TKAM Why Atticus should defend Tom
To Kill a Mockingbird
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch was a well-respected man and known for sticking with his beliefs. In the novel, Atticus agreed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Tom’s trial began in the summer during the early 1930s, of Maycomb, Alabama. At the trial itself, Atticus provided clear evidence that the victim, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying. Despite the evidence proving Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. Since Atticus is a good natured man, he would defend Tom Robinson without hesitation.
To begin, Atticus wouldn’t judge someone by the color of their skin because it’s just the wrong thing to do. Atticus said this during the trial,” . . . Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral. But some men cannot be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.”( Lee, 273). Atticus was practical as well as idealistic. He directly mentions something that people on that jury wouldn't want to admit to, that they are racial prejudice and challenges them to be honest in their deliberations. This was a very good reason for why he would want to defend Tom.
Atticus is the type of man who sticks with his morals. In chapter nine, Atticus said ,” The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again,”( Lee, 100). He believes that Tom is innocent of committing any crime, and that the real reason Tom is being accused has to do with Tom's skin color. Atticus' statement means that he intends to stand by Tom no matter what, because he can't live with himself if he doesn't stand for what's morally right,
In To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch was a well-respected man and known for sticking with his beliefs. In the novel, Atticus agreed to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. Tom’s trial began in the summer during the early 1930s, of Maycomb, Alabama. At the trial itself, Atticus provided clear evidence that the victim, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying. Despite the evidence proving Tom’s innocence, the all-white jury convicts him. Since Atticus is a good natured man, he would defend Tom Robinson without hesitation.
To begin, Atticus wouldn’t judge someone by the color of their skin because it’s just the wrong thing to do. Atticus said this during the trial,” . . . Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral. But some men cannot be trusted around women, black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men.”( Lee, 273). Atticus was practical as well as idealistic. He directly mentions something that people on that jury wouldn't want to admit to, that they are racial prejudice and challenges them to be honest in their deliberations. This was a very good reason for why he would want to defend Tom.
Atticus is the type of man who sticks with his morals. In chapter nine, Atticus said ,” The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't even tell you or Jem not to do something again,”( Lee, 100). He believes that Tom is innocent of committing any crime, and that the real reason Tom is being accused has to do with Tom's skin color. Atticus' statement means that he intends to stand by Tom no matter what, because he can't live with himself if he doesn't stand for what's morally right,