-
Essay / Social injustice as a recurring theme in Kill a Mockingbird
In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee focuses on social inequality in different forms throughout the course of his novel. Most of the social inequality we see throughout Lee's story is due to the mindset of the people of Maycomb and their reluctance to change their ways. This opinion of Maycomb residents is due to the times when there were many cases of discrimination that included not only race, but also financial status and gender. Acts of social inequality are seen throughout To Kill a Mockingbird on the grounds of color and wealth, particularly in black communities who are considered inferior to white social classes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Social injustice is one of the most recurring themes in Lee's novel. The idea of social injustice is “a situation in which the dominant population is made aware of the inequity that results for others because of their relative position in the power structure” (Isioma). To Kill a Mockingbird provides an example of the southern culture found in America in the 1930s. Lee focuses on the social injustice of three people in his novel, Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a woman. white woman. Mayella Ewell, Bob Ewell's daughter, victim of her father's abuse. Finally, Boo Radley, a young man who never goes out and who arouses the interest of Jem and Scout. Harper uses To Kill a Mockingbird to show examples of social injustice through different characters of race, gender, and class and how these are seen as inferior to other residents of Maycomb. During the trial of Tim Robinson, Lee describes numerous cases. social injustice. There are examples seen in the trial that show Robinson was not guilty but instead presented evidence against Mr. Ewell. Proving that Mr. Ewell abused his daughter, Mayella. By having him write his name "You are left-handed, Mr. Ewell" (Lee 201), it showed everyone in the courtroom that the bruises and black eye were from Mr. Ewell and not by Tim Robinson. Even though the evidence was in favor of Tim Robinson, the jury still decided to vote against him, "Guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty..." (Lee 240). With the jury playing an important role in this trial, we can understand how the jury uses their own belief instead of the evidence presented to them during the case. This part of the novel really shows how unfair the justice system is. The fact that his trial is taking place in court and before a jury shows that this is a step forward in the progression of social injustice. The jury took some time to decide whether Robinson was guilty or not: “This jury took a few hours. An inevitable verdict, perhaps, but it usually only takes them a few minutes” (Lee 253). Even though the jury took this step, it still found Tom Robinson guilty of the actions committed by Bob Ewell. Everyone knew this decision was wrong, but no one challenged it. Jem was the only person crying over the verdict: “How could they do this, how could they do this? “I don’t know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it seems like only the children cry” (Lee 243). Atticus explains that he has to explain to Jem the way people are in Maycomb and, because of their mindset, assume that the black community is lower on the social scale. The second act of social injustice that Lee shows concerns the.