Before reading the book:
I think someone can be guilty and innocent at the same time because they might be guilty in the eyes of people but innocent in reality. This happens when people get blamed for something they haven’t done. For example, someone blaming another for doing something wrong. The blamed person is considered guilty in the eyes of the blamer but innocent if he didn’t actually do anything wrong.
During the reading of the book:
In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird Tom Robinson is guilty in the eyes of the white people but innocent in reality because he didn’t actually rape Mayella. However, nobody believes him.
” ‘Scared of arrest, scared you’d have to face up to what you did?’
‘No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do.’ ” (Lee 265)
This quote shows how the judges immediately assume he is guilty just because he is of a different color. In reality, however, he is innocent but nobody will believe him.
” ‘Now don’t you be so confident, Mr. Jem, I ain’t ever seen any jury decide in favor of a colored man over a a white man….’ ” (Lee 279)
Reverend Sykes knows for sure that there is no chance for Tom Robinson because the judges always take the whites’ side. This shows how much racism and prejudice there is in the town. Even when he is innocent, he will always be guilty in the eyes of the white men.
“It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right,’ he muttered, all the way to the corner of the square where we found Atticus waiting.” (Lee 284)
This quote took place after the trial. Tom Robinson was considered guilty. Even after the whole entire speech Atticus had given, not one single white man thought that Tom Robinson was innocent. He was guilty in the eyes of the whites but innocent in reality.
An article named Innocent but Guilty talks about a few men who had served in prison for many years only to be found innocent in the end. An example is a man named Fred Steese. He spent two decades in a Nevada prison for murder. However, closer inspection in the case led to new evidence. They found out that Fred Steese was hundreds of miles away from the place of the crime so he couldn’t have been the killer. So, they took the case to court all over again. So, poor inspection in the beginning led to wasting twenty years in prison.
After reading the book:
After reading the book, I have come to the conclusion that being guilty and innocent at the same time is possible. It is possible because you can be guilty in the eyes of the court and the people even though you are innocent. This type of issue still happens in our world today. Many people are accused of being guilty because of the lack of strong evidence.
Written by: Layal Fateh
The New Conventional Way 