Topic > Tom Robinson's Characters and Depiction of the Influence of Racism

The Color DiseaseFrom a subtle thought in one man's head to genocide, racism has infected all forms of society throughout humanity's existence. Racism spread across the world as society shifted from group to separation based on the chemicals in our skin. Eventually lynchings, genocides, and violent verbal and physical abuse occurred. Harper Lee describes such events in her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Mrs. Lee struggles with the effects of racism through the use of different characters in Maycomb with the use of the three unique characters Tom Robinson, Calpurnia, and Scout. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Culturally accepted racism is visible in Tom Robinson's fight for survival. Society established its opinion of Tom before Mr. Robinson said a word, simply because of his race. Atticus in his closing statement to the jury explains why Tom Robinson did nothing by using society's mistaken view of blacks to his advantage: "Which, gentlemen, we know is itself a lie as black as Tom's skin Robinson, a lie I don't know." I have to point you out. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some niggas lie, some niggas are immoral, some niggas are not to be trusted with white or black women. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no race of men in particular. There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never looked at a woman without desire” (273). Both the justice system and society have accepted racism as normal because of how the slow separation between the races slowly made its way into the minds of the upper classes. Although government officials and the judicial system have been thought of as the true power above all else, both officials and the judicial system are human beings and receive the common social perception of humanity as quickly as the common society. The concept of a higher power as stereotypical and racially and gender-divided as society leads to corruption and unjust justice. This allows people with white skin to exploit the ethnicity of black people. Atticus compares Tom Robinson's skin to a "black lie", which symbolizes how the inaccurate view of skin color changing a human's personality and morals proves to be an unhelpful statement and Atticus sees skin color as a lie. Atticus goes to great lengths to explain that absolutely everyone lies and exhibits qualities of immoral behavior. Atticus explains that although society is expected to be truthful, the human race in general cannot strictly follow the rules. The way Atticus says that no one in the courtroom did not admire a woman without desire implies that all people are male, which makes it easier for Atticus to address his crowd and explain and justify his argument. Atticus attempts to break the barrier between white and black skin, but unfortunately fails due to Tom Robinson's death sentence. After the trial, Atticus turns to Jem and explains why Tom Robinson was killed: “There is something in our world that makes men lose their minds: they couldn't be honest if they tried. In our courts, when it comes to a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They are ugly, but these are the facts of life” (295). Atticus recognizes that the law does not separate from society's prejudices and often supports racism by making inaccurate decisions based on the color of the person.skin. Tom Robinson is a great example because of his innocence and the fact that the person accusing him was white. Although Mayella identifies as a woman, her skin color is so strong that it overcomes the cultural hegemony against women. Simply “the white man always wins” sums up Tom's case. The “ugly reality of life” represents the end result of modern society, where even a person's greatest strength in Maycomb, the justice system, can be filled with hateful prejudice. Tom Robinson was a strong black character in Ms. Lee's book, but many other characters also represent the brutality of racism. Racism is similarly displayed in Mrs. Dubose's aggressive actions. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who sits on her porch and yells rude comments like, "Your father is no better than the niggers and garbage he works for!" (135) Mrs. Dubose's inaccurate and narrow-minded view of “reality” hurts Scout and Jem with her comments. During Scout's childhood, blacks were considered lower class, so for Atticus to help someone like Tom Robinson with his case would be a "disgrace" to the color of his race according to Mrs. Dubose and most of society. Mrs. Dubose also finds a way to express her hatred in different ways that seem to have similar meanings, but have a different context: "Not just a Finch waiting tables, but one in the court defending niggers!" (135) Mrs. Dubose uses her poor vocabulary to insult Atticus and his children, using words like "niggers" to try to shame Atticus. For the children, this racism is an indirect source of suffering, but it helps them understand the reality and racism of Maycomb. Ms. Dubose's suffering serves as a dispenser of hate and racist thoughts, but ultimately it is those who receive them who are affected. Scout's fight against racism creates a contrast between light and darkness. Scout's pure innocence and light skin are shown as the opposite of Maycomb's malicious racism. Scout is shown as a child whose mind is not yet closed by the influence of racism and evil, and she continually goes through new experiences with an open mind and a big heart. Her father, Atticus, tries to make her as open as possible: "'Atticus,' I said one evening, 'what exactly is a nigger lover?'... 'Scout,' said Atticus, 'the nigger lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything, like snot on the nose. It's hard to explain: ignorant, unkempt people use it when they think someone is favoring niggers above themselves. It has come into use among some people like us, when they want a common, ugly term to label someone'” (144) Atticus's ability to give Scout an open mind proves to be helpful throughout the story as Atticus encounters more racism it's bad, but it just explains why people use such terms. His ability to be open even to opinions that are against human rights allows him to build respect and continually put his own ideas into Scout's head the effect of racism on people and Scout's innocent and open-minded view on racism. Jem and Scout often argue and try to understand how society works and breaks down, leading to childish but serious discussions about how racism works in Maycomb, "(Jem) Around here once you have a drop of nigger blood, that gives you it makes everything black." (216). At the end of a discussion about how society divides people based on race, Jem explains how just one drop of black blood can overwhelm gallons of white blood. The analogy and symbolism in human blood symbolizes how strong the..