To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 16 question

Was the law upheld in the Tom Robinson trial? What effect do the “unwritten rules” of a society have on the law and the way that it is upheld? What happens when these unwritten rules are in conflict with the law?

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No the law was not upheld. It was drowned out by ignorance and bigotry. The "unwritten rules" of racial hatred of blacks in the white South transcended justice and truth. I think everyone knew the truth about what happened but their bigotry was too strong to resist. I think Atticus did hold a mirror to this kind of hate which, hopefully, might lead to positive change. Unfortunately there are still places in the American South that grapple with these conflicts.