How Does Tom Robinson Have A Fair Trial In To Kill A Mockingbird

Imagine that you are a black man that was caught at the scene of a crime that you did not perpetrate, but you are to blame completely based on the color of your skin. Tom Robinson is a black man who is accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Since Tom is black and Mayella white, he is automatically convicted of that crime and sentenced to death. The authorities would take the word of Mayella over Tom any day. Scout and Jem are the children of Atticus Finch, the lawyer who is trying to defend Tom Robinson in the court. In the article, “There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach--and
in the destruction of lives.” by Andrew Cockburn, Talked about how A girl named Victoria is raped and sold to slave traders for two years. This represents the theme of loss of innocence. The three main themes in the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird are Loss of innocence, Power of words and Role of women. The first theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is Loss of innocence.
In the article “There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug trafficking in its global reach--and in the destruction of lives.” by Andrew Cockburn, he talks about one girl named Victoria, who was raped and sold as a slave. “They led her on foot into serbia and raped her, telling her that she would be killed if she resisted. Then they sent her under guard to bosnia, the balkan republic being rebuilt under a torrent of international id after its years of genocidal civil war. Victoria was now a piece of property and, as such, was bought and sold by different brothel owners ten times over the next two years for an average price of $1,500”(Cockburn 2). Victoria had been traded between slave owners for two whole years. She most likely lost any hope she had to survive the situation. When she was raped in Serbia, it represents her loss of innocence. When she was led out of Serbia and went even further away from freedom, she lost her innocence even more, knowing that she might never escape this situation. Scout does not have any idea how offensive or awkward her words might be to some people. “Uncle Jack … Ma’am … What's a whore lady?” (Lee 115). She does not realize that calling someone a whore lady is very offensive. As explained with the previous quote, scout does not know that asking these questions
at such a young age is not appropriate. She is just an average young girl with curiosity, but does not know if her questions will make people uncomfortable. Scout comes to realize at the end of the story that Boo Radley isn’t the evil monster that the kids thought he was. “As I gazed at him in wonder the tension slowly drained from his face. His lips parted into a timid smile and out neighbors image blurred with my sudden tears … Hey Boo” (Lee 362). She finally comprehends that Boo is not evil and she befriends him. She has hidden in fear of Boo all her life. She comes to realize that boo is not a bad person and that she should not be afraid of him. All he has done are nice things for her and scout is losing her innocence by realizing the world around her is real and that she can't play games and think that boo is evil. These quotes and evidence show that throughout the story scout loses her innocence about the world around her.
The second theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is Power of words.
Atticus has influenced his children to speak like him, in a professional and polite manner all the time. “Don’t know, I’ll show it to Atticus (Lee 81). His children call him Atticus instead of dad because they have just gotten used to a formal way of speaking that they are used to calling him Atticus. Since Scout and Jem are always used to hearing people call him Atticus, they just naturally picked up on it. Without Atticus telling them to call him dad, they didn’t think of it. Mob mentality is another example of power of words, but in a different sense. “I sought once more for a familiar face, and at the center of the semicircle I found one … Hey mr. Cunningham” (Lee 204). As soon as scout spoke Mr. Cunningham's name out loud, he lost his mob mentality and his invisibility within his group. Once Scout goes into detail about Mr. Cunningham's entailment, it gets worse, and he decides to leave before matters get worse. This is how powerful words can be against another, Scout single handedly stopped a mob from breaking into Toms Jail cell. Atticus also explains to Jem and Scout that they cannot always win, but that it doesn't mean they should give up. “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win” (Lee 101). Atticus tells them that winning the case is hopeless but that they will try anyway. He knows deep down that they could never in a million years win this
case, but he tries to give his children hope. Both Scout and Jem do not realize how hopeless the situation is, but they will hope for Tom to win anyway. Even when they do eventually lose the case, Jem is heartbroken. Consequently, this proves that choice and power of words play a big role in To Kill A Mockingbird.
The third and final theme of To Kill A Mockingbird is Role of women. Miss Maudie, their neighbor makes Scout and Jem feel at home with her by making jokes. “Stephanie crawford even told me once she woke up in the middle of the night and found him looking in the window at her. I said what did you do, Stephanie move over in the bed and make room for him? That shut her up for a while” (Lee 66). Miss Maudie is always the one to tell them about Boo Radley when Atticus would not. She almost acts like the mother figure to the children in the beginning of the book, or maybe more like a grandmother to them. Scout and Jem would always go over to her house. Miss Maudie also has a strong personality, and doesn’t get broken easily. For example, when her house burnt down, she looked at the bright side of the situation and wasn't that upset. Calpurnia is the maid in the Finch household and also acts like a mother figure to the children. “There's some folks who don't eat like us, she whispered fiercely, but you ain't called on to contradict 'em at the table when they don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the table cloth you let him, you hear? … He ain't company, Cal, he's just a Cunningham-
Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” (Lee 32-33). Calpurnia isn't their actual mother, but she disciplines them like they are her own children. She takes care of them like she is their mother when Atticus can't take care of them. She is almost around more than he is because Atticus is always at work. Calpurnia plays a very big role in both Jem and Scouts life. She is not the only big woman figure in their life though. Aunt Alexandra fills another Mother/Woman role in the Finch household towards the end of the book. “Don’t talk like that Dill” Said Aunt Alexandra. “It's not becoming to a child. Its - Cynical” “I ain't cynical Miss Alexandra just tellin’ the truths not cynical is it?” “The way you tell it, it is” (Lee 287). Aunt Alexandra plays a big woman role in the Finch household and she disciplines them. She does not take in the children’s interests though, and treats them how adults should be treated. Although Atticus talks to them like adults, they are not usually treated like them. This Justifies that there are many women who play such a big part in Jem and Scouts like and proves that this theme is big in To Kill A Mockingbird. These three themes, loss of innocence, power of words and role of women all play a big part of To Kill A Mockingbird, as proved in this paper. If you think about all the information this has given, and think about what life must have been like for Tom Robinson or any black person at a time like this. Living when he did, if he had the chance to change the way people saw him, would he? It would give him a whole new outlook on life and racism, yet he cannot. People do not have power over what they look like or how they can physically live their life.