This trial gives the author many opportunities.  During many chapters, the reader sees the build-up towards the great happening.  The town's reaction to what is happening tells us a lot about people's ideology and the general time frame.  We learn more about the mutual hatred between African Americans and "whites" in a legal sense.
        The general time period is very well shown.  The rare and scarce description really gives the reader a clear image.  Everything said by a character or described by the narrator seems to have some importance.  For example, one of the greatest parts is when Atticus is summing up the whole trial.  He is talking about how for once, people should look at Tom Robinson as a Human rather than as a "Negro," a "colored man" and what not.  They would say that a man was immoral only because the color of his skin happened to be a little darker than their own.  Harper Lee showed us this through a very moving and well thought of speech by one of her most interesting characters.  She could very well have said it flatly as the narrator but she chose not to.  The trial is a legal issue as well.  While teaching us about people's feelings towards others, we also can see how courthouses were run and such things.
        From this trial emerge numerous dilemmas in the Finches' lives.  Having it as a focus not only gave the author many other possibilities but also keeps the reader on the tip of his/her chair.  Because it is such a controversial issue, everybody wants to know who will end up "right."  The trial is very vividly described without all that much actual descriprion, once again, everything is told in dialog or as a short recolection on Scout's part.
        While this book is talking about one specific case, it really talks about society and morality as a whole.  It really made us think more about the immorality of some things I have heard about or seen done.  Really, when you are talking about this trial, you are really talking about judgment and morality in general.  You can take many examples of things said and done by Maycomb's citizens and apply it to some real life issues.  This is very powerful and makes the trial a much more important part of the book.  All good books have a conflict but we found this one particularly well chosen.