A very important question, should we, whether it be as a community or as individuals, stand up for what we believe in or believe is right even if there is no way that you can win an argument about it? In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, this question is presented to us in the form of a racist rape trial in 1939 against a black man named Tom and whether a white man named Atticus Finch should have defended him even though there was no way he could win the case regardless on how good his evidence was. There are multiple reasons why he decided to defend Tom including not being able to hold his head up, go to church, or even lecture his own children. He also states “Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us to not try and win(Pg. 101)”. For some, this is good enough however, some people don’t understand Atticus’ reasons, so let’s make our own.

 

The novel takes place in 1939, which means that black people were still thought to be filthy dirty scum who were worth less than a dog. Taking this into account for the court case, it means no matter what, Atticus could not prove Tom guilty with the people opposing him being all white. That being said and understood, Tom probably knew this as well and in effect, was probably feeling pretty hopeless. Having someone like Atticus, who was actually willing to help Tom, defend him probably gave Tom hope and allowed him to live his last allotment of time on earth ever slightly happy thinking that there was a slight chance that he could be declared innocent. This was probably motivation for Atticus to defend him as well as his want for justice.

 

Another point is not even just in the novel, but in real life too, you should fight for what you believe in even if all seems hopeless because even if you don’t believe in yourself, you might still win and even if you lose, trying doesn’t hurt. In the book, Atticus believed Tom was innocent, not just because he had to for his job, but from all insufficient evidence of him being guilty, of all the non matching information from the different witnesses. Atticus is a strong believer in justice and everything being as fair as possible, as well as everyone being equal. When this court case arose and he chose to defend Tom, it was not a huge decision that he had to take all variables into account for, as the nature of his person made that decision.

 

Now, for just a moment, let’s take a look at the other side of the argument, saying he shouldn’t have defended Tom. Atticus knew well from the start that this job would bring him bad publicity and for a large period of time, he would be despised by many. He also knew that by doing this, he put him and his children in danger from anyone who might want to take rash decisions and hurt them. Throughout the novel, Atticus is presented as a fair and just man who does not like violence to the point where he only got a little disturbed when someone spit at him instead of defending himself. With this information in hand, we can safely say he would be acting without thinking to make a decision that would possibly cause harm to his children or family members.

 

After looking at our own reasons for Atticus defending Tom as well as a counterclaim to try and convince us that he was a fool to do so, It is probably safe to say Atticus was making the right choice when he decided to defend Tom. Was his choice flawless? No, but no choice is. Was he thinking straight when he made the decision? Of course he was, but back then, he would have been considered a madman by some. Atticus was, as has been mention by me and by the book many times, fair and just, and believe justice will prevail if there is someone to lead it to victory, even if the win is not direct. In the end, one could make claims about what the book was trying to tell you or, what the moral of the story is but there is one main answer the novel constantly teaches, standing up for what you believe is right, no matter who is against you or how long ago you were “licked”.