The jury said Tom Robinson was guilty because they are racist whites who can't look past the skin color of a person and not look into a person's soul. Atticus had just finished his closing argument that was pointing out all the facts that Tom couldn't have or wouldn't have hurt Mayella Ewell. After this Jem and Scout were discovered by Calpurnia and had to go home for dinner, but Atticus allowed them to come back to see the verdict. At the end of Atticus' closing statement he says, "A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up." (274) Atticus is noticing that the jury is all white and telling the jury if they want to do the right thing then give Tom Robinson justice. Right after Atticus had finished his closing argument he said to himself, "'In the name of God, believe him." (275) What this shows is Atticus knows that the only way Tom Robinson will be innocent is he makes the jury empathize of how a black person has to live in this raciest time in history. The jury clearly didn't listen to what Atticus said and felt pity on the Ewells which lead Tom Robinson in being guilty. Harper Lee is making Tom Robinson guilty because if he was innocent the story would most likely have ended there, but the reason of this book is about Scout "coming of age" and the climax of Jem breaking his arm.
What will Atticus' reaction about Tom Robinson being guilty be when he gets home? How will Jem break his arm?
Atticus acknowledges the fact that he lost a case. He won't go into a furious rage, nor will he be angry or bitter of the decision. He is a lawyer; you win some, you lose some.
ReplyDeleteJem braking his arm could be for a number of reasons. My guess is he get s involved with some business with the white suprematists of the town. The suprematists are most likely still angry with Atticus because he even dared to defend Mr. Tom Robinson. Now that he is guilty, they will be saying. "Atticus, you were wrong." or "It didn't matter did it, he's still guilty."
What do you think the town's next action will be? What are Jem's feelings like compared to Scout's or Dill's?
Response to Jeff. The white section of Maycomb will be pleased that Tom Robinson was convicted of rape except for the Finch family. The black section of Maycomb will no doubt be devastated that a member of their community has been sent to jail for a crime that he did not commit. The white part of Maycomb next action will be to essentially have a town gathering and discuss their feelings on the case and why they are happy that a black male has been sent to jail.
ReplyDeleteJem's feelings on the trial are much deeper than Dill's. This is so because Jem has grown up in a house where his father "Atticus" is a fantastic and well respected lawyer. Dill has not had the same experience therefor he does not have the same understanding that Jem has of a trial of a black man being accused of a crime. Jem is upset at the decision that he is guilty and he is flustered with the decision, but he understands it. Dill does not understand why he was found guilty and he is extraordinarily upset with the verdict. This is how Dill's feeling of the case compared Jem's feelings.
Was there anything that Atticus could have done differently that could have persuade the jury to acquitting Tom Robinson. If so what?
In answer to Jeffery's 2nd question, each kid has their own feelings, but none of them actually are fully mature to the level an adult. Jem is a little overconfident during the court case "we're gonna win, Scout." (270) Scout is too young to understand the court case, so mostly uses the experience to add to her maturity. Dill is not full used to Maycomb ways, so he is sickened by the scene. 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a book about coming of age for Scout, but also Jem and Dill. At this point of the book, none of the kids are fully mature.
ReplyDeleteIf Scout were as mature as Jem during the court case, would she understand more or less of what Jem understood? If Jem could choose to bring Scout or not, would he? Would Atticus bring Jem and/or Scout? What does this about their characters?
What interesting questions! In response to the first one, I don't think Atticus will be upset. In fact, though he seemed to be friendly with Tom Robinson, he will probably go back to his unrealistic overly-paternal preachings and make a lesson out of his failure. But if we're lucky, Harper Lee will add some emotional depth to the fluctuation of his stoney unrealistic manner and his deep passion for his work. Maybe we'll get to see Scout's reaction to her father's sadness! Exciting!
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Jem's broken arm will happen in the climax of the novel- and I think we were supposed to forget about it and then have an "Oh, I remember that!!!" moment when it happened. But nice catch, we should keep that in mind. I have a hunch that it's got something to do with Boo Radley.
Speaking of which, where is Boo? Is he coming back? How is Scout so perceptive? This is a typical going-on-nine year old picking up on all this depth and conflict in Maycomb? How is she possibly coping with it? How will this effect her life as a teenager?
I do not think that Atticus will be angry with how the case turned out. Although he will most likely be disappointed, and know that he should have won, he realizes that what counts is that he tried. The jury took hours and hours to decide whether Tom Robinson should be found guilty, and even this is a big step. In most cases, because of the racial tension and prejudice in Maycomb, the jury would have been unanimous, and a black man on trial would have been found guilty without a second thought. Atticus knows that he gave a strong fight, and that everything he said would prove Tom Robinson to be innocent, that he will probably still feel very good about himself knowing that the jury even considered the case.
ReplyDeleteTo Kaley’s question, “Would Atticus bring Jem and/or Scout?” I don’t think he would have, although I feel like he would have wanted them to hear the trial anyway. If Jem and Scout asked him if they could watch, Atticus’ immediate answer would probably be no, seeing as he is trying to get them to listen to Aunt Alexandra more, who is strongly against them witnessing these types of events. That being said, I also think that Atticus was glad that his children watched the trial happen. Atticus is in favor of teaching Jem and Scout important life lessons, and from watching everything that happened with Tom Robinson, they certainly learned a lot.
Do you think that attitudes toward race n Maycomb will change after the trial? If so, how?