Examples Of Equality In To Kill A Mockingbird

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Equality often dominates discussion about politics and government in the modern era. What many fail to realize is that the ideal of equality deals predominantly with the justice system and the equal rights that all men possess before the law. This idea is lost to our modern culture whose predominant concern is with the idea of economic equality. To Kill a Mockingbird teaches many lessons concerning equality before the law; all of which are especially pertinent today. The theme of legal equality is seen in the courtroom scene, the mob scene, and in the death of Bob Ewell at the end of the novel. The denial of justice to a defendant pleading his case in court is a serious matter. In the penultimate scene of To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch has defended an innocent man in court and listens to the reading of the verdict. “Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty … guilty … guilty … guilty….’” The story of men denied the justice the law is meant to give is the main focus of To Kill a Mockingbird. It provides insight into the dynamics of resisting a tyrannical justice system from within the system. Also, it demonstrates the virtue of patience and its usefulness in resisting a soft tyranny. A theme of the…show more content…
The story of a hero whose main concern it is to see justice carried out properly impresses itself upon the mind. His courage, in facing a mob of grown men trying to work themselves up into fury, constitutes a model for all mankind. “You can turn and go home again, Walter,” he tells the leader of the mob. When the people take the law into their own hands, a mobocracy is born which is entirely antithetical to the principles of the Christian faith. The Christian faith decrees equality under the law, and a mobocracy cannot deliver this because of the fallen nature of man. In this way, To Kill a Mockingbird teaches an invaluable lesson in Christian
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