Introduction
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mocking Bird is a unique story, which provides insight into the issue of inequality that existed between the black and white races during the 1930s. The Book is based on the author’s observation of the society during that era and reflected the biased and hypocritical views and actions of the members of the society. Although the book is relatively old and the inequality between the white and black races has been significantly eliminated from society, some resemblance can still be found in the modern day the United States of America and the foreign immigrant women who live in the free country. In particular, it can be stated that the treatment and ethical dilemmas of the black character in the book Tom Robinson bears a resemblance to the treatment of the real modern-day immigrant women in the United States of America.
Tom Robinson’s Dilemma
The character Tom Robinson in the book has been depicted as a strong individual of African descent. He lives in a society where his presence is not welcome. Although he is hardworking and good natured, the people of the community are highly prejudiced towards him and his race. He had a kind heart and worked hard in the white-dominated society with good intentions. When his actions and morality are called into question, and the accuser is a white girl and her father, the locals of the area waste no time in expressing their disgust and hatred towards a race that they have always felt had been inferior to them. Tom Robinson, thus risks his life against the blind hatred of the society in which he lives.
In addition to these struggles, another significant dilemma that was faced by Tom Robinson is when a young white lady strives to force him into having romantic relations with him. Regardless of how he could have felt about her, he knew that he needed to leave in order to do the morally right thing, as well as to protect himself. Since the society in the 1930s was highly segregated based on the color of an individual’s skin, therefore, Tom Robinson knew of how his actions could be perceived, by the white men. Therefore, he decided to flee the scene, when the father of the girl appeared in the door, despite the fact that he had done nothing wrong. The fear can be observed when Tom Robinson stated in his cross-examination “No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do.” (Lee 202). Since Tom Robinson knew he did not hold any significant political power nor had any significant rights in the country, he was confused, scared and frustrated. He was ethically challenged as to what was the right thing to do.
Resemblance of the Dilemma with a 30-year-old immigrant woman
Much like the character in the book, a 30-year-old immigrant in the United States of America would be significantly scared if faced with a similar dilemma. Even though she would not be at fault or commit any crimes, the woman would be highly concerned with the standing of her legal position in the country and the possible harms that could befall her on the basis of her ethnicity and origins, as well as the state of her visa entry into the country. If a 30-year-old immigrant woman gets into trouble with law enforcement agencies or any other government welfare organization, then she can face the possibility of deportation and receiving community hatred. Similar to Tom Robinson’s act of fleeing the crime scene, which made him look guilty initially, a 30-year-old immigrant, if fleeing from a potential crime scene would also be perceived as significantly guilty. Despite the fact that she may not have been aware of the legal policies of the country or maybe too scared to hang around the scene of the crime. In all matters the lady would be significantly worried as the society would be engaged in expressing hatred and the legal status of her visa or immigration status would be called into question. Thus, it is possible, that if faced with a similar dilemma, an immigrant woman in the United States might act in a similar manner, and fear for her safety and innocence, despite the fact that she may not have done anything wrong.
Discussion
Much like the case of Tom Robinson, it can be stated that an average 30-year-old immigrant in the United States of America can also face similar ethical situations. The immigrants in the United States come from across the world and can have varying cultures and beliefs. The local American society, although can be welcoming, they may secretly resent the immigrants to the massive differences in their language and culture. If they are ever called into question regarding crimes or other unfortunate circumstances, then the deep-seated resentment and prejudices of the society can be observed clearly, as they can openly accuse the woman and tell her to go back to her country or change her beliefs so that she completely becomes one of them. Such acts create ethical dilemmas for the immigrant. People may be hesitant in hiring or coordinating, her or her family, due to the negative emotions that the society has attached to the immigrant workers. A similar situation could be observed in the Mocking Bird, where the wife of Tom Robinson, Helen could not find any significant work, due to her association with a terrible notion. “It’s because of what folks say Tom’s doneFolks aren’t anxious to— to have anything to do with any of his family” (Lee 125). A 30-year-old immigrant woman in the modern American Society can be ethically challenged when she is easily blamed wrongfully and be judged by an incident in which she may not necessarily be guilty.
Another instance that resembles the unethical treatment of Tom Robinson and a 30-year-old immigrant in America was that of the unreasonable and illogical support or blame of the people. As the author, Harper Lee narrates in her story that regardless of the factor of innocence or guilt, the black would side with the blacks, and the white raced individuals would side with their race as is demonstrated in the book, “To Maycomb, Tom’s death was typical. Typical of a nigger to cut and run” (Lee 244). There was little attention paid to the facts of the situation when jumping to conclusions regarding important issues. Similarly, it has been observed that the American citizens perceive the immigrants with so much hatred and judgment, that the emotion becomes mutual between the two parties in the situation. In this manner, it can be observed that an ethical issue arises when the immigrants choose to support the immigrant in question with little regard to the question of whether it was her fault of not. The same notion applies to the American-born citizens in the scenario. Immigrant women in the United States embrace citizenship and integration, much like Tom Robinson did in the book. He was not biased towards a white girl, but rather strived to help her with her work to reduce her burden. Similarly, the immigrant women also come to the country in hopes of becoming part of the community and sharing experiences and lives. A study depicts that about 84% of all the immigrant women in the United States of America desired citizenship in order to become an equal member of the society (Garcia and Franchim 7).
Much of the immigrants in the United States are not particularly welcome, as was in the book “I knew who it was, all right, lived down yonder in that nigger-nest, passed the house every day. Jedge, I’ve asked this county for fifteen years to clean out that nest down yonder, they’re dangerous to live around ‘sides devaluin’ my property—” (Lee 177). Since, both Tom Robinson, and a 30-year-old immigrant woman are striving to make their place in a somewhat unwelcoming society. Therefore, they face significant ethical dilemmas and challenges.
Another important aspect that can be observed is that the Immigrant women can be viewed as similar to the local women, similar to Scouts revelation about Tom Robinson “It occurred to me that on their way, Tom Robinson’s manners were as good as Atticus’s” (Lee 198). Often immigrant women in their 30s become a victim of the system as they may struggle to get their life together. If they are faced with a trial or any other decision in which the jury or the deciding entity is a native or different race then her, then she can be judged and looked upon harshly. The same incident took place in the Mocking Bird, where the accused individual, Tom Robinson, faced an all-white jury and even society. Therefore, despite the fact that there was considerable evidence of his innocence regarding the crime, he was still convicted.
Conclusion
Thus, due to the comparatively weak status of the immigrant women in the United States of America, a 30-year-old woman might act in a similar manner if faced with a dilemma similar to that of Tom Robinson. The treatment and ethical dilemmas of the black character in the book Tom Robinson are similar to the treatment of the real modern-day immigrant women in the United States of America. The biased opinions of the modern American Society regarding the immigrants can largely dictate their actions and interactions with them. Therefore, a 30-year-old immigrant woman will forever, be worried and ethically challenged about how her rights and actions will be perceived by the legal system as opposed to the native citizens.
Works Cited
Garcia, Ann and Samanta Franchim. 10 Facts You Need to Know About Immigrant Women (2013 Update). 8 March 2013. Web. 19 February 2016 <https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2013/03/08/55794/10-facts-you-need-to-know-about-immigrant-women-2013-update/>.
Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird. New York: McIntosh and Otis, Inc, 1988. Print.
