Does the news about Tom surprise you? Why or why not?-Liam

Tom Robinson was shot by an officer for trying to run out of jail, and climb the fence. Tom did this even though he had a good chance of not getting too bad of a sentence. Harper Lee makes it very clear that Tom is innocent throughout the case, so when he is found guilty, it is mostly because of his race. His death was a big shock to everyone around him. You can visibly see in Atticus's face that he is angry, as Harper Lee describes him as pale. I think that when Atticus gets the news he blames himself for not assuring Tom enough. After getting the news about his death, Aunt Alexandra says, "'It tears him to pieces. He doesn't show it much, but it tears him to pieces"(296). Even though she may not understand why he does what he does, she still knows how much he cares. In addition, another reason that the news about Tom dying could be surprising is because he clearly had people like Atticus who cared about him. Usually the reason someone would try to escape from jail is if they had no hope. This is why I think this question goes deeper than just what Atticus could do as a Lawyer.

Near the end of chapter 25, Scout starts to realize when, "..... Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was dead the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed"(275-276). I think this quote proves the real reason that he decided to run from jail and why Tom lost the case. I think that Atticus made the best case he possibly could have, and yet the guilty verdict was still chosen. Tom ran cause he thought he had no hope. Even though he may have had the facts on his side, in the 1930's in Maycomb, Alabama a white mans word always won. The news of his death taught Scout that just a seemingly simple thing like race, can push people to convict an innocent man of rape, and make the same man run from jail. In conclusion, I believe that all the towns people were understandably shocked, but Scout slowly realizes that the hope for Tom was not as much there as she thought.

Do you think Atticus did all that he could to help Tom?
Did Aunt Alexandra's reaction to Tom's news surprise you?
Do you think that because Scout is so young she doesn't knows how to process this death?

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 1, 2019 at 7:22 PM

    Aunt Alexandra's reaction to the news of Tom's death surprised me. What with her being the prime example of a Maycomb citizen, I didn't expect her to act so un-Maycomb-ly. She has also been portrayed as a cold character, indifferent to the plights of others, with only her reputation in mind. To see her cry and feel bad over Tom's unjust and clearly preventable death was jarring. I did not expect such a huge reaction from. character like Aunt Alexandra. However, I think it was interesting that Harper Lee included the section at the end of the chapter where Aunt Alexandra slides seamlessly back into her old Maycomb ways--but this time just for a show. She puts on a mask and reunited with the other women to gossip and chat about things that are trivial in comparison to the news they just received. That scene shows that there may be more depth to Aunt Alexandra that I thought, or that Scout could ever predict.

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  2. AnonymousOctober 1, 2019 at 7:25 PM

    Aunt Alexandra’s reaction to Tom’s death was very surprising because of her opinions earlier in the novel. In Chapter 9, Francis and Scout are fighting. Francis tells Scout, “Grandma says that it’s bad enough that he lets you all run wild, but now he’s turned out a *****-lover we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. He’s ruinin’ the family, that’s what he’s doin’”(94). Aunt Alexandra was very worried about what the trial would do to their family’s reputation. According to her grandson, Aunt Alexandra thought Atticus was destroying the family name by defending a black man. Her opinions don’t completely change, but she starts to feel bad for Atticus. At the end of Chapter 24, Aunt Alexandra says, “‘I can’t say I approve of everything he does, Maudie, but he’s my brother, and I just want to know when this will ever end.’ her voice rose: ‘it tears him to pieces.’”(269). Earlier in the novel, it seemed like she was completely against her brother’s opinions and I was not expecting her to feel bad for him.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 1, 2019 at 7:29 PM

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  4. AnonymousOctober 1, 2019 at 7:30 PM

    Aunt Alexandra’s reaction to Tom Robinson's death was very surprising to me. The reason was because throughout most of the book, Aunt Alexandra hasn’t shown much empathy towards the black characters in the book. For Example, she treats Cal more as a servant/slave, than a person. She is also seen (in the eyes of Scout) as a mean grumpy lady who just bugs everyone and only cares about gossip. But suddenly, once she learns the news about Tom Robinson, she does a full 180 on all that Lee had set up during the book, and showed remorse for a black man. This was Lee’s very clear way of showing how the trial had changed Maycom in so many ways that it could change an ignorant white women, into a remorseful one. Why else do you think she might have changed from what she was known as before?

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  5. AnonymousOctober 2, 2019 at 4:29 AM

    Do you think Atticus did all that he could to help Tom?

    I believe that Atticus did all he could to help Tom. With the amount of racism in the South at the time, breaking the racial barrier was a big step. Atticus broke the racial barrier by defending a black man in court, which many despised at the time. Atticus also seemed to have used all his energy in his closing statement. He took off his jacket and glasses and honestly tried to prove Tom innocent. Atticus took a big risk to defend a black man, and it shows. He was spit on by Bob Ewell and his children were teased in the streets. Harper Lee included Tom Robinson in this book to prove the racial injustice taking place during the timeframe. Most would agree Tom was innocent.

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  6. AnonymousOctober 2, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    Did Aunt Alexandra's reaction to Tom's news surprise you?
    Aunt Alexandra's reaction to Tom Robinsons death surprised me. Her fixed opinion opened after she heard about Tom's death. Although she might have not felt as bad for Tom as she did for Atticus, she still showed some empathy on both ends. Throughout the book she has been a cold figure but through times of hardship she can be empathetic even for a race she does not accept. Harper Lee is trying to show that even people who make bad choices can still redeem themselves. In addition this helps Scout grow not to judge people as much and that people can change.

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  7. AnonymousOctober 2, 2019 at 9:43 AM

    I think Scout is mature enough to process this death. It may not have hit her as hard because she didn't know Tom. Even though she wanted him to win the trial she didn't really know him. This meant that she didn't care as much as Atticus when he died. Harper Lee shows that Scout is still a child and isn't mature enough to understand the real meaning of his death.

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