Justice Is Colorblind

Justice is colorblind. All people are subject to the impartiality of the law; however, the backward attitude of Southern society can allow racism to take precedence to the law. In her novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee portrays how racism prevails in Southern society as white people view blacks as being inferior to them. She depicts how a white-dominated society views Tom Robinson as instantly being guilty of the crime of raping a white woman. She focuses on how racism prevents society from taking progressive steps forward as it keeps society enchained to the backward ways of the Southern past. Atticus aims to demonstrate that justice is about facts rather than racial biases, and that everyone is equal before the law. The title of the
Atticus takes on Tom's case as he believes that equality is fundamental to society. He views Tom as an equal that he must fight for in order to save society from racism. He faces rejection as whites attack him for defending a black man. When someone reproaches him for defending Tom, he expresses how he believes in equality: "You aren't really a nigger-lover, then, are you?" "I certainly am. I do my best to love everybody... I'm hard put, sometimes—baby, it's never an insult to be called what somebody thinks is a bad name. It just shows you how poor that person is, it doesn't hurt you” (Lee 34). Atticus stands out from the rest of Southern society as he believes in the shared humanity of all people. He refuses to back down in the face of public anger as he believes that defending an innocent man is the right thing to do regardless of his race. Atticus hears people talking about how a black man sleeping with a white woman implies that he imposed his will on her. He is aware of how white people imply that a white woman would never want to be with a black man. He believes that the law can save society from racial hatred, which he acknowledges as influencing every aspect of society. He views the courtroom as a place where equality can rise above the hatred of society in order to proclaim the humanity of all people. Atticus
Lee depicts how society judged Tom and sentenced him before he even stepped inside the courtroom. Racism prevents people from acknowledging that Tom should be treated fairly (Constantakis 1). Tom's death is the outcome of a society that refuses to change its backward ways and take steps forward. The novel focuses on how the humanity that people share allow them to treat each other with dignity and respect. Racism makes Tom's death inevitable as society prefers to punish an innocent man rather than consider the possibility that it has become backward: “Senseless killing—Tom had been given due process of law to the day of his death; he had been tried openly and convicted by twelve good men and true; my father had fought for him all the way. Then Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case” (Lee 114). The novel delves into the way that Atticus' children remain hopeful about the future regardless of how racism dominates. Rachel Watson argues that “identifying with a particular other” is central to the story (Watson