Free Response: What is the significance of the ending of Chapter 21 when Atticus takes a different route out of the court room? -Boesch-Powers

At the end of chapter 20, Scout talks about Atticus' exit out of the courtroom. After the decision was made that Tom Robinson was indeed guilty, Atticus whispers something to him and walks out of the room. Scout says that "he must have wanted to go home the short way because he walked quickly down the middle aisle... he did not look up" (241). This shows that Atticus was either wanted to take the "short way" as Scout said or Atticus was deeply upset about the turnout of the case. After all, Atticus worked nonstop to prepare for this case and got to know Tom Robinson for the hard-working and kind family man he is, but when he got in front of the public, they must not have seen the same. Jem was very sure that the jury would finally make the right decision and say that Tom was not guilty, so maybe Atticus felt the same. He made all the right points and caught both Mr. Ewell and Mayella in lies, but still, the jury decided that the white man would win. Although Atticus expected this result from the start, the feeling of thinking he was going to win but then losing, made Atticus feel shame. He thought that he didn't do enough for this innocent man who is going to jail because of racism lies.

The significance behind this scene was Harper Lee showing the hope/good that was brought down by lies/bad. Atticus, a strong, smart, and white man, was brought down by the effects of racism within Maycomb. Harper Lee chooses to have Atticus, the light that shines in the darkness of Maycomb (the Maycomb Way), to lose this trial. She wants the reader to cheer for Tom and Atticus, and at this point, to have them attempt to "walk around in [Atticus and Tom's] skin" and maybe then, the reader will understand the shame that Atticus felt and the pain that Tom is going to feel until his death. This teaches Scout that even though somebody can make the perfect points and be the most hard-working and understanding person, that at this time, racism will always defeat them.

How do you think Jem felt when the decision was made?

Why did Reverend Skye tell Scout to stand up because her father was passing? What does this show?

What do you think is going to happen to Tom Robinson's family because of this? To the Ewell family?

What do you think Atticus said to Tom Robinson at the end of the trial and why?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2019 at 7:15 PM

    Because of the sentencing of Tom Robinson, I believe that his family will be devastated but not surprised. No one expected the outcome to be different. Many people hoped for it, but quite simply it was a waste of time. Atticus knew exactly what happened, and he knew that Tom Robinson was innocent, and even though he continued to work hard with the trial, making himself a threat, and sacrificing a ton, he knew what would happen in the end. Tom Robinson's family will obviously change. With the absence of Tom Robinson, I think the family for struggle for a little bit because of the sadness, despair, and also the loss of one man's pay. In the Ewell family, I don't think much will happen. They obviously won't forget about this trial, but I think they won't pay attention to it much. Mayella will feel guilt, and Mr. Ewell will be glad that he successfully framed a man, but this won't impact them much. I think Mayella will get beat much more often each time she does something wrong, and I think that's it.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 29, 2019 at 8:00 PM

    Harper Lee uses Atticus’ exit as a way to show Atticus leaving with dignity and shedding change in his wake. Despite the loss, Atticus definitely made the jury and audience think about their daily life and decisions. He is walking out with grace, knowing he has made a slight dent in the forever oppression and racist Maycomb way. He knows that in the time to come, he will pay for the statements he has made and ideas he has expressed during the trial. A collection of people are described as happy at the end of the trial, something that offends Jem deeply. These people seem not to understand that many of Maycomb's foundational idea will forever be questioned by those who fully understood Atticus’ speech. I expect this will be the footsteps for change. Atticus ensures that nobody will ever forget this trial, because he made it about more than just a case of rape, he made it about their society. Atticus’ new route signals a new and changed way of life.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 30, 2019 at 4:53 AM

    There was almost no chance for Tom Robinson to win the case even after Atticus presented all the evidence he could to go against Mayella and Mayella had no solid evidence against Tom. I believe that Jem felt liked the trial wasn’t fair for Tom Robinson. Jem kept talking about how Tom wasn’t going to be guilty and he was confident about that, but as we can see, the verdict was that he was guilty. Lee includes this to show us how corrupt the court systems were back during Scout’s time due to racism, no matter how good the evidence was, a white man would be favored over a black man. I think that Tom’s family is going to be harrassed now that he was announced guilty and I believe that the Ewell family will gain a little bit of respect from others. At the end of the trial, I think Atticus told Tom that he knows that he was innocent but there was nothing he could do about it now and I think he said this just make Tom feel a little bit better about himself.

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