Imagine you were put in a tough position, where everybody was cheating on a math test, and you are the one person who knows it is the right thing not to cheat on the test. Would you give in and cheat just because the other people are cheating? Or would you ignore them and take the test fairly because you know it’s the right thing to do? Although this book’s issues go well beyond simply cheating on a math test. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee shows us how the characters are fighting against racism by not following where the path may lead, but by carving their own path.
Atticus Finch is being courageous in his fight against racism, by treating his kids with honor and respect when he tells his children the truth about racism. When Atticus is talking to Jem about the verdict and the inequality of the Tom Robinson trial, Jem is very confused and vexed about the justice system of Maycomb. Atticus explains to Jem “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life.. Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine of a family he comes from, that white man is trash”(295).
Atticus is elling Jem the truth about the white people in Maycomb, which could be a hard thing for him to accept, that most of the people in his community are trash. Atticus is implying that Bob Ewell is the white man in this situation, who took advantage of an innocent, hardworking man who has only done good things for society, like a mock. Atticus is courageous just to explain this to his son, which is something that all white families fail to do, that is why all of the other kids grow up with racism in their life, they learn that all black people are bad and that they should treat them unfairly.
Later in this chapter, Atticus talked to Scout about how juries are chosen and how women cannot serve on juries. Atticus says to Scout “I do. I guess it’s to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom’s… ” The community thinks so poorly of black people, they do not want their women even around them due to the stereotype that all black people are bad and dangerous. Atticus was being courageous when he said this to Scout because she could have interpreted wrong. She could have thought that this meant that all women are not powerful, and they cannot manage for themselves.
After the Finch’s c Christmas party, Atticus tells Scout that he defends and treats all people equally, he continues “… You might hear some ugly talk about it at schoo.. ” Atticus is being brave to tell Scout this because he trusts Scout not to get mad at people at school. Most parents in Maycomb do not trust their kids like Atticus does, another example of Atticus carving his own path. Atticus especially has to trust his daughter because she has a tendency to solve problems with her fists. Not only is Atticus trusting her to do the right thing, but he is putting a target on Scout’s back for the other kids at school.
Atticus Finch is being courageous in his fight against racism by fighting for the innocence of Tom Robinson. Scout is asking Atticus if he is an n-lover and if all lawyers defend black people. Scout then asks if Atticus is going to win the case, he replies “Simply because we were licked hundreds of years ago before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”. Atticus was right, everybody in Maycomb knew that Tom would be declared guilty, even though he was clearly innocent. Although Atticus knows he will not win, he is not going to go down without a fight. He is trying to make a stand to verybody, even though he will loose, he is making a statement to everybody in Maycomb, that he is still defending a black man with his heart and soul.
Atticus not only carves his own path, but makes a trail for other people to follow, and people do follow it. Tom is moved to a jail in Maycomb, and a mob, led by Walter Cunningham, go to the jail, with intentions to hang Tom. However, they are met by Atticus simply sitting by the cell, not armed with any weapon. The mob is trying to get to Tom, but Atticus stops them and gets into a heated argument with Mr. Cunningham. Atticus says to him “You can turn around and go ome again, Walter” Atticus is being very courageous during this whole incident. Atticus was foolish not to come without any protection because he could have been easily harmed or even killed. This was all to protect Tom Robinson, a man who would be declared guilty no matter what the evidence was.
The fact that Atticus was risking his own life for a person’s life who will die due to the death penalty is simply an act courage. When the narrator quotes “The court appointed Atticus to defend him. Atticus aimed to defend him”. The court could have assigned a lawyer with no previous experience as a lawyer before because hey knew the verdict would be guilty, but the court chose Atticus because they knew he would go down without a fight. That is exactly what Atticus did, he put his heart and soul into the case. This was a very risky and courageous decision that put himself and his family in danger, but it was all for his fight against racism. In to Kill a Mockingbird, the African American community in Maycomb does not have enough power to make big stands against racism, they are only able to do little acts of protests, but sometimes the littlest acts make the biggest difference. During the missionary circle, Mrs. Merriwether says “..
Just ruins your day to have one of em’ in the kitchen… ” Mrs. Merriweather is regarding the African- American maids that work in homes of white people. A great amount of them are purposely not working as hard anymore, although they did not boycott working because they were too fearful of losing their jobs. This act is just a speck in the universe, but forged a trail for other people to follow, as did Atticus in his fight against racism. People like Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King who followed their trail, and soon earn civil rights for black people. This is an example of the African American community trying very hard to tand up for themselves in Maycomb.
Unfortunately, this is the greatest form of protest that they are able to do because they do not have equal rights or much power. Maycomb puts in a lot of effort to keep it that way too. For example, there are parts of town where all of the white people live, and where all of the black people live. The churches are also segregated, and the white church is much higher quality than the black church, this goes with the residential areas too. The black people have no opportunities to hold good job positions, all of them either work on farms or serve as maids.
Atticus Finch and the African American community of Maycomb are being courageous by standing up against racism, and not following society’s path of racism. John Kabat-Zinn said, “The little things? the little moments? They aren’t little. ” The acts that Atticus and the African American community performed might seem little, but they laid a trail for other people to follow. In our community today, people are not standing up for what they believe in, they are being drowned out by other people’s beliefs. Atticus and the African American community serve as role models, for people to stand up for what they think is right.