A mob was first formed because they came to tell Atticus that Tom Robinson was put back into the jail. Although these people might not agree with Atticus defending a negro, the group of men were friend's of Atticus and had come to notify him. One of the men said once while this was going on, "Nobody around here's up to anything, it's that Old Sarum bunch I'm worried about..." (194). I think that the "Old Sarum Bunch" is the group off strangers, that showed up later in the reading, that came by the jail with the intention of lynching Tom Robinson. That is why Atticus went out to the jail at night: to protect Tom.
They all left because Jem called Atticus, saying that the phone was ringing "Atticus, the telephone's ringing!" (195). It was almost like the phone ringing was just an excuse for Jem to get the men out of there, because he thought they were a gang. After Jem said that, they all laughed and carried on.
People tend to do things while part of a mob, rather than doing it on their own because that way they are more confident. They know that they have a whole mob to support them and they know that they are the bigger and tougher party, and that makes them the ones controlling the conversation, rather than vise versa. "In Maycomb, grown men stood outside in the front yard for only two reasons: death and politics," (193). Death and politics are two very big topics, that obviously need a whole group to help reinforce one another's ideas.
I think that Harper Lee added in this bit about the mob to really show how this court case is affecting the whole town and that is very serious, serious enough for a group of men to gather in the Finch's yard, when normally they only do that for "death" and "politics." It also shows that Atticus's friends really care about him, enough to go against what they believe in (that no white man should defend a black man) and warn their friend about what was happening and also about what group to worry about.
Do you think that Atticus's friends came with the intention of wanting him about the Old Sarum group? Did that just happen to come up? Was it a good idea for Scout to talk to Mr. Cummingham?
During the end of chapter four, a mob forms at the jail. The men in the mob (the KKK?) want Tom Robinson to come out of the jail. They want this to happen because they want to badly hurt or kill Tom Robinson. Since Scout speaks to Mr. Cunningham about his child Walter, it loosens Mr. Cunningham's focus of hurting Tom Robinson. When Scout talks about Walter, Mr. Cunningham remembers the fact that he is a father. Once he remembers his son, he then realizes how awful it is that he wants to hurt a black man.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the Mob that formed at the jail are the KKK?
I agree that it is the Old Sacrum group that was at the jail that night. Atticus' friends did have the intention of telling him about the group although did not say it straight out. Scout was extremely smart talking to Mr. Cunningham, Atticus did not want them there and I feel as though she picked up on that. I doubt she realized it but her talking to Mr. Cunningham, the kids showing up in general was what made the men leave. They did not want to do whatever they were going to do with children around. Scout, Jem and Dill showing up "saved" Atticus and Tom Robinson.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you suppose the children thought the men were doing when they first arrived at the jail? What do you think the men were going to do before the kids show up? If Atticus didn't want the group there why did he tell Jem to take Scout and Dill home?
In response to Nell, I think that because the children had overheard Atticus talking to the first group of men that showed up at their house, they knew, or at least Jem realized, that the reason the men were at the jail with Atticus, was because they were trying to get to Tom Robinson. Answering Nell's second question, I think that the men were going to do anything possible to get to Tom Robinson. This could possibly mean hurting Atticus. Lastly, Atticus didn't know that what Scout said to Mr. Cunningham was going to affect the men staying or leaving, so it really didn't matter if he had or hadn't told Jem to take Scout and Dill home. Although Atticus was most likely furious that the kids had shown up in the beginning, I bet he was pretty relieved that Scout's words to Mr. Cunningham made him realize that Atticus is a normal, everyday human just trying to do his job by taking a black's side.
DeleteAtticus probably expected things to get ugly with the members of the gang assembled in the jail. If he didn't feel his children could help the situation he didn't want them to witness what would happen or be put in harms way. Scout had been expecting the men who warned Atticus about the issue with Tom and was surprised when she noticed, "They were not the people I saw last night." (203). Scout didn't plan on putting herself into a dangerous situation, but she didn't realize that the men had bad intentions. She must not have suspected anything due to Mr. Cumminghams presence, since his family is respected and known for their kindness.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Mr. Cummingham was leading the mob since they left when he said so? WIll these men cause bid problems in the future? How will Scout handle realizing these men's intent?