Preview

Tom Robinson Misunderstod In To Kill A Mockingbird

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
779 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Tom Robinson Misunderstod In To Kill A Mockingbird
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (Lee 30). To Kill a Mockingbird written by Harper Lee revolves around Maycomb, Alabama, a county where racism is a rampant “disease” and judgement is present. Scout receives an imperative piece of moral advice from Atticus that controls her evolution for the rest of the novel. Rumors and gossip spread misconceptions about Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley that make them misunderstood. Tom Robinson is an african-american man that Atticus is defending in court for the rape and beating of Mayella Ewell. Tom Robinson is easily persuaded to aid Mayella Ewell with her chores, not because of her “superior race”, but because he is a kindhearted person. Tom, however, is not able to return Mayella’s affection because he understands the consequences he may face when being seen with a …show more content…
Within the novel, there are numerous examples of characters being commonly misunderstood. Tom Robinson, Dolphus Raymond, and Boo Radley are just few of the characters that fall under harsh criticism, whether it be racial prejudice, social superiority, or false accusations, the book touches these subjects masterfully. Harper Lee’s fictitious tale, To Kill a Mockingbird beautifully portrays the battles of race and prejudice through the narration of a young girl. Brimming with the lifestyle of the 1930s, To Kill a Mockingbird is a perfect concoction of a particular setting and time period as well as the tale of how compassion and understanding can overcome the most apparent evils. Above all, To Kill a Mockingbird focuses on morality, and that concept will never expire. This is a story on how prejudice must be met, fought, and overcome - no matter where it takes place or how difficult it will be to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Atticus Finch Empathy

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird takes place in rural south Alabama in a town called Maycomb during the Great Depression, in a time when many Southerners both accepted and expected discrimination toward minorities. Atticus Finch, a widowed father of two, trying to raise his children well, teaches them to see things from another’s perspective. Lee incorporates the crucial quality of empathy in the feelings of the characters and expresses the empathetic theme with the influence of racism and prejudice in Maycomb society within the main characters Scout, Jem, and Atticus.…

    • 814 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mr Dolphus Raymond Quotes

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages

    People are not always as they seem, is one of the many themes in Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. Throughout the novel Jean Louise Finch (Scout) overhears countless rumors about certain folks in Maycomb County, such as Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is a revolting old lady, Mr. Dolphus Raymond is an evil man, and Arthur Radley (Boo) is the most rebellious individual in Maycomb. However, truly in the end Scout comes to know the people she once feared; and she realizes that they are not as bad as Maycomb citizens make them out to be.…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout life people are misrepresented, stereotyped, and seen as something they aren't. This can greatly affect the person's life and the way they interact with the world. The image of the mockingbird is represented through many characters in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird such as Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. In the novel killing a mockingbird is a symbol of loss of innocence. There are many “mockingbirds” in the story, which takes place in a town called Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. One of the “mockingbirds” in the story is Tom Robinson, a African American man, accused of raping a white woman and falsely convicted for it. Another “mockingbird” in the story is Boo Radley, an outcast…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As of today, we still have problem with prejudice and racism towards blacks. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a novel illustrating the struggles of a racist town in Alabama. Characters are at a struggle to comprehend the way people act. Knowing this, they have to learn what is right and act accordingly. Throughout Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, characters discover and begin to emphasize each other’s lives in large portions and in doing so, many characters develop and mature to understand the world they live in.…

    • 1086 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus goes against the values of society. At the time period, blacks and whites were segregated and wanted nothing to do with each other. When a black man, Tom Robinson was accused of raping white girl, Mayella Ewell, tension grew among Maycomb. Atticus goes against the town's values and beliefs about blacks and decides to take Toms side. He believes Tom is innocent and supports him while society takes Mayella's side. Atticus demonstrates how skin color should not matter.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, is a parallel story about two young children who grow up in a racist southern town and learn that life is not all fun and games. In the beginning of the book the main characters Scout and Jem spend their days playing together and exploring their hometown of Maycomb, Alabama. They are especially intrigued with their mysterious neighbors, the Radley's. Later on in the novel, Scout and Jem’s father Atticus is appointed to defend a black man and the children realize how unfair and prejudice the townspeople of Maycomb really are. The trial of Tom Robinson and the mysterious Radley house come together in an action packed ending.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atticus Maturation

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    To Kill A Mockingbird, authored by Harper Lee, is an American novel of growth and maturation because it focuses on the character development of Scout as she comes to understand the world. This classic novel is set in a racially charged southern town during the Great Depression. The main character and narrator, a young girl named Scout, develops and changes from the conversations and actions that happen in the book. Scout’s direct maturation and learning of life lessons develops by witnessing the hypocrisy of her hometown Maycomb, Alabama, and her father, Atticus, being a major influence in her development.…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Harper Lee’s, full name Nelle Lee’s, novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, published in 1960, there are many instances where characters challenge stereotypes or work to help defy them. Jem, for instance, is a character who does not act how a typical boy is supposed to, challenge the stereotypes of males. Another example is Atticus, a lawyer and the father of the narrator. Lastly, Boo Radley, a man prejudged by the entire town, ends up being the biggest hero in Harper Lee’s book. In summary, Jem, Atticus, and Boo Radley are all people who contribute to the novel’s theme of challenge stereotypes and prejudice.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”(39) In this quote Atticus is trying to give Scout, the main character in To Kill a Mockingbird, that some advice about having a general code of moral ethics. This novel is the recollection of events that happened when the author was a young girl. It tells the story of how she grew up in a town called Maycomb with her older brother Jem and her father Atticus. It’s main event is the trial of Tom Robinson, in which he is falsely accused of “carnal knowledge of a woman without consent,” as Atticus’ definition of rape states. In, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces the theme of racism through the characters of Bob Ewell, Scout’s Aunt Alexandra, and Calpurnia. She shows how the theme of racism can shape someones views on things majorly through the trial of Tom Robinson.…

    • 717 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “To Kill a Mockingbird” a black hardworking man named Tom Robinson, is accused of raping a white women named Mayella Ewell. The truth of this matter is Tom Robinson, is Mayella threw herself at Tom. Mayella was a lonely women whose father abused her. She wanted to have intimacy with Tom Robinson, which “brings shame to her family”. When her father finds out Mayella tried to throw…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of life in the 1930’s from Scout Finch’s point of view. In any story there are problems and situations that nee to be dealt with. Atticus, being a defense attorney, shows Scout a first hand view of what really goes on in the little town of Maycomb, Alabama. This sparks her curiosity in her father’s newest case, which is Tom Robinson a middle aged black man with a wife and kids. He was arrested under the accusations of beating and raping Mayella Ewell a white female of the age of 19. Many don’t realize that segregation was beginning to heat up in the South during the 30’s, but that is the cause of tense controversy in Tom Robinson’s case.…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther King once declared, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. “ This widely known quote shows that the color of a person should not limit the from doing anything. The topic of racism is frequently visited in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, a novel that takes place during the Great Depression. It focuses on the life of Scout Finch, her brother and the neighborhood she has grown up in, Maycomb County. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee uses racism in the trial scene to show that some people are treated unjustly due to their status. This theme is used to represent characters in the novel to show how race creates tension between the people of Maycomb. The treatment of Tom Robinson during the trial scene reveals that people of the…

    • 1367 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee teaches life lessons that show the unfairness of prejudice, the importance of dignity, and the need for respect. To Kill a Mockingbird is a book about the small town of Maycomb and two children named Scout and Jem. Scout and Jem's father is a lawyer assigned to defend a black man named Tom Robinson. Tom was charged with rape. Just because he is black Tom is found guilty.…

    • 526 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Critical Analyisis

    • 2098 Words
    • 9 Pages

    When Tom Robinson, an African-American man, is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, Atticus is appointed as the defense attorney. Mayella and her shiftless father, Bob Ewell, live in abject poverty on the outskirts of town. The family is known as trouble and disliked by townspeople. Despite this, Atticus's defense of Tom is unpopular in the white community, and Scout and Jem find themselves taunted at school due to their father's defense of a black man. Atticus consistently strives to instill moral values in his children, and hopes to counteract the influence of racial prejudice. The children view their father as frustratingly staid and bookish, until he is asked by the sheriff to shoot a rabid dog that is roaming the street. After Atticus kills the dog, Scout…

    • 2098 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Scout has trouble dealing with all the negative comments about her dad at school due in part to her defensive nature. But she stands strong, knowing that Atticus is doing the right thing by defending Tom Robinson. When Tom’s case makes it to court, Atticus, serving as Tom’s defense lawyer, lives up to his full potential as a lawyer, father, and man by presenting a credible story based on the facts given. He provides plenty of evidence to show that Tom Robinson is not guilty of raping Mayella Ewell; nevertheless, the jury finds Tom guilty. Scout, her brother Jem, and every African American citizen of Maycomb is disturbed by the gut-wrenching verdict. But even when Atticus feels defeated, he stands tall.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays