In Chris Crowe's Mississippi Trial, 1955, the author tells the story of a boy named Hiram who returns to Greenwood, Mississippi, to visit his grandfather. When he revisits and walks down memory lane, he finds that many things have changed since he lived in the South as a child. He slowly discovers that there are many changes in the South that he didn't realize as a naive boy and it hits him hard as a brick when he realizes that everything he thought was true was ultimately a lie. Then the savage murder of an African-American boy with whom Hiram had befriended takes place. Hiram must stand up for what he knows is right and rely on his instincts when those closest to him reveal the truth he may not want to hear, developing both a moral and social conscience while dealing with cases of injustice. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Crowe's book is based on one major conflict, segregation. The main conflict in the story is the segregation between different skin colors and how they are treated. When Hiram visits his grandfather in Greenwood, Mississippi, he notices how African Americans were treated differently. They were disrespected, looked down upon, and treated in a generally judgmental manner by prejudiced white people. When the savage and inhumane murder of a black boy occurs in the city, Hiram finds himself having to decide whether to do what is right or what is expected of him. This main conflict is so significant because of how it affects Hiram's feelings and opinions about everything he has ever known and believed. For starters, segregation is an important conflict in the story because of how it affects the protagonist Hiram as the narrative moves forward. long. For example, at the beginning of the story, Hiram was a naive boy who had formed the opinions of his elders, mainly about how white-skinned people were always "above" African Americans. Back then, unfortunately, this was a common view regarding races. However, when Hiram learns about the conflict of segregation and separation between the races, he is struck by his changed opinions. At first he was like the average kid, ignorant and stuck in a dark cave, with no sunlight or escape to freedom and the outside world. There is an important allegory symbolized in Crowe's book, particularly about the lack of education about equality, the world, and people other than white people. I know this was a common theme throughout his childhood, as Hiram believed, “That's why Daddy acted so crazy about the South and segregation. Maybe he realized that the bullies would always find someone to blame, if not the blacks, then someone else” (97). This evidence shows how Hiram finally realizes that his father was right about the isolation in the southern part of America. The protagonist's perspective changes when he first sees the horrors and ways he once called the norm. When the conflict of segregation and color separation arises, Hiram rethinks all his formed opinions. Another reason why conflict in the story of segregation is so imperative is that it impacts Hiram's decisions to defend himself. When the murder of the black boy was published in the newspaper, Hiram was faced with a decision. Either tell what you know and suspect to Mississippi's partial police force or stay silent and say what everyone wants and expects to hear. The murder forces Hiram to make a difficult decision between doing the right thing and doing what is right.