Racism In To Kill A Mockingbird

Racism is a trait in life that no one can permanently wipe out from society and the world. Racism was always part of human society and will always remain an aspect of life. No matter how hard someone tries to get rid of racism, it will always fail. One novel that provides an explicit view of racism is Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. In the novel, Scout, the main character tries to understand racism portrayed in the meanest way in her own home town. After witnessing a cruel aspect of racism, Scout learns that unlike her previous thoughts of her town and the world, no one is unbiased and sometimes, not even fair places like the courthouse can stop them. Many parts in Lee’s novel can be related to many scenes in modern America, like the Scottsboro
They met, and he convinced her to return to Alabama to testify” (“Ruby Bates” par. 6). Similarly, the key witness to the Tom Robinson Trial, Mayella Ewell, showed signs of lying and fabrication during her testimony. When Atticus, Tom’s lawyer cross-examined her, she was angry at him just for treating her like a lady. Mayella said, “I got somethin’ to say an’ then I ain’t gonna say no more. That nigger yonder took advantage of me an’ if you fine fancy don’t wanta do nothin’ about it then you’re all yellow stinkin’ cowards […] Your fancy airs don’t come to nothin’-your ma’amin’ and Miss Mayellerin’ don’t come to nothin’, Mr. Finch” (Lee 188). Both Ruby Bates and Mayella Ewell were groomed for court. They had never been to the courthouse before, nor been treated like a Southern lady. As a result, they were afraid that they will lose. However, Victoria Price and Bob Ewell forcibly coached them to speak whatever they said in court. Bates initially spoke for Price because she knew that refusing to speak will mean admitting that she was illegally transiting on a train and will go to jail. However, she realized that what she has been doing was wrong, morally and ethically. As a result, she decided to go back and testify for the defendants. Mayella Ewell
As one of the country’s best criminal lawyers, Leibowitz initially hoped that with his help and expertise, all the Scottsboro Boys would be acquitted. However, he came to realize that even his knowledge cannot break the racism in the South. Trial after trial, his reason lost to passion and hatred. The article, “People & Events: Samuel Leibowitz, 1893 – 1978” explains Leibowitz’s anger towards the South and its way of life. Angry at Thomas Knight, the prosecutor, Leibowitz argued, “Even the dumbest cop […] would have spotted those two as tramps and liars. You know damn well they lied that day at the Paint Rock station and the Price girl has been lying ever since. Now you want me to plead three or four of the boys guilty of something they never did” (“People & Events” par. 1). Similarly, Atticus Finch was one of the best lawyers in Maycomb County. In the courthouse, his cross-examinations of Heck Tate, Bob Ewell, and Mayella Ewell were extremely effective. However, like Leibowitz, Atticus was unable to persuade the court to turn away from racism and listen to reason. At the end of the trial, Atticus understood why he failed to acquit Tom