Mickey Bui Mrs. Goeken Sophomores Honors English 16 December 2011 Conflict of Atticus vs.

the towns people In the story, To Kill a Mocking Bird by the author Harper Lee, one of the major conflicts that it contains is a Man vs. Man conflict; an external conflict that pits two characters in battle due to either opposing views or opposing morals, where Atticus, the main characters father, is pit against the townsfolk on whether Tom Robinson, the victim, is guilty or innocent of a certain act. Atticus is trying to free Tom Robinson of an act he didnt commit even though everyone else believes so. This is also an act of racial discrimination because, at that time during the Great Depression, racial equality has not been solved yet. The story has many conflicts within it. This conflict between Atticus, the father of Jem and Scout, and the townspeople is an example of a Man vs. Man conflict. They fight in Atticuss experiences. One of which, is the court case of Tom Robinson. Atticus is trying to prove Tom Robinson innocent after being accused by Mr. Ewell for raping his daughter, Mayella Ewell, which, at that time and place, was a serious crime punishable by death. Unfortunately, Tom is guilty of the crime and is sent to prison as the higher officials decide his fate. Atticus doesnt believe Tom is guilty but he knows that if a white man is pit against a black man in court the white man would win no matter how bad his argument is because of racial inequality. He is trying to make everyone including Mr. Ewell equal in court because he wants a fair trial as demonstrated in his quote: But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution, gentlemen, is a court. (pg.205)

Bui 2 It had a profound effect on the jury nevertheless, because it made the jury think twice before deciding on the verdict. Normally it would have taken the jury a few seconds or even a few minutes to decide on someones fate; instead it took a total of 30 minutes to decide on the verdict. The townspeople in the book mostly dont believe in racial equality. This is especially true to some people such as Mr. Underwood and Mr. Ewell as they both hate Negros, the latter even accused one of a crime as stated above. They dont believe in it because they think of themselves as morally, intellectually and economically superior to the Negros because they we once the slaves of the white people. In this book they are considered morally evil because they try to enslave the minds of the other people to join the group. Other people however accept the Negros into the society such as Atticus and Mr. Reynolds. They believe that everyone is equal no matter what race or profession one has. These people are morally good because they want to help everyone from the Negros to their siblings. Atticus teaches his children to respect and treat all people the same way; in a polite way. Atticus wants to persuade the people that racial inequality is evil and that it causes unfairness and in the case of Tom Robinson, it can cost him his life. However the townspeople are also quite new to the fact that the Negros have the freedom to do anything a white man can. This is because the American civil war happened nearly a century ago and the whites havent really got used to the fact that Negros are not their slaves anymore. There is also another event that is going on that could of affected the judgement of the townsfolk. That event is the Great Depression. This disastrous economic failure could have affected everyones judgement due to the fact that they might have not had enough food to live in comfort. Just like how history repeats itself, the Negros could have been the scapegoat of the economic crisis everyone was experiencing. This is possibly true for the Ewells who did not have jobs to combat the crisis. Therefore they could have wanted

Bui 3 to kill off Tom and take his property and money so that they themselves could live in comfort. This conflict between Atticus and the townspeople, again, is a true classic example of a Man vs. Man. They fight in the court and in Jems and Scouts lives. Each group, good or bad, wants to impose their thoughts on the rest of the people. Atticus wants to make racial inequality disappear and instead wants a society where people of different races can be tranquil. The majority of the townsfolk want the Negros to be racially unequal whether they know it or not. The whole point of the book by Harper Lee is to express the experience of racial inequality and the ways to confront the problem. It is like how Atticus said it, In our courts all men are created equal (pg.205), no matter what race someone is or isnt.