jury to believe a black man’s word over a white woman’s, he chose to do the courageous act of defending as best he could to attempt to give Tom Robinson the justice he deserved. In one part of the novel, Atticus is speaking to Scout about one of the reasons he is defending Tom Robinson’s case. Atticus explains, “This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience—Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.” (Lee 104) He then explains to Scout further why he doesn’t just side with everyone else’s opinions by saying, “They’re certainly entitled to their opinions, but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” (Lee 105) Atticus shows his courage in the above statements by explaining that even though it may be easier to not defend Tom Robinson, he chooses to defend him the best
Saying that a person is either good or evil is like saying that a person has no thoughts at all. You cannot base a person as basically good or evil because we as people have both good and evil thoughts constantly. For example, we all love the people close to us and we wish them only the best, but at the same time, to those that have wronged us, we damn to hell. We as people have all thought about stealing something or hurting someone, which would be considered evil or wrong, but we also think about giving to others and helping ourselves achieve the most out of life, which is considered good. Chaucer saw this in people and knew that a person couldn’t be classified as good or evil because we are a mixture of both.
John Steinbeck. 1993) George explains to slim why Lennie is not a mean person; he tries his best to prevent Lennie from getting into any kind of trouble because he is advocate of Lennie. George prevents Lennie from getting into any kind of trouble this is also evident all over the text for instance when George warns Lennie of the things he should do and stay out of ‘Don’t you even look at that bitch...You leave her be.’ George warns Lennie of things he should stay out of such as Curley’s wife because he tries everything to make it easier for the both of them. He is advocate and he is used to having Lennie around all the time that it’s become a habit for George to help Lennie when he is in trouble. All in all this shows that he is an
He defends Tom Robinson despite the fact that he knows that the odds of him winning the case are extremely slim because he is trying to defend a black man against a white woman. Atticus continues to remain optimistic although, he hopes that the jury will change and look past the racial difference. Atticus sees how the town of Maycomb has changed due to the great depression saying “Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them the hardest”. (Lee 33) Having a character such as Mr. Finch is important to the plot, someone who can see the town of Maycomb for how it truly is. When Boo Radley saves Jem and Scout from Mr. Ewell it begins a new relationship between Atticus and another outcast, Boo Radley.
In the book the mockingbird was said to be a sin because it represents innocence, killing it would do no good. Tom Robinson is a mockingbird in the novel because he did not do any such thing as rape or assault Mayella Ewell, but was accused of it for no reason (Smykowski). Another example of symbolism in the story is when Nathan Radley
During this case he states “but there is one country where all men are created equal” and of course by that meaning the American jurisdiction. However his arguments, logic and even emotional appeal do not allow the towns people to open their eyes against prejudice. He proves to us that he is a true hero, since he is speaking in a roomful of man, who have been taught from their birth that whites and blacks can not co-exist. It shows that he is truly whiling to take the extra step to help an innocent man. This is truly a situation in which a simple self centred human would not be able to be so selfless.
The Finch family faces harsh criticism because of Atticus's decision to defend Tom. But, Atticus insists on going through with the case because his conscience could not let him do otherwise. He knows Tom is innocent, and also that he has almost no chance at being a free man again, because the white jury will never believe a black man over a white woman. Despite this, Atticus wants to reveal the truth to his fellow townspeople and encourage them to imagine the possibility of racial equality. But in the end, Atticus did not win his case.
The mockingbird is a major symbol in the novel because of Atticus’ belief that it is a sin to kill this bird. He says, “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you hit ‘em, but remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (Lee 103). This belief stems from the concept that mockingbirds are innocent and do not harm anyone, so they should not be