Gina Le
Ms. Maliszewski
English 10 Block D
22 May 2018
A Time to Kill and To Kill A Mockingbird Compare and Contrast Essay
During the 1900’s, discrimination and prejudice spreaded throughout the United States. A
great example of this would be Harper Lee’s Novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, and Joel Schumacher’s
film, “A Time To Kill”. The novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” written by Harper Lee, and the film directed
by Joel Schumacher, “A Time To Kill” both express a similar concept and storyline of discrimination
and prejudice. The major characters in both stories go through many hardships including the, “usual
disease” (93) of the town. Tomas Robinson from the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, and Carl Lee
Hailey from the film, “A Time To Kill”, are the two characters that go through the many tribulations.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is an award winning novel and is a classic of modern American literature. The
film, “A Time To Kill” released in 1996 is a drama/thriller film. The movie has won multiple awards
thanks to its powerful message behind it. Robinson is accused for raping a young woman and Hailey
is accused for murdering the two men that raped his daughter. In Harper Lee’s novel, “To Kill A
Mockingbird” and Joel Schumacher’s film, “A Time To Kill”, they both portray similarities and
differences of the accused, Tomas Robinson and Carl Lee Hailey through their personalities,
backgrounds, and trial.
Firstly, Robinson in the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and Hailey in the film, “A Time To Kill”
both express alike and dissimilar factors through their personalities. A similarity of the two would that
they show no remorse for what they have been accused for. Hailey is not “sorry for what (he has)
done” (A Time To Kill) and Robinson claims that “(he) did not” (260) do what he was accused for. The
two personalities are similar with Hailey being unapologetic and Robinson denying his accusation,
which shows that they are both not remorseful towards what they have been charged for. Hailey is
more brave and bold compared to Robinson. During Hailey’s trial, he had the courage to throw
himself under the bus and claim that “they deserve(ed) to die…(and) burn in hell” (A Time To Kill).
However, Robinson sat quietly during his trial and spoke calmly when it was his turn to speak. In
comparison, Robinson is much more introverted and not as bold as Hailey which is a major difference
in their personalities. These are all elements that shows us that Robinson and Hailey have similarities
and differences through their personalities.
Secondly, in the novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and the film, “A Time To Kill” have stories of the
accused with similar backgrounds but contains differences as well. The two characters from the novel
and film that are being pressed charges are both impecunious. Robinson “lives in (the) little
settlement beyond the town dump” (80), and Hailey lives in the coloured side of town which is rural.
Living near the town dump and in a rural area sh...
