Atticus’ Argument Analysis in To Kill a Mockingbird

There used to be a time where if you were black, you were automatically proven guilty. In “To Kill a Mockingbird” a trial is set against Tom Robinson. Tom Robison is an innocent black man that is accused of sexually abusing Mayella Well, a white woman. The trial was created to help prove his innocence, the trial would be almost impossible but he had hope. In Atticus’ argument, he used logical statements and foolproof evidence in an attempt to persuade the courtroom into taking his side.

Atticus uses logical reasoning to show that the courtroom is wrong and that Tom is innocent. For example, the text states¨It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant.¨ (P231) The so-called ¨witnesses¨ was unbelievable as the stories they told were different from each other. Tom had also testified to be unguilty to everything they had said. Atticus states, ¨There is not a person in this courtroom who has never told a lie, who has never done an immoral thing, and there is no man living who has never looked upon a woman without desire.” He states this to help Tom as the courtroom believes he is the one lying. He wants to show them that everyone lies. He wants the courtroom to back off of him and give them something to relate to.

Atticus wants to show logical evidence that Mayella Well is a liar too. He states, ¨folks were doing a lot of running that night. Let’s see, you say you ran to the house, you ran to the window, you ran inside, you ran to Mayella, you ran for Mr. Tate. Did you, during all this running, run for a doctor?¨ (P199) The first logical place to run to after being raped is a doctor. A doctor would be able to tell the damage done and would be able to see if any evidence was left behind but she had never gone. The text also states, "Tom Robinson now sits before you, having taken the oath with the only good hand he possesses—his right hand" (P186) Meaning Robinson had taken an oath to not lie and would be breaking the oath.

The ending of the trial concluded that Tom Robinson was found guilty. The reason is the courtroom was racist and automatically thought Robinson was guilty. "sat and stood around us with biblical patience. The old courthouse clock suffered its preliminary strain and struck the hour, eight deafening bongs that shook our bones. When it bonged eleven times I was past feeling...“Ain’t it a long time?” I asked him." (P239) Meaning it took a while for the trial to finish. A white-on-white case wouldn’t have taken that long, Atticus’ argument would have exceeded and Tom would have been concluded innocent. But since it was a black on white case, the judges had to take extra time to consider his evidence.

In many people’s eyes back then, being black was an automatic red flag. Individuals assumed the worst just because of their skin color even if they were proven to be not guilty. It was an unfair world that has changed for the better.