Harper Lee uses Miss Maudie (a character known to help move the story along) to describe the courthouse as a ‘Roman Carnival’. This description of the courthouse makes it seem much more primitive and barbaric as the Romans used to have gladiator fights where the Emperor would decide the fate of the losing warrior. This is similar to the injustice in the Maycomb courthouse as the court was more in favour of white people in those times. Furthermore, gladiator fights were known to be watched as a form of entertainment and the people in Maycomb County who were watching the the trial were only there to see Tom Robinson convicted knowing that he would definitely lose the case.

Harper Lee also uses Scout to describe the people present at the courthouse at the time. The most prominent description being Judge John Taylor. Scout describes him as a ‘sleepy old shark’. This suggests that he could be

‘Another courthouse was built around them. It is better to say, built in spite of them’

This quotation tells us that a new courthouse was built around the remnants of the previous one. They may still be there because it could be one of the last few remains of the old Maycomb County and a reminder of white supremacy when they had more power in the court. But in more explicit terms, they could’ve been left there as resources were low after the Great Depression in 1929.