How does Harper Lee show the importance of Tom Robinson’s trial?

Write about:
● how the trial is important to Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson is found guilty of the rape of Mayella Ewell, despite his actual innocence. The reason
for the guilty verdict lies in the prejudice of those around him. As a black man, he is assumed to
possess fewer morals and less innate goodness than the white citizens of Maycomb, including Bob
Ewell. When Tom Robinson dies as a result of attempting to escape the prison in which he never
should have been placed, it is a direct reflection of the theme of the destruction of innocence.
● how the trial is important to Atticus
The trial of Tom Robinson is of great significance in To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, Atticus Finch
teaches his children, Scout and Jem, that they are not to shoot mockingbirds, since mockingbirds
represent only purity and beauty; the birds do not harm anyone and only give beauty in the form or
song. Atticus believes in tolerance and equality, an attribute he would like Jem and Scout to inherit.
The trial of Tom Robinson is symbolic of the killing of a mockingbird, which is (in turn) symbolic of the
destruction of innocence.
● how the trial is important to Jem, Scout and Dill
To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story that follows Scout and Jem's moral development and
loss of childhood innocence. The Tom Robinson trial not only drives the plot of the story and presents
a conflict, it also exposes the Finch children to the harmful effects of racial prejudice. Leading up to
the Tom Robinson trial, Jem and Scout endure constant criticism from their neighbors because
Atticus is defending a black man. As the trial approaches, Atticus teaches his children numerous
important life lessons regarding perspective, tolerance, and courage. He also teaches his children the
importance of protecting innocent beings (mockingbirds).
During the Tom Robinson trial, Jem and Scout witness racial injustice firsthand and lose their
childhood innocence after Tom is wrongly accused of assaulting and raping Mayella Ewell. After
witnessing Tom's wrongful conviction, both children fully understand the importance of protecting
innocent beings and sympathize with their father's difficult task. Both Jem and Scout gain valuable
insights about their racist community and begin to perceive the overt hypocrisy throughout Maycomb.
In addition to developing their perspective and losing their childhood innocence, the Tom Robinson
trial also makes Jem and Scout more tolerant and sympathetic toward innocent, defenseless
individuals. Overall, the Tom Robinson trial is a significant moment in the lives of Atticus, Jem, and
Scout and affects how the Finch children perceive their prejudiced small town.
● how the trial is important to Maycomb as a whole
Prejudice is displayed by several characters throughout the duration of the novel. Many people who
live in Maycomb are racists and prejudiced against black people. For example, Tom Robinson is
assumed to be guilty of sexually assaulting Mayella Ewell simply because he is a black man and she
is a white woman, even when the evidence points to him being innocent. The court is astonished to
hear that he felt sorry for Mayella, You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her? queries Mr Gilmer, the
lawyer charged with proving Tom’s guilt. Many white people at court are shocked by Tom’s temerity in
feeling sorry for a white person and from that moment on his guilty verdict seems inevitable.
However, racial intolerance is not the only prejudice to be included in the novel. Many residents of
Maycomb are presented as being narrow-minded and intolerant of anyone who does not conform to
their expectations. Boo Radley is persecuted and gossiped about because he has not been seen
outside his house since he was a teenager. Several of his neighbours believe he is a shadowy figure
who only leaves his house after dark and neighbourhood gossip has resulted in Jem picturing Boo as
a monster, Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging by his tracks; he dined on raw squirrels and
any cats he could catch, that’s why his hands were blood stained...
● how Harper Lee brings these things out / How does Harper Lee show the theme of prejudice
through Tom Robinson’s trial?
It is evident throughout the novel that the trial is a formality only and that Tom Robinson will be found
guilty.
Evidence
In our courts, when it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.
They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life. (Atticus to Jem)
Analysis
Atticus’ words reveal that the courts were always biased against black people. No matter how much
evidence proved their innocence, if they had been accused of a crime by a white person, they would
always be found guilty.
To Kill a Mockingbird: Key incident Essay

Choose a novel where there is a key incident. Give a brief account of the incident, and by referring to
appropriate techniques, show how this incident is important to the text as a whole.

Introduction

 Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird

 Author: Harper Lee
 Incident: Tom Robinson’s trial
 I will explain why it is important to the text: it tells us about the theme of prejudice, the setting
of Maycomb, the character of Atticus Finch and the symbolism of the Mockingbird.
 Techniques: theme, setting, character and symbolism

Para 1

Brief account of the incident… Tom Robinson is accused of rape by Mayella Ewell, the daughter of
ignorant ne’er do well, Bob Ewell. Tom is entirely innocent, as Mayella led him on after he chopped
some wood for her and he rejected her advances. It is clear by the end of the trial that Bob Ewell has
beaten his own daughter for wanting to be with a black man. Having avoided a lynch mob Atticus
Finch proves Tom’s innocence in the court but because of prejudice in the Southern States he is still
found guilty. The black community applaud Atticus but tragically Tom is shot trying to escape prison.

Para 2

What the trial tells us about the theme of prejudice…

 Most in Maycomb’s white community do not believe a trial should even be help for an accused
black man – they are going to lynch him until Atticus Finch stops them: “You can turn
around and go home again Walter.”
 A black man cannot get a fair trial in a place like Maycomb: “Guilty, guilty guilty”. The jury
condemn him, even though Atticus Finch has clearly proved him innocent: “In the name of
God believe him.”
 There is segregation in the south because all the black attendees at the trial have to sit at the
back and they are not allowed to be jurors: “The coloured balcony ran along three walls”.
 Atticus Finch is frowned upon for even daring to represent Tom in the trial. Atticus refuses to
accept this and takes on the case: “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”. He also says: “Before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live
with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s
conscience”.

…It is important to the text as a whole because it helps develop the book’s most important
theme.

Para 3

What the trial tells us about the setting of Maycomb…

 Maycomb is a town rife with prejudice, despite appearing very moral and upstanding.
 Miss Caroline tells her class that in America they, “don’t believe in persecuting anybody”,
but after the trial Scout hears her say that the verdict was the right result because it was time
somebody “taught ‘em a lesson” (the black townsfolk) and “they were getting’ way above
themselves. This is typical of Maycomb’s hypocrisy.
  Even someone as powerful and seemingly fair as the judge in the courthouse is terribly
prejudiced. When Tom is being questioned and he says he felt sorry for Mayella Ewell the
judge is outraged that a black man would dare to act as though he was equal to a white
woman: “You felt sorry for her.”

…It is important to the text as a whole because it helps us to see how prejudiced and
backward looking places like Maycomb could be.

Para 4

What the trial tells us about the character of Atticus…

 He is a man of principle and good conscience. When he takes on Tom’s case, he does it
because: “before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing
that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience”.
 He is deeply respected by the black community. We know this because after he has defended
Tom Robinson so well during the trial (he proves Tom is innocent, but the racist jury still find
him guilty) the galleries full of black townsfolk stand up and applaud: “Miss Jean Louise
(Scout’s real name), stand up. Your father’s passin’”.
 He is non-violent. When Bob Ewell spits on him in the street after the trial, because he has
been made to look a fool, instead of reacting he walks away saying: “I wish – Bob Ewell
wouldn’t chew tobacco.”
 He is courageous. He stands up against the town to do what is right, even when they pick on
his children and call him and his family: “Nigger lover.”

It is important to the text as a whole because it shows us how morally upright and brave
Atticus is.

Para 5

What the trial tells us about the symbolism of the Mockingbird…

 The symbolism of the mockingbird is used because Atticus says they only sing for us, they do
not cause any problems. By the same token we should not make good men like Tom and Boo
suffer: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat
up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their
hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”.

It is important to the text as a whole because it helps develop the books most important piece
of symbolism – the mockingbird which represents Tom Robinson and Boo Radley.

Conclusion

 Novel: To Kill a Mockingbird

 Author: Harper Lee
 Incident: Tom Robinson’s trial
 Explain again why it is important to the text: It tells us about the theme of prejudice, the setting
of Maycomb, the character of Atticus Finch and the symbolism of the Mockingbird.
 Explain which techniques you used: theme, setting, character and symbolism.