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SamanthaFutterman
Mr.Sheiner
APEnglishandLiterature
January 1, y
TheJustandUnjust
ThreenovelsthatexpressextremelongingforjusticeareTheHelp,ToKilla
Mockingbird,andTheRoad.Ineach,thereaderexperiencesdifferencecharacterswhostriveto
seekjusticeinanunjustsociety.
ThroughoutTheHelp,thereaderisintroducedtomanycoloredwomenwhomare
referredtoasthehelp.Abileneisthestrong,passionatecaretakerofMaeMobley,daughterof
thecrudeandvileElizabethLeefolt.WhenAibileenssonwaskilledfornootherreasonthanfor
thefactthathewasacoloredboyinatownoverallagainstcoloredpeople,shelostallhopefor
herpeopleandforeverloseshopeinthejusticesystem.Shestatesthat,itwasn'ttoolong
beforeIseensomethinginmehadchanged.AbitterseedwasplantedinmeandIjustdidntfeel
soacceptinganymore (Stokett).Aibileneisshownasareservedwomanwithahardouter
appearance.Thisisaresultfromherbitternessafterthelossofherson.Psychologistsclaimthat
thebrainhandlespositiveandnegativeinformationindifferenthemispheres(Tugend).Itissaid
thatnegativeememoriesandemotionsrequireanindividualtothinkmoreaboutwhatisgoingon
aroundthem,thereismorethinkinginvolvedwithnegativeexperiencesthanpositiveones.
Therefore,peoplecanreflectonanegativesituationandevenrememberscents,images,and
surroundingsmoreclearlythanwithpositivesituations.ThisiswhyAibileneisalwayssopained

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thinkingaboutthis,notonlyhashersonbeenstrippedofhislifeandhasbeentakenawayfrom
herforever,hehasneverreceivedanyjustice,andtheculpritwhoisresponsibleforhisdeath
walksfree,andthatiswhatsheremembersmostfromthedeathofherson.Eventhough
Aibileenhasseenandheardnothingbutnegativeremarkstoherselfandherpeople,shestill
expressesunconditionalloveforlittleMaeMobley,anditisevidentthroughoutthenovelthat
MaelovesAibileenjustasmuch.AibileneseesthroughoutthatElizabethdoesnottreatMaeas
sheshouldbetreated,soshetakesituponherselftoloveMaeexactlyhowsheshouldbeloved.
NotonlydothecoloredpeopleinTheHelpdeservesomejustice,sodotheyoungwhitegirls.
AibilenealwaystellsMae,youiskind,youissmart,youisimportant,andrequireshertorecite
thewordsrightback.SkeeterapproachesAibileenwithhopesthatmaybeshellparticipateand
interviewforhernewbooktitled,TheHelp.Skeetercomesupwiththisnovelideawhen
Aibileenspokeaboutherdeceasedsonandhowhewaswritinghisownnovelaboutbeinga
coloredmangrowingupandlivinginthesouth.Skeeternotonlywantstofindjusticeforher
friends,butsheisdoingjusticeforAibileensson,thereforegivingalittlepeaceofmindbackto
Aibileen.
AtticusFinchinToKillaMockingbirdalwaysstoodoutfromthecrowd.Atticusnever
understoodwhyacoloredmancouldnotbewithawhitewoman.Heconstantlytriedto
understandsuchasillyconceptbuttonoavail.SowhenMayellawasseenwithTom,theblack
manwhowalkedpastherhouseandoccasionallyassistedherwithhousework,thetownheard
allaboutit.Thisscenarioisshowsbothjusticeandinjustice.BothTomandMayellahavefallen
victimstotheunjustsocietywheretheylive.Tomfeelsthewrathofthetownpurelybecausehe
iscolored,andacoloredmanshouldneverlookatawhitewoman.AndMayellaisapoor,

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countrygirlwithmanysiblings.Atticusexplainsthat,shecommittednocrime,shehasmerely
brokenarigidandtimehonoredcodeofoursociety(Lee).Heknowsthatthiscode is
outrageous,andcontinuestofightit.Thetownhasneveronceofferedtheirassistancewhenshe
hadbeenrapedandabusedmultipletimesbyherownfather.Shewasonlylookingforpositive
maleattention,andunfortunatelyforTom,itisnearlyillegaltoconductsucharelationship.The
townspeoplegenuinelyfeelsasiftheyaredoingjusticetotheirtownbyimprisoningTom.
AtticusFinchknowsthatputtinganinnocentmaninjailisunjust,andpleadsthecourttolisten
tothefacts,yetsolelybecausethemaniscoloredheisputinjail,evenafterhearingallabout
howMayellasfatherrapesandabusesher.Theratherimmediateresponseincludesthe
appraisalofwhoorwhatistoblameandtheimperativetoreestablishjusticewithvirtuallyno
consideration(Lerner).
Sothenthecontroversialquestionerupts,andthatis,whatmakessomeoneracist?There
areseveralexplanationsastowhyanindividualisracist,suchasanindividualsgenuine
personality,thepeoplearoundsomeonecaninfluencebehavior.Itcanjustbeadominance
factor,orracismcanstemfromfear.TheAuthoritarianPersonality,aspsychologistsrefertoit,
iswhenaparentraisesachildtobelievethattheirwayofthinkingistheonlycorrectwayof
thinking.Thereforeifthechildisraisedonbelievingthatcoloredpeopleareterribleandscary
humanbeings,theyarealwaysgoingtorememberthat,andthenpassthatinformationontotheir
children.Beinginfluencedbythepeoplearoundyouisknownasasocialcognitivetheory.This
theoryisbasicallyapersonstatestheiropinionandaltershoweveryonearoundthemfeelsabout
thesametopic.Intergrouptheoriesiswhenonegrouptrulybelievesthattheyhavedominance

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andpoweroveranotherlargegroupofpeople.ForexamplethewhitepeopleinTheHelpandTo
KillaMockingbirdbelievethattheyaresuperioroverthecoloredpopulation.
TheboyinTheRoadisaspecialcharacter.Heissurroundedbydeath,darknessandash,
andevenatayoungagehemanagestostaylightheartedandinnocent.Whiletheboyandhis
fatherarewalkingdownthehighway,thereisanothermanwalkingfarinfrontoftheduo.The
boyimmediatelystopsandpleadshisfathertostopandhelphim,butherefusesstatingthatit
couldbeatrap.Thisisanacttowardsservingjusticetothemanbecausethesonhasagenuine
careforthewelfareofthisstranger.Lernerstatesthatinoneofhispsychologicalexperiments
regardingjustice,thevastmajorityoftheresearchpublishedoverthepast25yearsreportedthat
theirparticipantsemployedjusticeprinciplestogainothercommonlydesiredresourcesmoney,
power,status andtheparticipantsignoredordistortedthoseprincipleswhenitwastotheir
profittodoso.ThisdoesnotapplytotheboyinTheRoad.Hehasnevertriedtohelpaperson
withthethoughtthathewouldreceiveanythinginreturn.Theboydideverythingoutofthe
kindnessofhisheart.Suchaswhentheboyspotsanotheryoungerboy,heturnstohisfatherand
says,weshouldgogethim,Papa.Wecouldgethimandtakehimwithus.Wecouldtakehim
andwecouldtakethedog.Thedogcouldcatchsomethingtoeat(McCarthy).Thesonhascome
torealizethatheisfullydependentonhisfatherandthatwithouthim,atthisstage,hewouldnot
knowhowtosurvive.Perhapsheseeshimselfintheboy,lostandconfused,butfatherless.
Regardless,thesongenuinelywantstohelptheboythattheyhavefound.
Thesonisconstantlybeggingtoassistothersinneed,whichispeculiarbecausethe
fatheralwaysremindshissonhowdangerousthepeopleareintheworldtheylivein.Buttheson

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continueson.Evenwhenthepairhasfoundthecannibalsstorageunitfulloflivepeopletheboy
wantstosetthemfree,andofcourse,hisfatherreplieswithnoandagainexplainshowthe
cannibalswouldeatthepairiftheywerefound.Thesonsimplystates,Andthat'swhywe
couldnthelpthem(McCarthy).
Overallthesonisouttoseekjusticeforhimself,hisfather,andallofthosearoundhim.
JustasSkeeterseeksjusticeforAibileen,herson,andallofthehelpwomenshehasmet
interviewing.JustasAtticusseeksjusticeforTomRobinsonandallofthecoloredpeopleliving
inhistown,Mayella,andeveninstructshischildrenonhowtoimposejusticeuponotherpeople.
Atticusgoesasfarastotryandexplainwhysomepeopleareunjust.Justiceisdifficultto
achieve.Butthesenovelsshowwithincrediblestorieshoweachindividualhastriedtoovercome
theirunjustsocietyandimposejusticewhereitneedbe.

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Lee,Harper.ToKillaMockingbird.Philadelphia:Lippincott,1960.Print.
McCarthy,Cormac.TheRoad.NewYork:AlfredA.Knopf,2006.Print.
Stockett,Kathryn.TheHelp.NewYork:AmyEinhorn,2009.Print.