Advika Shah

April 25, 2019

English 9 Honors

Mr. Hartwig

To Kill Mercy.

Injustices are not faced in courts, it's only in the secret courtrooms of people’s hearts where

some do not get a trial at all. Racial inequality comes with a lot of hypocrisy, people can change

on the outside but to incorporate this into their quotidian lives is a struggle that takes generations

to implement. Proving that fair trials are only delivered to some. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

and To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee are two books that shape this in different ways while

having parallels between them. Just Mercy illustrates the story of Walter McMillian a young

African American man who is involved in an affair with a Caucasian woman and is brought to

trial for breaking an unjust social law of his time. He faces an intense trial but is assigned no

charges, however, the time he spends before the trial on death row alters his personality

significantly and he passes away shortly afterward due to several mental illnesses. To Kill A

Mocking Bird takes on the story of Tom Robinson an African American man who was charged

and falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman. In the course of the trial, Tom’s

verdict is guilty and he is sent to a harsh prison before he attempts to escape and is not able to

make it before being shot at. He loses his life after seventeen bullets pierce his skin. The lawyers

in both books play a critical role however are from two different races. The trials that take place

in both books culminate differently and set contrasting tones for the resolutions. However, a

striking similarity between the two is the injustices that Robinson and McMillian have to face in
court and in prison due to their race. Thus, proving that the two books have more divergence

than correspondence.

The race of the lawyers in Just Mercy and To Kill A Mockingbird is different and this

changes the course of events in both books. Bryan Stevenson, Walter McMillian's lawyer in Just

Mercy can relate to some of the injustices that his client is facing on death row and during his

trial only because of their similar backgrounds. Both Stevenson and McMillian came from

segregated southern towns and have faced a lot of hardships in the early years of their lives due

to poverty. As Stevenson says, “I grew up in a poor racially segregated settlement [...] where the

racial history of the country casts a long shadow” (Stevenson 13). Bryan Stevenson is also able

to form a deeper connection with McMillian and the two become friends. Stevenson's first

meeting with Walter also shapes the formation of the Equal Justice Initiative, or EJI that fought

for civil rights in courts and prisons, an organization Stevenson establishes. Thus, we can see that

the connection between these two is more like that of two brothers instead of that of a lawyer and

client. In the case of To Kill a Mockingbird, Attics Finch is a white lawyer who is advocating for

an African American man and this raises a lot of questions. Even his daughter Scout fails to

understand his intentions for doing so and asks him one night, “‘ Do you defend niggers,

Atticus?’[...]” ( Lee 75). Scout is unable to formulate a reason as to why Atticus would defend

someone that belongs to a race that is looked down upon by other members of her society.

Atticus’ relationship with Robinson cannot become very close because of these social laws.

Atticus fails to effectively understand Tom when he says that he was scared after the incident

solely because of the color of his skin. Atticus is thus not able to assist Tom in the same way

Bryanson could help Walter and this makes the race of the two lawyers a major difference in the

interactions that take place between them and their clients.

 The trials of both books culminate differently leaving different impacts on the surrounding

people, it also leaves Tom Robinson and Walter McMillian in different states of mind. In Just

Mercy, as Stevenson narrates, “I sat down and the judge pronounced Walter free to go. Just like

that, he was a free man” (Stevenson 225). Walter is allowed to break free of the prison walls and

courtroom trials and he is given a chance to live his life once more. He gets a divorce from his

wife, but a lot occurs on the positive for him. Media all over the United States brings his case to

light and creates a public debate about the death penalty and wrongful convictions that have

always persisted due to the high racial tensions in the South, increasing awareness. Walter,

unfortunately, has to also overcome severe cases of depression and his mental state gradually

declines after being diagnosed with mental dementia, his struggles on the death row are now

reviewed. He also fails to be accepted into a long term care unit due to the controversy regarding

his felonies. His story draws public attention to racial discrimination that occurs in the judiciary

branch and enlightens people about the issue. In To Kill A Mockingbird the Tom Robinson trial

concludes differently as Scout says, “ Judge Taylor was polling the jury ‘Guilty’ [...]” (Lee 211).

Tom is not given a chance and the evidence had no significance to the jury it was a matter of

black and white and the white side always won. The situation did not have a significant impact

on the people of Maycomb and they just continued to be segregationists. On the other hand, they

complained of the way the African American community reacted to the trial. Even after Tom

Robinson is shot at the townsfolk have no mercy for him or his wife and Bob Ewell, Mayella’s

father continues to harass Tom’s wife. The trial does not make the mark it is supposed to in the

history of Maycomb and this changes the way the books conclude. Thus, we can see the evident

difference between the end result of both trials and the impacts that it has on surrounding people.
 One striking similarity between both the books is the injustice and racism that the trials

carry. There is a lot of abuse that both men face. Tom Robinson and Walter McMillian both face

a trial for very similar reasons, they are accused of being involved with white women and this is

viewed as breaking a social law. The injustices they face before the trials being is also

comparable, Tom is almost killed during his night in the Maycomb jail and he feels threatened.

Walter is not treated fairly during his time on the death row and he is pushed around by the

officers there. Sheriff Tom Tate one of the officers Walter encounters breaks limits with this, he

says to Walter, “‘ We’re going too keep all you niggers from running around with these white

girls. I ought to take you and hang you’ [...]” (Stevenson 48). The two men are never treated with

the equality they deserve, and they are further oppressed for the trials they are involved in. Both

men are also subjected to the hypocrisy that follows changing social laws. To Kill A Mockingbird

showcases this when we see Scout reorganizing her thoughts corresponding the trial after reading

the article published about it and she is able to come to the conclusion, “[...] In the secret courts

of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her

mouth and screamed” (Lee 241). She realizes that Tom never had a real trial and he was going to

lose no matter what. The two men were denied their basic rights because of the color of their

skin and this was of the themes that both books emphasized. Thus making this one of the few

similarities between the two books.

Both books are equally significant and have themes that illustrate racism, inequality and

hypocrisy, however, there is a divergence in the way the two books shape it and this makes them

more different than similar. While Just Mercy takes on the journey of Bryan Stevenson an

African American lawyer who establishes an organization to deal with judiciary injustice and

becomes a lawyer for a man who is having an affair with a white woman. The court trial
culminates with a ruling in the favor of Walter McMillian and his case sparks the beginning of

awareness of injustice in courts and prisons. To Kill A Mockingbird takes another approach and

illustrates the trial of Tom Robinson a man who is falsely accused of raping a white woman. The

trial concludes with Tom accused of being guilty and the whole incident has a very minuscule

impact on the people of Maycomb. Thus, while both books may have the same theme they have

different ways of approaching it.