"Life is neither a good nor an evil: it is a field for good and evil,"" states the Roman philosopher, Seneca. This idea of the coexistence of between good and evil is still heavily valued. To this day, there is much evidence illustrating this idea. For example, Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird takes the reader on a journey of exploring the moral nature of human beings and discovering what it is that makes people the combination of good and evil that they are. The moral voice of this novel is portrayed by Atticus Finch, who has understood and experienced evil while continuing to believe that there is goodness in all humans. Atticus understands the complexity of humans, and the concept that no human is solely good or evil. .
On the other hand, the rest of Maycomb shares mutual values, generally pertaining to racism, which is in opposition to everything Atticus believes in. Atticus tries to teach his two young children, Scout and Jem, many moral lessons to show them that not everything is in black and white; there is so much more between the lines and beneath the surface that not only shape people into who they are, but influence them to make certain choices. No person is only good or only evil, but a combination of the two; Harper Lee stresses to the readers how essential it is to understand that.
When reading about a southern community that is so discriminant toward black people, you rarely stop and try to understand the story from the perspective of a negro living in Maycomb. In this community, the black people are always treated badly. For them, the trial was another slap in the face because once again, it showed how belittled they are. Blacks were treated as if they weren't even human and the trial didn't make matters any better; it was like pouring salt into a wound. The jury knew Tom Robinson was innocent, and yet they still took Mayella's word over his because Tom said he felt sorry for her: "˜You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?' Mr.
