Harper Lee Essay Collection

Moment of Significance (TKAMB)

'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a coming of age novel written by Harper Lee, set in a small sleepy town called Maycomb, in the heavily racist Southern state of Alabama, during the Great Depression. A moment of significance is the Tom Robinson Trial, where an innocent black man is convicted due to a prejudiced jury. The protagonist, Scout, watches this trial from the coloured balcony in the courtroom. Throughout the trial, her understanding of the world is changed forever. Jem and his younger sister commence the book with little to no understanding of the adult world. They face a major incident that challenges their understanding of the world and further advances their knowledge about the small town they live in. In 'To Kill a Mockingbird', Jem learns about racism in his community and in the legal system, through the unfair and unjust Tom Robinson trial. At the start of the book he believes that most people in his community are good and moral people, however after the trial he has seen those she knows experience violence and cruelty. As a result, he is more aware about the world, and far better prepared to enter society as a young adult.

One reason why the trial is so significant in Jem's life is because he learns about white privilege. Most notably learning that a white person will always win against a black person, simply due to their skin colour. The jury's decision to convict Tom Robinson for a crime he did not commit plagues Jem as an intolerable miscarriage of justice. The most prominent reason justice isn't accommodated is because the jury's racism does not allow Tom to get a fair trial, matched with the fact that both Mayella Ewell and her father lied on the stand. "Gentlemen, a court is no better than each man of you sitting before me on this jury. A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up.'" Here Atticus tries to convince the jury to do what they think is the right thing, ignoring societal expectations. However Tom's race, along with the Ewells' lies, proved enough for the racist jury to find Tom guilty, even in the face of Atticus' foolproof evidence of Tom's innocence. Jem learns a very important lesson about prejudice and racism, which ultimately helps him on the path to adulthood with a firmer understanding of white privilege.

Another lesson Jem learns from the trial is that the justice system is not as juste as it may appear at first. The complex relationship between the abstract justice system and the individuals who participate in it is one of the main themes in 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. "The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box." Trials may seem fair on paper, however the jury or judge can easily be biased or prejudiced, resulting in unfair hearings. Here, Atticus tells Jem and Scout that an unbiased trial is close to impossible to achieve. Overall, the book suggests that despite this bias, each individual must strive to make their participation in the trial as free of prejudice as possible.

A third reason why the trial is so significant for Jem is because he begins to understand that his father is a moral compass and somebody with heroic qualities that he can look up to. One instance of this is when Atticus accepts the Tom Robinson case out of personal integrity and a belief that the racist ways of the deep South will gradually but surely change over time. He visually perceives this trial as an opportunity to help make that historic shift of attitude, even if it is just a minuscule step. Furthermore, from the start, Atticus understood that the case was going to be unsuccessful, yet he was determined to act upon his word and moral code. This attitude of persevering against the odds is made clear in his statement to his daughter Scout, "It's when you know you're licked before you start but you start anyway and you see it through no matter what". Atticus advocated fervently for justice and equality at the risk of his reputation, failure, and controversy. Positioned therefore as a heroic character of immense integrity, somebody for Jem to idolise and emulate.

Finally, the trial teaches Jem that it is important to do the right thing, no matter the circumstance. Atticus' taking a trial he knows he will lose, and still putting so much effort into it, is a shining example for his son, as he grows to become a functioning adult in society. When the children ask Atticus why he defends Tom Robinson in court when it's assumed he shouldn't be, Atticus takes this moment to reinforce the notion that treating others as equals is necessary. It, in effect, reveals his strong morals, which are fundamentally focused on doing the right thing. In addition, Jem also displays those values, albeit in a different situation. Following the trial of Tom Robinson, Jem is disturbed by the jury's decision, for he still sees everybody as equal. "If there's only one type of folks, why can't they get along with each other?". Jem doesn't understand why they found Tom guilty when he was clearly innocent. Jem is free from the racial bias of the time, as he is very young and inexperienced. As well as being ingenious, his principles tell him every person is equal, irrespective of race. Jem following his morals goes hand in hand with doing what is right. A moral that he develops over the course of the book, with the breaking point at the trial.

In conclusion, the significance of the Tom Robinson trial in 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is the way that it alters Jem's perspective on life, and therefore also the reader's perception through his emotional struggle to come to grips with the way his life has been shaken. Jem's development throughout the novel is mainly based around what he learns about the world from the trial. He is important to the plot because his development is used to help express the underlying theme of racism, personal development, and being moral. If it is protecting one's integrity, striving for equality or just showing respect in general, Jem learns a lot and develops as a character. Ultimately the character development of both Jem and Scout, is what makes the book interesting and centered around deepening the understanding of the way the world works. It is a coming of age novel afterall, and who better than the protagonist's older brother to express that.