Tom Robinson was punished for a crime that he did not commit. Tom was only convicted because he was a black man in a white society at the time when it seemed socially correct to discriminate against the black people. Although Tom Robinson was innocent of raping Mayella he was found guilty because it was the word of a white man against the word of a black man. Tom was a scapegoat. Atticus, his lawyer, supported Tom because he felt it was his duty, even though he knew that Tom would be found guilty, as Tom had been pre-judged, because he was a black man. Tom was punished because he was kind and had allowed himself to be kissed by Mayella. Tom felt sorry for Mayella although it should have been unthinkable because Tom was supposed to be inferior to Mayella as he was black and she was white. Tom ended up being killed for a crime that he did not commit, just because of the colour of his skin.
Tom Robinson’s punishment was very unfair because he was shot seventeen times and then killed for trying to escape from prison for a crime that he did not commit, leaving his wife to support three children alone. Tom was killed out of rage and determination from the white police officials. This was because the law in Maycomb was a “White Law” which therefore meant that it was very unjust. Conversely Boo Radley was let off his punishment because he was white, even though he was guilty.
Boo Radley was a white boy accused of drunken joy riding and stabbing his father with a pair of scissors. Boo Radley was a mysterious figure that no one knew much about, who had not been seen for years. Many of the children’s games revolved around “Making Boo Radley come out.” The children were fascinated with Boo Radley especially Jem.
“ Boo was about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks, there was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were all rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time.” This shows the kind of reputation that Boo had gained throughout the years and what the people in Maycomb thought of him.
Boo received a punishment in a very different way to Tom Robinson. Boo Radley’s father told the judge that he would be responsible for punishing Boo. The judge wanted to send him to a special school as a punishment but did not argue with Mr Radley because he knew that Boo would get what he deserved if his father dealt with him. Boo was kept in his house and although no one saw him for years, until the night that he saved the lives of Scout and Jem, his presence was always felt. Boo Radley was let off his official punishment because he was white, even though the evidence proved he was guilty. Boo was also “socially” punished because of his past and rumours. Boo Radley would always remain a child because he was not allowed to grow up in the outside world. He would therefore always be different.
At the end of the book, Boo saves the lives of Scout and Jem by killing Mr Ewell who was chasing them with a knife as revenge for Atticus defending Tom Robinson.
“‘Mr Finch’, Mr Tate said stolidly, ‘Bob Ewell fell on his knife, He killed himself’.” If Tom Robinson had done the same thing as Boo Radley he would have probably been put on trial and proven guilty because he was a black man and it would not have been seen as doing a good thing for the Finch’s.
Although the punishments of Boo and Tom were very different they did have some similarities. For example, Tom and Boo are both seen as unusual characters. They were also both pre-judged. The citizens of Maycomb knew that Tom Robinson was going to be convicted even before the trial began whilst Boo Radley had been pre-judged as being strange and out of the ordinary and the white people of Maycomb were not going to think otherwise. Tom and Boo were also both very naïve. Both Tom Robinson’s and Boo Radley’s punishment were disproportionate to the crime involved. Tom’s punishment was too severe because he faced death for a crime that he did not commit; similarly Boo’s punishment was also too large for joy riding because he should not have been totally outcast from society for a crime that he committed as a young boy. In Maycomb any white person would to be treated more kindly than a black person because that was seen as correct in society during that era. In the court
The judge would have been white and the jury would have consisted mainly of white people. The punishments of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson would have been a personal interpretation of the law, for each individual member of the jury.
“Mr Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likens Toms death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” In a town like Maycomb the highest black people were always going to be regarded as lower than “White Trash”, however immoral, unjust or wrong this point of view was - and still is.
“Remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird!”
