In order to make us feel for the black characters, Harper Lee tells us about the natural and personal traits that the black characters in the novel have. She focuses on are Tom Robinson, Calpurnia, and Rev. Sykes. However we are told about other black characters when they are in big groups or meetings, such as at church and the trial of Tom Robinson. We are also told about the attitudes of the white characters towards the blacks.
The white characters have no trust for the black characters; the jury and other white characters do not trust Tom’s story. Although there are a few exceptions like the Cunninghams, Dolphus Raymond, who is married to a black woman and has her children, and also Miss Maudie. Miss Maudie, was asked when talking to the children before the trial began if she was going to the court, said to them “I am not. ‘t’s morbid, watching a poor devil on trial for his life. Look at all those folks, it’s like a Roman carnival.” This shows us that she does not understand why all these people are turning out in masses for Tom’s trial just because it is a black man going against a white mans word.
Harper Lee presents the black characters as helpful, trusting and more open to each other than the white characters. She does this by introducing us to the characters of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson.
Calpurnia is very trusted by the Finch family and this is shown when she teaches the children lessons about life and mannerisms. An example of this is when Walter Cunningham is over for dinner and Scout criticises how he eats his food. Calpurnia took Scout into the kitchen and said “Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Yo’ folks might be better’n the Cunninghams but it don’t count for nothin’ the way you’re disgracin’ ‘em – if you cant act fit to eat at the table you can just set here and eat in the kitchen.” This shows that Atticus has the faith in Calpurnia to allow her to teach and discipline Scout and Jem.
Tom Robinson shows these characteristics when he tries to help Mayella Ewell. He felt sorry for her but she liked him yet as society did not belive that a black man could or should feel sorry for a white girl when he said he felt sorry for her, in the court room, the crowd of white citizens did not believe him. Tom also shows respect, another trait of the black characters, towards Mayella when he does not give in to her when she wants him to.
The black characters are respectful and courteous towards each other and towards whites, especially Atticus, as Atticus tries to stop the hatred of the whites towards the blacks and he tries to unite them all. This is shown at the trial when Atticus is leaving the blacks tell Scout Jem and Dill that they should stand up to show their respect for him. Another example of this is when the blacks allow Scout Jem and Dill to sit in their balcony at the trial because here was no more space in the white seats.
The black characters accept Jem and Scout into their church and welcome them into their worship because they are genuine, Christian people who do not want all the trouble form the whites. Also they do not understand where this entire hatred etc came from.
The white characters use the blacks as slaves and are resentful towards the freed slaves because they are now equal to them. The white characters in the novel are not even respectful towards each other and this is shown in their attitudes towards Dolphus Raymond and Mrs Dubose. It is also shown in the way Burris talks and acts towards Miss Caroline and in the way Bob Ewell tries to seek revenge on Atticus by attempting to kill Scout and Jem after the pageant. The whites are cold hearted for example when the prison officers shot Tom Robinson seventeen times and again when Bob Ewell tries to kill the children.
Although again there are the exceptions of the whites that treated the blacks unfairly were as I have already mentioned the Cunninghams, Dolphus Raymond and Miss Maudie. The white characters who are well educated and better off are less coarse and brutal towards the black community, for example Atticus.
The black characters remain strong and do not give up but they stay put in Maycomb even though they face inferiority and discrimination every day from the majority of the white characters. The white characters do not treat the blacks as humans but as slaves and third class citizens of Maycomb.
In conclusion, the blacks are honest, respectful, genuine and good people but the whites do not want to see this and treat them badly, although there are some exceptions. Just after the trial had finished Atticus was talking to Jem. He said to him “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. … There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who’ll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance. Don’t fool yourselves – it’s all adding up and one of these days we’re going to be paying the bill for it. I just hope it’s not in you children’s time.” By saying this I think Atticus is saying that the blacks will fight back and get their freedom and rights, which is what happened during the Civil Rights Movement a few years after To Kill A Mockingbird was published.
The message of this particular theme of the novel is that everyone should not be treated unfairly just because they have a different skin colour, prefer to mix with different people to others or because they are uneducated. But moist importantly because society implies it.