What does Tom Robinson suggest happened the day of the rape? Do you think the jury will believe his version of events? Explain why you think this. Barrocas

Tom Robinson walks by the Ewells’ home everyday as he lives close by. Mayella Ewell would
often ask Mr. Robinson if he could help her with work in the house. On the day of the incident
Mayella asked Mr. Robinson if he could come inside and help her get a box down from the
“chiffarobe” (220). While being questioned Tom explained that when he went to get the box down
Mayella jumped into his arms and tried to kiss him. As Tom attempted to break free, Mayella ran
and blocked the door. Just when Mr. Robinson said “lemme pass”, Mr. Ewell came running and that’s
when Tom pushed her aside and ran. Having an all white jury will never give Tom the advantage,
especially as a black man in 1930s Alabama. In my opinion the jury will not believe Tom’s version
of the incident. Most people will not go out of their way to do “all this chopping and work from sheer
goodness,” as Mr. Gilmer had said (224). The jury would most likely be suspicious of him doing all
this charity work for her because they could think that he was just trying to take advantage of her.
As the testimony goes on, Mr. Gilmer says “You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?” (224).
The way Harper Lee uses italics on the three words “you, her, and sorry” shows that the racist
white people like Mr. Gilmer who live in Maycomb, Alabama don’t believe that a black man
can feel sorry for a white woman. As much as the evidence shows that Tom Robinson did
not rape Mayella Ewell, he will never win this case because all odds are against him.

Do you think Tom Robinson did a good job in his testimony?
Do you think Mr. Gilmer asked fair questions?
Why do you think Tom Robinson cannot say he feels sorry  for Mayella Ewell?

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 6:59 PM

    Tom Robinson definitely did a good job in his testimony. For, as Jem and Scout stated in the novel, Tom Robinson said his sentences in one breath. Which shows that you are not lying most likely. Harper Lee includes this in the novel to show the innocence and the gentleman like the attitude of Tom Robinson. It shows that not all blacks in the town of Maycomb act the same way. Also, it shows that the stereotype white people in Maycomb have made for blacks is wrong.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 7:56 PM

    I believe that Tom robinson did do a good job in his testimony. For starters, as Jem and Scout noticed, he was talking in a way that made them believe that he was telling the truth. He talked in a much calmer way than Ms.Ewell, which most likely means that he was telling the truth and that she was not. He also did a good job because he took a risk. The risk he took was that he said that what Ms. Ewell had said happened, didn’t actually happen. This was a very big risk for him because he was a black man, saying that a white woman had lied to an all white jury that most likely had already decided that the white woman was in the right and the black man was in the wrong. So by him saying that she lied, he took a big risk in order to prove his innocence. Do you think that this risk will help him, or hurt him?

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 8:04 PM

    I don't think Mr. Gilmer asked fair questions. With any other witness, he was calm and even polite, but when it came to Tom Robinson, Mr. Gilmer disrespected him, insinuated him to be "lesser" multiple times, and exhibited downright repulsive behavior. The stark difference between Tom Robinson's questioning and the others' goes to show how racist Mr. Gilmer truly is and how that affects his ability to think logically about this case. His questions were specifically directed in a way to trap Tom Robinson, backing him into a corner by putting words into Tom's mouth and forcing the conversation away from the true facts of the case and towards his bigoted assumptions. Mr. Gilmer should be disbarred for such demeaning, unlawful, and plain mean behavior, but because this is Alabama in the 1930s, his verbal assault was taken in stride.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2019 at 8:27 PM

    Tom Robinson was careful and precise when explaining his side of the situation. He made a major mistake when he said he felt bad for Mayella Ewell. In this time period, this would seem as if he is putting himself above her, which would not be acceptable due to his race. This is most definitely going to change the public opinion, because they will think he sees himself as high and mighty. He also could not say he though Mayella Ewell was lying, not only because the jury would always take the word of a white man over Tom Robinson due to his race but also because he would no longer gather any respect. Race is almost the elephant in the room in this situation, the entire trial revolves around it. Tom Robinson does not stand even the slightest chance in this case, but he might lead to social change within Maycomb.

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  5. Pauly CSeptember 27, 2019 at 3:57 AM

    Tom Robinson feels sorry for Mayella because she was very lonely. Even though Tom Robinson is always looked down upon because he is black, he has a family of people. Mayella being the oldest sibling in the Ewell's house has never kissed a man before. This shows how lonely Mayella is because despite her not liking African Americans, she still kissed Tom Robinson. Mayella could be compared to a biracial child. Even though she is white, she is looked down upon because of her last name and abused in her own house. Tom Robinson might be treated unfairly during the day, he at least gets to go back to a non abusing home.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2019 at 9:02 AM

    I think Tom Robinson did a good job in the testimony because he defended himself, and he also made it fairly obvious that he was empathetic towards Mayella. This makes his testimony seem much more real. Although he did a good job, everyone knows what the outcome of the case will be. Tom Robinson in prison. No matter how much evidence or mess ups of the Ewells there are, the outcome will never change.

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  7. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2019 at 9:18 AM

    I think that Mr. Gilmer, did ask unfair questions, to Tom Robinson. It is not that Mr. Gilmer didn't do his job, but he used his power to make Tom look like an idiot. You could say that Atticus did the same thing but in Atticus's case he was just proving that the whiteness didn't no what he was talking about. This was different from Mr. Gilmer trying to make Tom seem stupid when he isn't. In addition, I don't ever in that time period is a black person given a fair trial, because of their race.

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 27, 2019 at 9:29 AM

    I think that Tom Robinson did well in his testimony, because he defended himself well, without angering the Ewels even more. He isn't aggressive about his position, and is simply stating what he did. Even with how unfair all of Gilmer's questions were, he stayed calm, and didn't have an outburst, which could be very bad for his case. I think that the fact that he tries to be sorry for Mayella, and is dismissed, as if he isn't being sincere represents the racism in the Maycomb way.

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