Key Issues of To Kill A Mockingbird
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Key Issues Tom Robinson's innocence: although the evidence clearly proved his innocence (the one arm, his respectable personality, and his class difference) in the court case in which he was accused of raping Mayella Ewell (Her father actually did it), the town would not allow Tom Robinson to be set free, due to the town's racist mentality. Tom Robinson was black.This is an example of racism in the book. Atticus' hidden courage: Atticus was truly a brave man, although on the outside he appeared to be a pacifist. He often encouraged his children to avoid conflict (Mrs. Dubose is one example). When Atticus killed the rabid dog, his children gained a totally different view of him. The whole town had revealed to them the secret of their father, that he was an excellent marksman and a brave man. Scout and Jem saw the Atticus that was once brave and daring. Thus, they became proud to model themselves after their own father, once shunning him. Mob mentality: Mob mentality is when a whole group of people, in this case, the people of Maycomb County, is caught in one specific mind set, for or against something. The mob mentality of the town allowed the residents to believe that Tom Robinson was guilty, despite Atticus' excellent defense of Robinson in court. The town's mentality would never allow them to set a black man free, so they were prejudiced against Tom Robinson from the start. Tom Robinson had one arm, was a decent man, and never raped Mayella Ewell, which would have been sufficient proof to set any other man free. Since Tom Robinson was a black man, and since the town was prejudiced against him, the jury ignored all the evidence on convicted Tom solely because he was a black man. Social classes: The County of Maycomb was divided into strict social classes, with each bearing animosity towards each one another. There were the black people, living in their own section of Maycomb, the Ewells, which were a class unto themselves, and the middle class of Maycomb County. Because of the great differences in the classes, Tom Robinson never had a chance of being set free, since he is of a "lower" class in the eyes of most of Maycomb county's citizens. Mrs. Dubose's morphine addiction: Mrs. Dubose was an old lady who was very ill. As such, she was put on morphine and had become addicted to it. Before she died, her one wish was that she would conquer her addiction to morphine. So she spent her days and nights in bed, suffering through morphine withdrawal. At one point, Jem was read for her, as a punishment from his father for destroying Mrs. Dubose's flowers. It was at this point that the magnitude of her sickness could be seen. Mrs. Dubose was a very sick old woman. She could barely stay awake through Jem's readings. She would have fits of coughing. This was all a result of being deprived of morphine. Still, she soldiered on, and died shortly thereafter, having been
Transcript of Key Issues of To Kill A Mockingbird
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