Racial Issues

In the book "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, all the issues involve race. It was after the civil war, so although slavery was not alive in the country, down south, white people were still very rude and demeaning towards blacks. In the book, Mr. Bob Ewell, also known as a complete piece of white trash, accuses a Tom Robinson, a honest and helpful black man, of raping his daughter Maya. Everyone in the town knows that Tom is innocent, but admitting that and letting the black man claim defeat over the white would be against the social rules, and would cause a major uproar. So although the town of Maycomb is filled with people who would love to see Bob go to jail, and not get away with accusing an innocent black man, they all understand that it cannot be done. Judge Taylor assigns Atticus Finch, the best lawyer and town and the father of the main characters Scout and Jem Finch, to the case, in hope that with a really good argument, the jury might be able to change their mind that has been set before they even walked into the court room. It does not, but Atticus states that they were deciding for a long time, and that is one baby step closer, to making man equal.