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Natalie Fortunato

Mrs. Myones

English 2 Honors

10 June 2019

A Sound Mind Outweighs Injustice (MP1 Quarterly)

It is difficult for citizens to develop a contrasting opinion from those in their society

because they may be afraid of the backlash they will face. This fear can result in the mob or herd

mentality. However, some have very pronounced beliefs and therefore are willing to stand up for

their morals. Examples of citizens with strong morals can be found in Harper Lee’s novel ​To Kill

A Mockingbird​ and Mark Twain’s picaresque novel ​The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn​. Both

take place in extremely racist communities. Both ​The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn​ and ​To

Kill a Mockingbird​ support the claim that a sound heart is more important than a deformed

conscience because people stand up for their beliefs and disagree with their society's’ morals.

In particular, people’s may act in a way that is typically considered wrong, but justify it

with their strong morals. Jim needs a knife in order to escape, so Tom believes that it is

acceptable for him to steal it as long as he is helping Jim. Huck explains Tom’s reasoning saying,

“Tom said that what he meant was, we could steal anything we needed … He said if I’d a wanted

it to hide a knife in, and smuffle it to Jim to kill the seneskal with it, it would have been alright”

(Twain 272). Despite the fact that Tom has grown up in the deep South, he does not agree that

Jim should be held in slavery because Jim is black. In fact, Tom believes that Jim should have a

knife to protect himself when he is escaping. Although Maycomb County does not practice

slavery, Scout still disagrees with her town’s racist mentality. She beats up her classmate, Cecil
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Jacobs, because he is making fun of her father, Atticus. Cecil is just one of many who mock

Atticus for defending a black man, Tom Robinson. When her brother, Jem, tries to explain that

there are different “types” of people in Maycomb County, Scout disagrees. She replies, “‘Naw,

Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks’” (Lee 259). Scout clearly disagrees with Jem’s

proclamation that there are different types of people. In her mind, everyone is the same and

should be treated the same. She fails to understand the unjustified hate in her community. She is

so negatively affected by this hatred that she lashes out and attacks her classmate Cecil Jacobs.

Because everyone, in her eyes, is equal, she feels that fighting Cecil is justified. Like Tom

Sawyer, Scout feels that her actions are warranted. Both know that their intentions are moral, so

they self justify the means necessary to accomplish their goals.

Furthermore, some people declare that they do not support the immoral ideas and actions

around them. It is difficult for Huck to make sense of Tom’s re enslavement. He admits his

frustration with racism in the South when he declares, “If I had a yaller dog that didn’t know

more than a person’s conscience does, I would poison him” (Twain 260). In contrast to those

around him, Huck is able to see the equality that should exist among all people. He blames

racism on people’s lack of intelligence. According to Huck, the typical dog is smarter than a

person’s deformed conscience. Atticus is as equally disturbed with the racism in his community,

so he rejects others opinions and follows his own personal beliefs. He refuses to go against his

morals and decides to defend Tom Robinson. Scout wonders why her father is willing to be

publicly shamed in order to defend a client. He tells Scout, “‘ … if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my

head up in town, I couldn’t represent the town in the legislature, I couldn’t tell you or Jem not to

do something again’” (Lee 86). Atticus tries to teach his children to follow in his footsteps by
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pursuing moral decisions. In his heart, he knows that defending Tom Robinson is the correct

choice, even though he will be hated for it by his peers. His moral compass is so strong that he

believes he would not be able to go on with life if he abandoned Tom, like the rest of Maycomb

County. Both Huck and Atticus dramatically reveal their thoughts against racism. They are able

to see the disadvantages blacks face in their communities. Unlike other citizens, they see each

individual as equal, ignoring financial status and race. Their morals are strong enough to resist

the judgment of others in their community. To them, following their heart is more important than

being accepted by their societies.

Thus, because characters stand up for their beliefs and disagree with their societies’

morals, ​The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn​ and ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ support the statement

that a sound heart is more important than a deformed conscience. No matter the environment

they are raised in, children absorb the opinions forced upon them for the better and for the worst.

Each child perceives these opinions as the “right” belief. As a result, it is extremely difficult for

citizens to identify the injustices found in their own community after many generations of

corrupt thoughts. Although social ideas have changed, literature can shed a light on prejudices by

taking on different perspectives.