Friday, January 16, 2015 Aim: TKAM Plot analysis Bellwork: Describe Jem’s reaction to the verdict. What was your reaction?

D.Y.R.T. Who is Dolphus Raymond? What do the kids learn about him and what lessons do the kids learn from him?

Chapter 17  Heck Tate is questioned - Mayella was beaten and bruised. She accused Tom Robinson of rape.  no doctor was called to Ewell home; all the bruises were concentrated on the right side of her face.  The Ewells  Always on welfare (in times of depression and prosperity), lived by the town dump, the children did not go to school, diseased and filthy, never see a doctor  EXCEPT for the red geraniums of Mayella – sign of hope and beauty

Bob Ewell’s Testimony  Motivation: asking the county to “clean out that nest” where the blacks live, since it brings down his property values  Struts into court, swollen chest, red – PRIDE  Proven to be left handed  Since Mayella was beaten on the right side of her face, it is possible that her father could have done it

Chapter 18  Mayella – fragile mind, but physically strong and accustomed to labor  Looked as if she tried to keep clean  Afraid of Atticus – afraid to look like a fool; afraid of justice?  crying - gets the judge to feel sorry for her  Admits that she asked Tom Robinson to help her with chopping down the wardrobe for a nickel (she’s asked him to do chores in the past)  Not used to kindness – gets offended when Atticus addresses her politely (terrible life)  No friends - LONELY  Alcoholic father that may beat her (though she won’t admit it)

Cross-Examination  Why she didn’t put up a better fight? Where were the children?  How could Tom physically perform these actions with a left hand that was destroyed by a cotton gin? He’s crippled  Most likely:  Mayella was not raped – she was lonely and wanted a friend  She screamed when she saw her father in the window  Bob was ashamed that his daughter was having affairs with a black man, and spun the story into rape after beating her

Mayella a Mockingbird?  Pitiable, and her miserable existence almost allows her to join the novel’s innocent victims—she, too, is a kind of mockingbird, injured beyond repair by the forces of ugliness, poverty, and hatred that surround her  victim—her father beats her and possibly molests her, unhelpful siblings; lacked kind treatment in her life  However, she attempts to destroy Tom Robinson in order to cover her shame; whatever her sufferings, she inflicts worse cruelty on others.

Chapter 19  Tom tells the truth – admits that he’s been in trouble with the law before; “nothing to hide” (190)  Mayella would often ask him to help her with chores  Helped for free because he noticed no one else helped her – felt sorry for the girl; GENEROUS, KIND  She invited him inside to fix a door that wasn’t broken - FLIRT  she had saved her money and sent the children to buy ice cream to be alone with Tom  she grabbed him and kissed him – he resists  As she struggled, her father appeared at the window, threatening his daughter.

 Scout thinks Mayella was the loneliest person in the world; lonelier than Boo Radley  “white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her because she was white” (192)  Tom Robinson was the only person that was decent to her (a friend) and she took advantage of him and ruined his life  He didn’t want to push her (afraid to hurt a white woman); ran away because he knew it would be assumed the whole thing was his fault – knows the law is not on his side

Cross Examination of Tom  Mr. Gilmer implies that Tom had sexual motives for always helping Mayella. Tom eventually declares that he felt sorry for her (a black man should not feel sorry for a white woman)  Mr. Gilmer call Tom “boy” as a way to lower his status and importance in the community – derogatory  Even though Tom is crippled, he is still strong

Chapter 20  Mr. Dolphus Raymond – judged by the community, an “evil man”  a rich white man who has married a black woman and had inter-racial children.  He offers Dill a sip from his drink.  Everyone presumes the drink to be alcohol, but once Dill drinks it he reveals that it is nothing more than Coke.  Mr. Raymond pretends to be an alcoholic to give people a reason for his lifestyle; it helps them to understand why he won’t change (they don’t understand he lives the way he wants to)  APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING – DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Atticus’s Final Remarks  No medical evidence that the rape occurred  Mayella is motivated to destroy Tom because of guilt  Her crime – tempting and desiring a black man  Breaking the race barrier in this society means being an outcast and hounded for the rest of one’s life  As a white woman, she knew that accusing Tom would cost him his life  Like a child, she tries to get rid of the evidence of her crime of passion – in this case, the evidence is Tom, a human being; he is a daily reminder of her shame

Chapter 21  Children are taken home to eat and return in time to hear the verdict  “A jury never looks at a defendant it has convicted, and when this jury came in, not one of them looked at Tom Robinson” (211) – GUILTY  As the courtroom empties, Atticus begins to leave and the entire colored balcony stands a sign of respect.

Chapter 22  Jem cries over the injustice of the verdict – sensitive  “It’s like being a caterpillar in a cocoon…like something asleep wrapped in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world…” (215) LOSS OF INNOCENCE; Jem sees the truth of society and their cruelty; ILLUSIONS SHATTERED  The black community of Maycomb delivers food to the Finch household, even though they can’t afford to spare much – RESPECT  Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face and vows revenge  The jury considering the verdict so long is a step in the right direction