“Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.”
This statement comes from just after the guilty verdict is announced and shows how predictable it was. The verdict, however, was not the only sign of discrimination and prejudice in the courtroom. The prosecution constantly patronise Tom while he is on the stand. An example of this is that Tom is referred to as “Boy” throughout the trial even though he is the same age, if not older, than the man who is questioning him. This shows Tom being treated with little respect or consideration, hence making him feel and seem worthless. When Tom replies to a question, the prosecution mock him by repeating his answer in a derogatory and condescending manner:
“You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?”
Although it sounds reasonable that one person could feel sorry for another, the statement is ridiculed mainly because during this period in the Deep South, the black community were regarded to be worthless and to have lives that were worse than all whites’. Mayella Ewell (the woman the above statement is referring to) is, although suffering from deprivation, white which is considered to automatically grant her with a better life and place in society, than a Black person. By Tom stating sincerely that he “felt sorry” for Mayella Ewell, shows that he believes that there are whites in worse conditions than him, hence disproving one of the fundamental ideas behind white supremacy in the Deep South.
Tom’s treatment during the trial is shown in a very negative light as it causes the character Dill to become distressed and proclaim “It made me sick, plain sick…”. I believe that by showing Tom’s treatment in court in a negative way Harper Lee is trying to highlight that there is no justification for racial prejudice, especially in the courtroom.
Another main theme in To Kill a Mockingbird is sexism. Harper Lee uses the female inhabitants of Maycomb to portray the stifling sexist attitude of the Deep South. Comments like “ther’s no lady safe in her bed these nights”, show the restrictive attitude that women should be fragile and delicate, hence needing the constant protection from their strong male counterparts. However, Scout rebels against this overbearing attitude by only answering to her boyish nickname, Scout. She also refuses to wear trousers or act “ladylike” and is the first to act on impulse and start a fight. By allowing Scout to behave in such an unconventional way, Harper Lee demonstrates a clear dislike of imposing the conventional stereotypes on girls from an early age. She shows that by insisting girls act a certain way, they are restricted in the way they develop, act and think. Conversely, as Scout grows and learns through the novel, she begins to conform to a more “ladylike” approach and decides “there was some skill involved in being a girl”. So even after being given the freedom to wear what she wanted and act as she pleased without sexual restraint, she still chose to become “a lady”. By showing Scout to grow as a tomboy but eventually deciding for herself that she should become more feminine, I believe Harper Lee is insisting that girls should have this freedom when growing up as they will always become ladies. The only difference is they have done so by choice and not been forced to do so.
Another main theme is innocence and more specifically the symbolic innocence of the mockingbird. The mockingbird is known for not having a song of its own and just imitating the song of other birds – hence the bird’s name. In many ways the character’s Boo Radley and Tom Robinson can be compared to the mockingbird, as they – on the outside – lead normal lives but, on closer inspection it is evident that, they are set aside from normal life by people’s prejudices. Like the mockingbird which is acknowledged throughout the book as something that should be protected, Boo and Tom should be protected and cared for. However, because of the communities distorted views they are prosecuted – not protected. I believe Harper Lee uses the mockingbird, as well as Tom and Boo’s likeness of it, to reveal a dislike for the way precious things are treated in the society of the Deep South.
Harper Lee also uses the children in the book to help continue the theme of innocence. Even when the unfairness in the court is apparent it is only Dill who gets upset. This is commented on when Mr Raymond says “seems that only children weep”. I believe that Harper Lee uses the children to state a hatred for the way that innocence and an accurate perception of events is only now found in the mind of a child.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that could be read by a child and enjoyed for the touching story it encompasses, but it could also be read by an adult and be appreciated for the deep moral issues that are discussed within the book’s pages. Because of this, To Kill a Mockingbird became a classic the day it was published and continues to be a classic today.