To Kill A Mockingbird Impact On Society

During the mid-twentieth century, at a time when America was undergoing huge social change, authors used literature as a tool to inspire equality for all people. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, a black man is put on trial and convicted for a crime he obviously did not commit. Throughout the entire novel, Lee uses the racist nature of Maycomb, Alabama in order to change the way that our own society treats others. Without authors like her supporting social change, we would be living if a very different place today.
(Characters show racism) In order to represent different aspects of society and to contrast different views, the author uses different characters in order to expose society’s general prejudice. In the novel,
Harper Lee added the character of Atticus Finch as a level headed, fair, un-biased person for a number of reasons. For one, he provides a counter to the extremes of the Ewells and other white supremacists, showing that not all of society suffers of prejudice. However, he also provides the reader with a good example of how to make a difference in society. He defends Tom when nobody else will. He raises his kids correctly, even if it proves difficult. But most importantly, he trusts his gut and does what he thinks is good, even under the scrutiny of his friends and family. (Change) Tom Robinson’s character is used by the author to exemplify to the reader how African Americans are treated as a result of racism and prejudice. After hearing Tom’s side of the story, it occurred to Scout that Tom was “decent to [Mayella] …but she said he took advantage of her and when she stood up, she looked at him as if he were dirt
(Add a Lead In)(The court does not care about facts) After Atticus Finch wrapped up his case, he accused the jury unfair bias, that to them the “case is as simple as black and white” (271). In the novel, Harper Lee makes an explicit point of showing how little Atticus’ evidence means to the jurors during the Ewell vs. Robinson case. Even though the given evidence seemingly condemned the Ewells hope of success, the jurors still convicted Tom Robinson of raping Mayella regardless. Harper Lee used the bias of the jurors in open the eyes of her readers to the very real fact of prejudice in America’s legal system, where racism often rules over facts. (The court favors whites) In order to open the world’s eyes to the often very real bias in our courts, Harper Lee highlights in her novel the court’s habit of trusting a white person’s word over an African American’s . (Needs work, possibly jems innocence and naivety). When Jem asked his father about the Robinson vs. Ewell case’s seemingly senseless result, it is revealed to him that “when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins” (295). When Atticus explains this to Jem, he presents it as a fact of life that cannot be changed, however, I do