Taylor Goode
Steele Period 7
3/26/12
Skin Color is not a Crime Have you ever wondered why sometimes the court of justice is unjust? “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is about a young girl named Scout who lives in the small town of Maycomb and is surrounded by racist people and their accusation of an innocent man because of his skin color. In the book, you see many people will sacrifice justice and fairness in the face of racial cases. Throughout the book, Tom Robinson is threatened and accused of many things because of the color of his skin. “Guilty…guilty…guilty…guilty…” (282). When this is said tin the book, it is an example of how people in town would accuse him of a crime he didn’t do and find him guilty. Tom Robinson is an African American who is treated poorly only because of his darker skin color. Atticus Finch is clearly a leader in the story, proving that the color of a person’s skin isn’t a crime. “…thinks he knows what he’s doing” (218). When this statement is made, it is the summary of what most people think of Atticus because he is defending Tom. Atticus still defends and protects Tom and his family even though he is called a fool and looked down upon. He knows it is wrong to judge anyone from their looks. All along, Bob Ewell is the main cause of all of the racial tension in the town because he accuses Tom of raping his daughter. “I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco” (291). Atticus
Goode 2 states this exact sentence after he was spat on by Bob. This act is meant to show