What role does Calpurnia play in the family and in the novel? In the previous chapter, Bob Ewell, Mayella's father, testified that he heard his daughter screaming and saw Tom run away.From the opening chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee's young narrator, Scout, has noted that the Ewell family is distinguished by their abysmal hygiene and disdain for education. She wonders what Mayellas life is like, and quickly discovers that it is very hard. Examine what happened when Tom Robinson took the stand and gave his testimony. When Jem and Scout set off through the woods to the high school for the harvest pageant, they begin a journey that is long in a figurative sense, for the events that occur that night will change their lives forever. His left arm was mangled and useless since he got it caught in a cotton gin when he was a child. I soon found out." Chapters 16-19: Reviewing the Witness Testimony Suggested Responses General: "Witnesses had been led by the nose, as asses are"Scout Witness Testimony Children's Reaction(s) My Reaction(s) 1. What is significant about this detail? Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Teachers and parents! Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs This uncertainty causes her to equivocate on the stand. This statement puts the courtroom ill at easein Maycomb, black people arent supposed to feel sorry for a white person. Subscribe now. In the recess that follows, Mr. Underwood notices the children up in the balcony, but Jem tells Scout that the newspaper editor wont tell Atticus about their being therealthough he might include it in the social section of the newspaper. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. The trial takes place in the county courthouse in Maycomb, Alabama, and is in the small town's spotlight, so both the town and the courthouse are packed with spectators. However, she insists that he never lays a hand on her or beats her. "I wondered if anybody had ever called her 'ma'am,' or 'Miss Mayella' in her life; probably not, as she took offense to routine courtesy. He knows that African Americans are not treated justly by law during this time. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. TKAM Trial Evidence Chart: Chapters 17-19 Witness Testimony Children's Reaction My Reaction Heck. Then, Tom saw Bob Ewell in the window yelling at Mayella. When the trial is imminent, Aunt Alexandra shows up at the Finch home and announces that shes there to stay for the benefit of Jem and Scout. Tom understands that as a black man, hed be in even more trouble if hed pushed Mayella or otherwise fought harder to get away. As they walk, Scout and Dill encounter Mr. Dolphus Raymond, the rich white man with the Black mistress and mixed-race children. Expert Help. What does this suggest about the way she is used to being treated? His answer caused quite a stir in the courtroom, because in their eyes a black man shouldn't pity a white woman. Purchasing The editor of the local newspaper feels angry because Tom was a cripple and should not have been shot. Mr. Gilmer asks Tom why he helps Mayella, and he explains that he feels bad for her. How does Maycomb react to Tom Robinsons death? As Jem reads aloud to her every day for a montha punishment for destroying her camellia bushes after she harshly criticizes Atticusshe weans herself from her morphine addiction by refusing her medicine for longer and longer each day. Aunt Alexandra also believes that Scout needs to be taught to be a perfect Southern lady who knows how to wear a dress, serve tea, and converse with other women. Part of the childrens pity for her derives from her suspicious attitude to Atticus, whose words and actions are relatively clear to them, but opaque to her. Killing a mockingbird serves no purpose, and therefore is an act of unnecessary cruelty. Outside the courtroom, Dill complains to Scout about Mr. Gilmers rude treatment of Tom Robinson during the questioning. Explore Mayella's life and read a ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' Chapter 18 summary. Continue to start your free trial. It is at this point that Scout realizes how "poor and ignorant" Mayella really is. She takes the children to her church one Sunday, and, because of this, Scout and Jem can sit in the colored balcony during Tom Robinsons trial. | 3 She seemed to be trying to get something clear to herself. During this questioning, Tom slips and says he 'felt right sorry for her.' Set in the Great Depression during the 1930s, To Killing a Mockingbird focuses on Scout's experience growing up in a racially divided town that's been hit hard by the economic crisis. Her father was a lawyer and served as inspiration for Atticus Finch. If she were hit straight on, it would have come from someone's left hand. What question does Mayella have a difficult time answering? (including. Although Atticus is an old father according to Scout, he dearly loves his children, Scout and Jem, and offers them a role model of integrity, wisdom, trust, and honesty. Why didn't they come running? Throughout Tom's testimony, Atticus gave many obvious evidences as to why Tom Robinson would not be able to rape Mayella Ewell such as how Tom took "the oath with the only good hand he possesses--his . Historical Context Essay: The Scottsboro Boys Trials, Literary Context Essay: To Kill a Mockingbird & The Southern Gothic Tradition. I mean, yes I do, he hit me.". Mayella cuts a pathetic figure in the witness box. She cannot admit that she is lonely and attracted to a Black man, so she allows Tom Robinson to stand trial for a crime that he did not commit. Heck Tate also specifically describes Boo Radley as a mockingbird, in that he is a harmless person who is the victim of pointless cruelty. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. She is making up her testimony as she goes along. Dolphus Raymond, a white man who prefers the company of African Americans, uses a brown paper bag as a theatrical prop to act like a drunkard. Mayella identifies Tom as the man who beat her, and Atticus asks Tom to stand. Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. He says that Tom is 25, married with three kids, and then states he has been in trouble with the law once before. She then admits that she knows Tom since he passes by her house every day. Scout does not understand why Dill is upset because 'after all, he's just a Negro.'. "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." It's at this point that Dill begins to cry. The story of a broken arm serves as a narrative device, bookending the entire novel with Scouts telling of the story. What does Atticus mean when he says "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we startedis no reason for us not to try to win"in To Kill a Mockingbird? Before the incident with the dog, Scout and Jem saw their father as old, reserved, and not particularly powerful. Create your account. When he got inside, there was nothing wrong with the door, and he noticed that the other children were gone. It is evident that Tom Robinson is innocent of the crime he has been accused of. Margaret has taught both college and high school English and has a master's degree in English from Mississippi State University. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Many racist white people feel that justice was done because a black man is always guilty, no matter what. Tom ran out of the house as fast as he could. She is the sole caretaker for a passel of children. He could not have caused the types of injuries Mayella had without the use of his left arm. The oldest child in her family, it falls to her to care for the younger children. Link Deas, Toms white employer, stands up and declares that in eight years of work, he has never had any trouble from Tom. Instant PDF downloads. Mayella Ewell is pitiable, and her miserable existence almost allows her to join the novels parade of innocent victimsshe, too, is a kind of mockingbird, injured beyond repair by the forces of ugliness, poverty, and hatred that surround her. You can view our. Renews March 7, 2023 Tom says that on the night of November 21st he was walking home from work when Mayella asked him to come inside the house to help her retrieve a box that was on top of a tall dresser. Scout exercises perspective by standing in Mayella's shoes during her testimony and has sympathy for her. Who was the first witness to testify in Tom's trial? Ms. Lee was born in 1926 in the small town of Monroeville, Alabama. Example: S{\color{#c34632}S}S This book of poems is one of my favorite possessions. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the children react to Mayella's testimony with pity for her ignorance, her fear, and for what is revealed about the rough, abusive nature of her life at home. Mayella just says that she was taken advantage of, and if the upper class gentlemen won't prosecute Tom, they are cowards. In shooting the dog, then, Atticus is trying to protect the community from its most dangerous elements. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. After Tom is done with his story, he is cross-examined by Mr. Gilmer. It is then when her father saw them, Tom says that Mr. Ewell yelled at Mayella, calling her a whore. Dill tells Scout he doesn't care, that it's not right to treat anyone that way. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. This episode serves two important purposes in the novel. for a group? In short, Scout and Jem have never encountered a woman like Mayella, and they have a difficult time processing both her tragic situation and her erratic personality on the stand. On hearing this, Scout realizes that Tom's manners are similar to Atticus's. The judge expels Deas because his interjection during the proceedings threatens the integrity of the formal manner in which court proceedings are run; the grim irony, of course, is that the blatant prejudice of the trial does so as well, though the judge does nothing to alleviate this prejudice. He says Mayella kissed him, saying she had never kissed a grown man and 'might as well kiss a nigger.' Then when Tom was on the chair, she grabbed him and he fell to the floor. Mr. Dolphus Raymond, who is also outside, overhears their conversation. Historical Context Essay: The Scottsboro Boys Trials, Literary Context Essay: To Kill a Mockingbird & The Southern Gothic Tradition. When Mr. Deas stands up for Tom, it shows Scout that theres another person in town whos not racist and whos willing to courageously stand up for whats right, even if he knows hell get thrown out. What does Scout find in the knothole of the tree in the novelTo Kill a Mockingbird? 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