In a time where social prejudice and racism is eminent, people's minds can be easily swayed depending on their influences. In the selections, A Lesson Before Dying and To Kill a Mockingbird, we witness the characters face challenges and reach new heights against the time period. While these works share similar attributes in their primary conflicts, how the characters approach and solve them differ.
To begin with, in both Harper Lee and Earnest Gaines present similar conflicts and resolutions about racism and prejudice. First of all, Jefferson and Tom Robinson were convicted of a crime they didn't commit because of racial discrimination. For example, after the long awaited day, Judge Taylor came to a verdict, "Guilty... guilty... guilty... …show more content…
First, the two selections possess symbols with different meanings. The mockingbird in To Kill a Mockingbird was most often associated with the destruction of innocence. It was used on multiple individuals to show the corruption at the time. Contrary to this, the hog in A Lesson Before Dying, was used to describe the image of the black community as a whole. The white community perceived and viewed the black community as filthy, animals, rather than human beings. The hog symbolized an entire group, rather than individuals. Next, the two main characters faced different challenges against society and themselves. The protagonist of A Lesson Before Dying suffered conflicts against himself. Grant never had faith in himself to help Jefferson and always though negatively. The most arduous battle he faced was against no one, but his mind and heart. On the other hand, Atticus falls victim of a conflict between himself and society. Everyone in Maycomb County viewed the Tom Robinson case in a negative manner, but Atticus though differently and faced the challenge head on, despite criticism. A challenge like that can be very hard because it is a fight between peer influence and your heart. You know what is right, but the crowd poses a bigger threat. Lastly, the two lawyers defending the innocent men approached the cases in different manners. Jefferson's defense attorney put no effort in defending him because the outcome was very pronounced. He just showed up to put on a show and even went as far as to call a human being, a hog. On the contrary, Atticus put his heart and mind into defending Tom Robinson to the best of his ability. He put forth the effort to dig out small pieces of evidence that were crucial in the defense of a crime less, A Lesson Before Dying innocent man who fell victim of the horrendous time period. The amount of time and