As I was reading the trial in TKAM, I was filled with a sense of pride for Atticus and Tom Robinson. Atticus asks questions of all the witnesses until they question themselves. I was so hopeful that they would "win", that Tom Robinson would be free. At the beginning of chapter 22, it says "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd." I couldn't believe that after all their work, after proving the obvious truth from all the lies, that people couldn't, or wouldn't, believe it.
As I talked about in Post 2, the majority of people didn't give certain others credit for anything because they didn't like them. I think that this was also the case here. The jury didn't believe Tom, despite the evidence. Because of the segregation between white and black people, it was thought of as wrong to agree with black people during the time. For example, the character Dolphus Raymond is faced with so much hatred from marrying a black woman, he drinks Coca-Cola out of a paper bag to make people think he isn't completely crazy. Anyway, what the jury did was wrong. They should have let Tom Robinson be free.
After the trial (end of chapter 22), Bob Ewell sees Atticus and spits in his face before threatening him. This is another wrong act that is directly related to the trial. Bob Ewell is very angry that Atticus accused him of what he did, which is understandable. But what is not right is the cursing, spitting, and life-threatening that ensues. Sometimes people overreact to the simplest things. In life, I think if we pay more attention to what is happening and don't take advantage of what we have, we would understand. When we understand, we can improve and become better people.
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