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What is the significance of Jem and Scout sitting with Reverend Sykes at the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird?
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The significance of Jem and Scout sitting with Reverend Sykes at the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird lies in their display of tolerance and acceptance towards people of different races. This act reflects Atticus's teachings of equality and highlights their unique perspective in the prejudiced community of Maycomb. By sitting in the colored section, they support racial equality and gain insight into the experiences of African Americans.
It is significant for Jem and Scout to be sitting with Reverend Sykes at the trial. Sitting with the "colored" people offers Jem and Scout an opportunity to a different perspective:
This gives Jem and Scout the perspective to feel what the colored folks feel. Jem believes that both these races should be equal and get along.
Also, by sitting in the balcony, Jem and Scout show their support for the races being treated equally. It is strong statement to what Atticus has taught his children. Jem and Scout did not think twice about sitting in the balcony with the "colored" people. They are very comfortable sitting in the balcony with the "colored" people. In fact, Jem and Scout would be the first to argue that there should not be a separation of the races anywhere but especially in court.
No doubt, Jem and Scout better understand how "colored" people feel having to sit in the balcony apart...
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from the white people. It is humiliating to think that one is considered less because of his or her race. By sitting in the balcony, Jem and Scout can feel the distinction between "colored" folks and white folks. They are reminded that life is not fair for folks of color in Maycomb.
When Scout, Jem, and Dill sit with Calpurnia and the reverend in the black section of the courthouse during the Tom Robinson trial, they are, even if they don't quite realize the implications of their act, standing with the black community and thereby rejecting the racist ideology of racial segregation.
This is a small act, but it shows that there is the possibility of another way to live.
The trial itself also challenges notions of absolute white supremacy. Atticus's robust and real defense of Tom Robinson's innocence—and he does prove that Robinson could not, with his disabled left arm, have raped Mayella as she described—flies in the face of a white 'code' that insisted the word of a white always be believed over the word of black, no matter how ludicrous. In the end Atticus does not prevail, but, as the children do in a smaller way, he strikes a blow at a racist social order.