“Did it ever strike you that Judge Taylor naming Atticus to defend that boy was no accident? That Judge Taylor might have had his reasons for naming him?”
Judge Taylor is wise enough to appoint Atticus to Tom Robinson’s case, because he is intelligent enough to know that if he appointed an other public lawyer Tom’s case would have surely be a loosing one, he also trusts and know that only Atticus is capable to fight for the truth without concern to race.
During the time the book was written racism was widely spread and considerably acceptable. During the period Tom was in jail a lynch mob formed mostly by the Cunningham family, visited Atticus while he was protecting Tom outside the prison, the mob wanted Tom killed, due to their prejudice beliefs they knew that Tom was guilty because when anything involved a black guy occurred the blacks had to be blamed and had to be guilty. Scout witnessed the lynch mob and hurried to her father, as she was looking at the strangers she recognized Walter Cunningham’s father, being Walter’s friend, scout told Mr. Cunningham to say ‘hi’ to Walter.
“I’ll tell him you said hey, little lady,” “Let’s clear out… let’s get going boys”
Mr. Cunningham was in a groups (mob) and so, his emotions and thoughts have changed but when Scout talked to him she brought him to his senses and made him an individual, she had made him an individual and had made him think for himself rather than thinking like the group, while in groups mobs are usually mindless, they cant think on their own.
Another character in the novel is Dolphus Raymond, a white male who is not prejudice; he has a black mistress and also has mixed children from her.
“You mean all you drink in that sack’s Coca-Cola?”
Dolphus Raymond is not brave enough to stand up and say his opinion so his way of overcoming Maycomb’s disease is by pretending drunk, for Maycomb it was wrong to be with the blacks, so you had to have an excuse for being with them.
“Things haven’t caught up with one’s instinct. Let him get a little older, and he wont get sick and cry”
This quotation emphasizes on Maycomb’s disease, the children aren’t yet affected by it, so whenever they see how bad the people are treating the blacks they get all sick and cry about it, which is what happened with Dill. Dolphus Raymond is saying even though his way of confronting and overcoming the disease is dishonest, still this is his excuse with being with the blacks by pretend to be drunk, he is doing this because the people wont understand that he is doing this because he does not care about skin color and that he wants to live like that with the blacks.
Another major character in the novel is Atticus. In this novel racism and prejudice weren’t only against blacks but those connected with the blacks, such as Atticus, he was appointed to defend Tom Robinson in trail. One, fine example of the effort made to resist the disease is Atticus’s bravery, Atticus is clever and courageous enough to confront the disease and stand up for himself and his beliefs. Atticus is intelligent enough to blend in with the blacks and also mix with the whites; Atticus does not have a problem with the blacks and is not affected by what the people say.
“Scout Finch’s daddy defended niggers”
“Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!”
The people of Maycomb are mocking Atticus for defending the blacks and working for their cause although it is ironic because deep inside they agree with Atticus but aren’t brave enough to say it out loud.
Throughout the book Atticus is elaborated on as a good and understanding parent.
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Atticus once said this statement to his children, he is smart enough to pass his beliefs and opinions to his children to educate them and to inform them of the inequality and prejudice the blacks are facing. During the trial of Tom Robinson, Atticus tried his best to fight for the truth even thought he knew he was fighting a loosing battle. He has gave the defense his best effort to make the people stand in Tom’s shoes and know how much he is suffering from the injustice he is facing.
In her novel, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, Harper Lees has brought up the idea of racism as a disease which has overcome a county, Racism is a key theme in her novel she has shown us lots of examples on racism and prejudice and she has connected the events with the characters well, the main character in her story who had dome the most of the confrontation is Atticus, who is an understanding parent, who is brave enough to confront the disease, and is intelligent enough to deal with the prejudiced white masses in Maycomb County.
To Kill A Mockingbird, Page 94
