To Kill a Mockingbird Group

Question:

austin3
austin3

In Chapter 19 when Tom Robinson is on the witness stand he says that he feels sorry for Miss. Mayella. Why is this such a critical error?

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Posted by austin3 on Tuesday May 19, 2009 at 6:15 AM and tagged with characters, significance, to kill a mockingbird, tom robinson.

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  1. writergal06
    writergal06 Teacher

    eNotes Editor

    The case of Tom Robinson is decided by the prejudice of the jury, not by the guilt of Robinson. When Tom says that he, a black man accused of raping a white girl, actually feels sorry for the girl because of how bad her life is, it greatly offends the white jury members. Within their society, he was as low as it gets, yet he had the audacity to feel sorry for a white person. His comment riles the audience back up, and removes any sympathy they may have felt for him.

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    Posted by writergal06 on Tuesday May 19, 2009 at 6:38 AM

  2. k94bytch
    k94bytch Student
    High School - 9th Grade

    when tom robinson says he feel ssorry for mayella, he is simply a black man and cannot feel sorry for a white woman, which to the jury means he is lying and therefore everything prior to this he was "lying" so the jury finds him guilty.

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    Posted by k94bytch on Thursday May 28, 2009 at 8:52 PM