The Conscience of the Court by Zora Neale Hurston - Essay Example

? In the story “the conscience of the court” by Zora Neale Hurston, who at the timeof publication of this story was working a house help brings about several themes. The author is known to have produced a large collection of fictitious stories. In the story, Laura Lee Kimble, house help working at Miss Clairborne, is in court and has been accused of assaulting Beasley. Laura faces ridicule as well as scorning for beating up Beasley. She maintains the respect of the process of trial and holds that she beat up Clement because she believed he was on the wrong side. “The conscience of the court” by Zora Neale Hurston explores the theme of racism, justice and loyalty using the realities of the societal aspects of the 1950’s as well as the various events that took place in the courtroom. The author portrays Laura as one loyal person for she narrates that Miss Clairborne was leaving town not because she never wanted to repay the money she owed, but because she wanted to begin her life all over again after the passing on of her husband. The court also proves that Laura is loyal to her master when they look at the promissory note and determine that the complainant never understood the reasons why Clairborne left. Beasley was only in a hurry to take up the property of Miss Clairborne instead of giving her time to repay the loan. Laura is also painted as a loving person for her love even crossed the racial boundaries. Despite the fact that she is not of the same descent as her employer, she is committed to her even in times of trial in court. She has even stayed in jail for three weeks but she is still not interested in proving her innocence in court. (Hurston, 161) She is also shows loyalty beyond races when she forgives her employer for not coming to her rescue when she was in jail for fighting to protect Miss Clairborne’s property in her absence. Miss Claiborne also shows that loyalty surpasses racial differences as she stayed with Laura and treated like her own daughter. Miss Clairborne rises beyond racial differences when she wants Laura and Tom, to go with her to the several trips she went, specifically from Georgia to Florida. Miss Clairborne preserved their dignity despite their racial differences by respecting all the promises she made to them despite their costs. Laura on the other hand is not aware that the concept of race determines and shapes her life as well as the environment she lives in. She is also aware of the gender and class differences since her parents were workers to Clairborne’s family just as she is. According to Laura Kimble, only the black people live a life that is determined by their races and not the whites. The story also looks at the class position of the black women and how it is the foundation of the lives they live. This is brought out in court when Laura stands before the judge and states that she cannot be able to comprehend the language that is being used on her. In the beginning of the story, Laura is shown as resembling the race she belongs to. "Though spare of fat, she was built strongly enough, all right. An odd Negro type, gray-green eyes, large and striking, looking out of a chestnut-brown face" (Zora Neale Hurston, 771). Through the character of Laura Lee Kimble, the writer of the story shows that the concept of race is not of essence to several people. The author indicates that the color of the skin does not really matter to Laura Lee Kimble who assumes that every individual is equal to one another, in spite of the race they belong to. Hurston shows this by narrating to us on the background of and particularly how her childhood was like. Laura’s parents are in slavery and she is not taken as a slave for she is considered a young girl. Despite the fact that her parents were slaves, their employers never treated them as slaves. Laura and Clairborne regarded themselves as siblings despite their different races. The theme of racism is further shown in this story as it indicates that when one person of a race is charged for a crime they committed or they didn’t, it is taken as bad, unless it is the entire group that is accountable, in the same way Laura Lee Kimble is held accountable. The story propagates the theme of racism through Clement Beasley who is shown as someone who is very opportunistic. Just like his name almost sounds, he has beastly attributes. He finds it offensive when he is hit by a black maid that he seeks revenge from the court through his lawyers who also defend him. He starts the fight when he forces himself to get into the property of Miss Clairborne and when he is thrown out of the premises, he finds fault in that since it is done by a black. Clement thus finds it not just for Laura to hit him. This is injustice to the black race, who is not supposed to retaliate the whites, even when they are hurt. In this story, the idea of treating people depending on race they belong to is evident. This then shows that the society is not fair to its people as they get treatment based on their race. This is determined by the indication that any individual from an inferior race can be taken to court for trials for crimes for the reason that the superior race dislikes them and believes racial discrimination. This is the greatest theme in Hurston's narrative as it is concerned with an inferior race being taken to court with for a crime, and the race that is judging is superior. The Judge also gives Laura Lee time to explain her side of the story. This clearly brings out the theme of justice as both parties are given time to express them. It is at this particular time that the judge finds out that the complainant is on the wrong side of the law. The judge’s desire to exercise justice makes him to rule in favor of Laura. The judge also propagates the theme of justice as we are told in the story that this had been his desire ever since. The author then shows that the inferior races can get victory over their criminal charges and be termed innocent despite the fact that the ruling party is of a superior race. Therefore, the inferior race winning the case implies justice in the society. Thus it is not always true that the superior races cannot be on the wrong side of the law (Hurston, 770). Zora Hurston makes the black color of Laura Lee Kimble as well as her race, an issue that does not protect and as well encloses her life. She feels that Beasley took her to court simply because she was black, not because she was on the wrong as it was the man who began beating her up. "Charged with felonious and aggravated assault, mayhem and premeditated attempted murder on the person of one Clement Beasley" I hit the man after he hit me, to be sure, Mister Judge" (Hurston, 770, 771). This indicates that the race that is superior is can lay blame on the inferior race for the mistakes and crimes they commit, in the same way Beasley blames Laura for the pain and suffering he is facing. His lawyer as well as the doctor blames Laura for the physical injuries inflicted on Beasley without even regarding that he also hit and caused Laura pain. The consequences of racism are brought out by the author of the story. She notes that it led to economic suffering of the women and it led to the concept of male domination in story. Just because Laura was a Negro, Beasley takes advantage of her poor economic situation and takes her to court knowing very well that she could not be able to win against him since he was of a superior race than Laura (Hurston, 771). The concept of race also depicts the blacks as people who do not know their human rights as they are uneducated. Despite the fact that the judgment she is in will determine her life’s trajectory, she is still not aware of the magnitude of it. …"You jury-gentlemen's, they asked me if I was guilty or no, and I still don't know whether an I is or not. I am an unlearnt woman and common-clad. It don't surprise me to find out I'm ignorant about a whole heap of things. I ain't never rubbed the hair off of my head against no college walls and schooled out nowhere at all. All I'm able to do it to tell you gentlemen's how it was and then you can tell me if I'm guilty or no"(Hurston, 167)… This quote then tells us that the blacks are not aware of their rights and that their life depends on the decisions of the whites.” ...filled with a reverence to an almost holy dedication...he had not thought about all this for quite some time"(Hurston, 164). Laura Lee Kimble watched as she sat on the stand being criticized by the lawyers of Beasley who were attempting to bring her down to her knees. "The object of a trial, I need not remind you, is to get at the whole truth of a case. The defendant is unlearned, as she had said she had no counsel to guide her along the line of procedure. It is important to find out why an act was committed, as you well know. Please humor the court by allowing the witness to tell her story in her own way"(171). The lawyer of Beasley being the educated superior race are able to understand the court language and end up making fun of Laura for her little understanding of the court jargon. (Hurston 171).The blacks have always had struggle to keep up with the trends of the whites as in the court proceedings when Laura has to keep up with the court language that she is not very familiar with since she is uneducated and the others are. The author makes the reader empathize with the characters for the situation they are in. This story is a clear depiction of how the society is structured into classes as well as races. The black people have been shown as loyal to their employees, in the way that Laura stood being in jail for the sake of her employer. The theme of loyalty is also evident in the lawyer of Beasley, who despite the fact that is aware of the law, he still goes ahead to support him. The whites are also loyal as they jeer and mock Laura as she enters the courtroom without listening to her side of the story. The blacks are depicted as the uneducated poor in the manner that Laura cannot understand the courtroom language. The theme of justice also reigns in the story as Laura is able to win the case against Beasley, after the judge listens to both parties. Despite the fact that the judge is of the same race as the complainant, he does not rule in his favor. Works cited Zora Neale Hurston. The conscience of the court. New York: Harper Collins. 1995. Read More