Has your teacher ever played favorites with your classmates? Would you go up to the teacher and tell him to stop picking favorites and treat everyone equally? In the book, “To KIll a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, justice, hatred, and innocence are shown throughout the book. During 1950’s in Maycomb, Alabama, racism was being used everywhere and Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, and Atticus have to overcome racism. In the novel by Harper Lee, innocence justice, and hatred is being shown through the characters of Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, Atticus, and Bob Ewell. Our author suggests that the world is innocent, and justice should be used more and there’s too much hatred in the world.
In the beginning of “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, innocence is shown through the characters of Jem, Scout, and Dill. Jem and Scout are young in the town of Maycomb and nothing is happening. Because of Dill’s families’ issues, he comes over during the summer. One day when Jem, Scout, and Dill were about to kill a mockingbird with a gun, their uncle said, “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The quote shows innocence because it is said to Scout and she understands that killing an innocent living being is wrong. She understands that by thinking that all “mockingbirds” do is just sing for them and killing them was wrong. In case of a real world situation, a lot of innocent people are still killed and hurt without a reason. They get killed and hurt because of their race or skin color. Throughout the book innocence is shown less and less. One of the motifs in the novel is innocence, and it is shown through the characters of Jem, Scout, and Dill.
During the middle of the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee, a motif shown is justice, and it is shown through the character of Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer and a father of Scout and Jem, who lives in Maycomb, Alabama and decides to takes the case of Tom Robinson, an African American who is accused of raping a girl. When Scout asks Atticus why he is taking the case of Tom Robinson he says that every lawyer has a bad case in their career. Then he says, “I guess it’s my time now.” Atticus was assigned Tom Robinson’s case and he had a choice to either take the case or leave it and let someone else take it. Tom Robinson is from a good family and the girl being “raped” was from a disgraceful family. Atticus believed that Tom Robinson was innocent and he did not rape the girl. Atticus is getting hatred from his whole town for taking this case and he shows that justice is what matters. Whereas in real life, when people are being humiliated or hurt, some people stand up for them. It takes courage to stand up for someone and be the victim. Atticus is known as justice in the book and he shows justice by many things, but the one that stands out the most is the part where he takes Tom Robinson’s case.
Towards the end of the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, hatred is being shown through the character of Bob Ewell, who sues Tom Robinson for “raping his daughter,” but in actuality, Bob Ewell was the one who abused his daughter. The court ruled against Tom Robinson because of the racism in those days. Later on, Tom Robinson is killed and Bob Ewell attempts to kill Jem and Scout. In page 201, Dill says, “Cry about the simple hell people give other people - without even thinking.” What Dill is trying to say with this quote is that what Bob Ewell does to Tom Robinson is really wrong. Bob Ewell just decided to sue Tom Robinson without even thinking. While in the real world, people just do horrible things to others because of their skin color or race - not even thinking why they are doing this. Throughout the end of the novel, hatred is shown from the character of Bob Ewell.
In the book, “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, justice, hatred, and innocence are shown by the characters of Tom Robinson, Jem, Scout, Atticus, and Bob Ewell. These traits are shown by Atticus taking the case of Tom Robinson, Jem and Scout showing innocence, and Bob Ewell killing and sueing Tom Robinson. Harper Lee had a clear purpose and a clear message about racism in the world. People need to stop racism and racial profiling, and take action if racism is being shown. Justice should be served everywhere and hatred shall not exist because of the way we look. After all, we all have same things under that skin.
