Justice is the most strongly explored theme in To Kill a Mockingbird. Many themes are incorporated in the novel; however Harper Lee puts emphasis on the particular theme of justice. From a young, innocent perspective, the reader is given the unbiased observations of a judgemental community. Justice is the most powerful theme in the novel because it is still so relevant in modern society and there will always be a continuous cycle of issues debatable in justice.
The Tom Robinson case of To Kill a Mockingbird represented the social injustice directed toward black people. A quote spoken by Atticus, “In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins. They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.”(p 243) demonstrates that Tom Robinson was very much a victim of this society. Negros were treated unfairly, socially and morally, but like how Atticus puts it, it was just a fact of life. A black man could be falsely accused by a white even though he did …show more content…
Mr Underwood respects Atticus for what he believes in and admires him for fighting for justice. Both Atticus and Mr Underwood are against injustice and they prove to be allies. Prior to the court case, Tom Robinson is moved to jail. Atticus is concerned for Tom because a lynching mob might take him. While Atticus is guarding the jail, a group of men arrive and demand Atticus to move away from the jail door. However, Mr Underwood defends Atticus with a gun and the mob soon leaves. In his editorial, concerning the death of Tom Robinson, he writes, “It was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping.” (p265) He compared Tom’s death to “the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters.” (p 265). This again brings up the concept of killing a mockingbird and that justice is always an issue in