Chapter 17 Summary and Analysis
Heck Tate's testimony starts with him being questioned by Mr. Gilmer, the prosecutor. He relates the events of the day in question: Bob Ewell came to find him on November 21st of the previous year and brought him back to the house, where Mayella had been beaten up. She said it was Tom who beat her, so Heck went to arrest him. When Atticus cross examines him, more details come out: Heck didn't call a doctor, despite the severity of Mayella's injuries; Mayella had a black eye on her right side; and there were finger marks around her throat where she'd been choked. This is the end of Heck Tate's testimony.
Next, Bob Ewell takes the stand, looking to Scout like "a little bantam cock of a man" ("bantam" meaning chicken). Scout takes the time to explain that the Ewells live in a ramshackle little home down by the dump, with a fence made out of random bits of things they've pulled from the dump while looking for food. Their house isn't as nice, in Scout's opinion, as the cabins that the African American citizens live in, though these are also situated right next to the dump. It's understood in this chapter that Bob Ewell's drinking is the cause of his family's poverty and that he's not a man worth respecting, but that they're all listening to his testimony because he's white and is accusing a Black man of rape.
Once Mr. Gilmer starts questioning him, Ewell goes into a sensationalized account of the rape he says he saw. This is, of course, a lie, which Atticus will prove later, but it's dramatic enough that the audience erupts and Judge Taylor has to bang his gavel for five minutes to call them down. In an effort to keep them quiet without having to close the courtroom off to spectators, he threatens all of them with contempt charges. The trial continues, with Judge Taylor and Mr. Gilmer asking some clarifying questions. Then Atticus cross examines him, beginning again with questions that focus on Mayella's injuries. He then has Ewell write his name to show that he is left-handed, and, therefore, capable of having given Mayella a black eye on her right side. Jem thinks that this will be enough to prove Tom innocent. Scout isn't so sure.
Conflict
Atticus vs. Bob Ewell. It's safe to say that Bob Ewell has conflicts with everyone: his daughter, Atticus, Tom, and just about everyone else in the courtroom. His behavior on the stand makes a mockery of the court, and his obvious lies bring him into conflict with Atticus, who has no respect for him. One could argue that Bob Ewell's conflicts all stem from the fact that he thinks he deserves to be respected when he doesn't.
Metaphor. One example of this would be Scout saying that Ewell is "a little bantam cock of a man," where the word "bantam" means a certain breed of chicken.
Motifs
Flowers. When Ewell writes out his name, Scout says Judge Taylor looks at him as if he were a "gardenia in bloom." This picks up on the flower imagery established through Miss Maudie's character and neatly (if briefly) dehumanizes Mr. Ewell, whose behavior has been pompous or "flowery" in the sense that it has been flamboyant. Note that Mayella Ewell is also said to have grown several red geraniums in jars, a fact that is meant to endear her to the reader.
Repetition
One example of this would be the repetition of the word no in the passage that reads: "No truant officers could keep their numerous offspring in school; no public health officer could free them from congenital defects…"
Simile
One example of this is Scout saying that Mr. Gilmer can make a "rape case as dry as a sermon," where "dry" means boring.
Themes
Boredom. Unlike the boredom Scout and the children have experienced in previous chapters where they ran out of games to play during the summer, the boredom in this chapter comes as a result of the trial not being as exciting as the spectators originally expected it to be. They want to be entertained by the trial, and when it isn't immediately thrilling, they get restless. This boredom wanes at the end of the chapter when Ewell starts putting on a show.
Law. When Atticus starts questioning Ewell, Ewell accuses Atticus of trying to trick him. His outburst doesn't reflect well on him, but isn't entirely off the mark: as Scout points out, Atticus is adept at asking questions to get the answers he wants and avoiding the ones he doesn't. The law, though a righteous and formidable thing with the capacity to do great good in the world, is also something that can be manipulated or used to manipulate, as when it's used unfairly against Tom Robinson.
Violence. The violence in this chapter is indirect, related to us on the witness stand rather than in scene. We learn from Heck Tate's testimony that Mayella Ewell has accused Tom of raping her and that Bob Ewell claims to have witnessed this act of violence. Though we'll soon find that Tom never raped Mayella, the sensational nature of the case and the presence of the spectators makes the violence seem especially lurid.
Expert Q&A
Why is it ironic when Mr. Ewell claims black people "devalue" his property in chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
2 Educator Answers
During Bob Ewell's testimony, he refers to the area surrounding his property as a "nigger-nest" and says that he's been complaining to authorities for fifteen years to clean up that quarter close to his home. He also mentions that it is dangerous living in such close proximity to black folks and claims that their households are "devaluin’" his property. It is ironic that Bob Ewell would say that the black citizens' homes are devaluing his property, because his cabin is in much worse condition than the homes of his black neighbors. Scout mentions that the Ewells' yard is littered with trash and broken objects everywhere. Their home is also an eyesore, and the Ewell family does absolutely nothing to take care of their property. If it were not for the racist, segregated society of the times, the black homes would actually raise the value of the Ewell's property, which is why Bob's comment is ironic.
Mr. Ewell is the epitome of "poor white trash," and his family lives in what amounts to a junkyard:
"Maycomb's Ewells lived behind the town garbage dump in what was once a Negro cabin....Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls, which in the summertime were covered with greasy strips of cheesecloth to keep out the varmints that feasted on Maycomb's refuse."
If he cared so much about the value of his property, he would take some pride in it and clean it up. The close proximity of the black people in the neighborhood has nothing to do with the poor value of his house and land. Had prejudice not been so rampant at this time and place in history, people could have recognized that the presence of the black neighborhood - better cared for than the Ewell's place - actually improved the property values.
Which literary device does the author use in Chapter 17 of "To Kill a Mockingbird" to describe Bob Ewell?
3 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
In Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, the author uses a metaphor to describe Bob Ewell as a bantam rooster. This comparison highlights Ewell's small physical size but feisty and combative demeanor, creating strong imagery of his false bravado and aggressive posturing.
Scout's description of Bob Ewell as a bantam rooster is a metaphor, a comparison between two unlike people or things that equates the two.
Bantams distinguish themselves as displaying a bold nature beyond what should be expected from such a small chicken. Sometimes, though, it is merely a false bravado. For instance, one breeder describes many of the roosters as having "the Napoleon complex" and adds that he does not allow these aggressive roosters to remain on his farm. However, he once had two that he felt he would have to send off until he observed something unusual about them:
The funniest situation was when two same-aged roosters would play the respect game, only to go to roost together at the same time in the evening, even while the hens pecked around the outside pen.
http://www.o-garden.ca/bantam-roosters.html#ixzz4WC4VATkj
This description of the two bantam roosters who merely posture is truly an apt description of Ewell, as well. He, too, merely postures as he does when he follows Helen Robinson to the home of Link Deas. Moreover, Ewell's mere pretense of aggressiveness is the reason that Atticus does not fear that Bob Ewell will harm him or his family after this "bantam rooster" spits tobacco in Atticus's face. Another reason Atticus does not fear Ewell is the fact that he has never been convicted of any assaults. In chapter 17 Judge Taylor says that he does not recall ever seeing Ewell in his court.
As it turns out, however, Atticus misjudges the reprehensible Ewell who, while he is not a bold "bantam rooster," nevertheless commits an aggressive act as he sneaks up on the innocent Finch children and tries to serve his revenge on Atticus by harming Jem and Scout.
The literary device Harper Lee is using in this situation is metaphor, the comparison of two things that have similar characteristics but which are not the same. The author does not use "like" or "as", which distinguishes her use of literary device from simile. The author is comparing Bob Ewell to a bantam rooster, because of his small physical build but extremely feisty, combative demeanor. The metaphor also presents strong imagery, another literary device. Through her choice of words, Lee enables the reader to visual Bob Ewell, a small man itching for a fight with everyone around him, lacking in stature but overflowing with belligerent confidence like "a little bantam cock", his chest thrust forward and head held high, stepping confidently up to the witness stand (Chapter 17).
The device is a metaphor. Bob Ewell is being compared to a small but fierce chicken which was often used in cock fights. The suggestion is that Ewell is an angry person, ready to fight as a moments' notice but he was really a small man with little power. His "strutting" like a chicken, would indicate a sort of display of bravery designed to scare others off. However, since is a "little bantam" ( or lightweight) man, his strutting is not taken seriously.
Why is Mr. Ewell's testimony in chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird significant?
1 Educator Answer
Mr. Ewell's testimony is significant because it suggests that he was his daughter's attacker and is lying about Tom Robinson's involvement in the crime. During Atticus's cross-examination, Mr. Ewell testifies that he agrees with Sheriff Tate's description of Mayella's injuries, which were predominantly to the right side of her face and around her neck. Atticus then has Bob Ewell write his signature on the back of an envelope, which proves that he is left-handed. This information is significant to the case because one would assume that a man leading predominately with his left hand would strike the right side of a person's face. Given the fact that Tom Robinson has a crippled left arm that cannot function, one could infer that Bob Ewell was his daughter's attacker. Later on, Atticus illustrates Bob Ewell's history of violent behavior and proves that he was motivated to harm his daughter for committing a social taboo by kissing Tom Robinson.
In Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, what do we indirectly learn about the Ewell family's home life?
2 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
In Chapter 17, we indirectly learn that the Ewell family lives in extreme poverty and squalor, with their home located by the town dump and held together by scavenged materials. The family lacks education and a stable structure, with suggestions of incest and abuse. However, Mayella Ewell's care for her geraniums indicates a desire for beauty amidst their grim living conditions.
We learn that the Ewells live in absolute squalor which they have become habituated to over generations. However, after an extended description of the unseemly cabin and yard where they live (which is contrasted with the similarly poor, but infinitely more clean and decent living-quarters of the blacks), we get a hint of something different:
One corner of the yard, though, bewildered Maycomb. Against the fence, in a line, were six chipped-enamel slop jars holding brilliant red geraniums, cared for as tenderly as if they belonged to Miss Maudie Atkinson, had Miss Maudie deigned to permit a geranium on her premises. People said they were Mayella Ewell’s.
This gives a clear hint that Mayella, at least, does strive to impart some brightness to her surroundings, and the image of the beautiful, 'brilliant' geraniums is a startling detail in the otherwise dreary yard. in this respect she is even compared to the dignified,good-hearted Miss Maudie. She is probably the only Ewell who attempts anything in this line.
Mayella's geraniums are symbolic of her wish for better things in her world, and shows that there is at least one Ewell who, in the daily grind of their sordid home life, has a certain appreciation of beauty. However, any such attempts to beautify her surroundings seem doomed to fail. The conditions of her life in general conspire to drag her down, when she is forced to falsely accuse Tom Robinson of rape at the behest of her vicious, lying father.
The Ewells are very poor and live outside the law, eschewing school and society.
From Burris Ewell, we learn that proper hygiene is either not available or not a priority for the Ewell household. He has head lice and is generally unclean in his appearance and his manners.
He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick. He peered at Miss Caroline from a fist-sized clean space on his face. (Ch. 3)
The Ewells also do not value education. This is why their children cannot read or write, and only go to school on the first day of school and then stay home for the rest of the year. Burris doesn’t even make it through the whole first day. He gets into a fight with the teacher when she wants him to go home and wash his hair and calls her a “snot-nosed slut” (Ch. 3). It is his third first day of first grade.
Atticus has his own perception of the Ewells, which he describes to Scout when she is impressed with the fact that they do not have to go to school or obey the laws.
They were people, but they lived like animals. “They can go to school any time they want to, when they show the faintest symptom of wanting an education,” said Atticus. (Ch. 3)
Atticus says that Bob Ewell hunts for his food even when hunting is out of season because he spends his relief checks on alcohol. He hasn’t had a job. He can’t keep a job. After the trial he is said to be the only person Maycomb has heard of who has been fired from the W.P.A. for laziness.
When Bob Ewell and Mayella Ewell testify, the sad state of their lives is described. Bob Ewell beats Mayella, and may possibly sexually abuse her. He leaves her in charge of the many children (how many is never clear), with hardly anything to feed them, and never lifts a hand to help her take care of them. She doesn’t seem to understand what Atticus means when he asks her if she has any friends. There is no beauty in her life except for the flowers she keeps, and the only person she has to keep her company is Tom Robinson. Unfortunately, being around him is considered wrong by Maycomb society, because he is black and she is white.
In chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Reverend Sykes ask Jem to take Dill and Scout home from the trial?
2 Educator Answers
Reverend Sykes suggests to Jem to take Scout (not Dill) home when things start to heat up in the courtroom as far as language is concerned. The Reverend and the children have just listened to Sheriff Tate's testimony without any problems because the tone behind the language he used was professional and formal—or as best as can be for a rape case. However, when Bob Ewell takes the stand, he is disrespectful in tone and language. When he is asked to describe what he saw on the night in question, he says, "I seen that black ni**** yonder ruttin' on my Mayella!" (173). When Bob Ewell uses such graphic language, and because he's an uneducated low-life, Reverend Sykes feels it necessary to shield the kids from further degrading language. (For example, "to rut" is a verb used to describe deer mating in the wild. The image is raw and crude for young ears.) When Scout refuses Jem's orders to leave, he resorts to telling the Reverend that she doesn't know what's going on anyway, so it is alright for her to stay.
This is because of the mature content being discussed in the trial. This is a rape trial, and as such, the reverend felt that the subject matter was inappropriate for young children, perhaps even Jem, to hear.
Due to Southern politeness, the reverend doesn't order them out of the room. Rather, he asks Jem politely to escort them home. This is designed to protect the children's sense of worth, yet at the same time, protect them from hearing things that may not be exactly appropriate for children their age.
What impression does Tate give in Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird through his recounting and Atticus's cross-examination?
1 Educator Answer
Mr. Tate's testimony is very important to the reader because it establishes a point that Atticus works on making for three chapters. But you see, the point was never something that Atticus bargained for from the beginning, Tate helped Atticus figure something out which helps demonstrate that Atticus is not the only moral person in the courtroom. Tate was helping. Mayella was beaten with someone who lead with their left. Depending on Tom Robinson's strong side, this creates doubt and suspicion if he is not a lefty:
Mr. Tate said, “Oh yes, that’d make it her right. It was her right eye, Mr. Finch. I remember now, she was bunged up on that side of her face…”
Mr. Tate blinked again, as if something had suddenly been made plain to him. Then he turned his head and looked around at Tom Robinson. As if by instinct, Tom Robinson raised his head. Something had been made plain to Atticus also, and it brought him to his feet.
We can also conclude that adding this evidence to the testimony of Bob Ewell will put him in position to be suspected as the one who beat Mayella.
In Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, why does Atticus repeatedly ask Heck Tate to clarify his court testimony?
1 Educator Answer
Heck Tate's courtroom testimony occurs in Chapter 17 of the novel. After the prosecutor has finished questioning Sheriff Tate, Atticus asks Heck Tate several times if a doctor was called to the Ewell house after the "attack" on Mayella Ewell.
More significantly, when Tate begins describing Mayella's injuries, Atticus asks him repeatedly which side of the face Mayella's injuries were on. When the sheriff replies that the injuries were on Mayella's left side, Atticus asks him to clarify if that is his left side or the actual right side of a person standing across from him. The sheriff realizes his error and says that it was Mayella's right eye. Atticus wants the court record to be accurate because the fact is pertinent to his defense of Tom Robinson, so he asks the court reporter to read back what Sheriff Tate said. The court reporter reads,
" 'Mr. Finch. I remember now she was bunged up on that side of the face' " (225).
Atticus's persistence gets Heck Tate to testify clearly that Mayella's right side was the bruised side. If you have not read past Chapter 17 in the novel, I do not want to give anything away. But consider Heck Tate's testimony when you read the chapters featuring Atticus's questioning of Bob Ewell and Tom Robinson.
How does "A Dream Deferred" by Langston Hughes relate to the themes of To Kill a Mockingbird up to chapter 17?
2 Educator Answers
Langston Hughes's famous poem "Harlem" examines what happens to deferred dreams, which specifically concerns the plight of African-American citizens living in a segregated, racist American society. Hughes explores the various results of deferred dreams throughout the poem, which corresponds to the difficult situations and seemingly hopeless dreams of certain characters in Harper Lee's classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Jem experiences deferred dreams when he discovers that he will not be able to leave a letter to Boo Radley in the knothole of the tree towards the end of chapter seven. Jem dreams of one day befriending Boo Radley. Tragically, Boo's older brother prevents Boo from communicating with the children by filling the knothole of the tree with cement. Boo's dreams of interacting with the children and developing a lasting friendship are also compromised when the knothole is filled in with cement.
It is evident that Jem has a difficult time processing this information because he cries on the front porch. The reader can also surmise that Boo experiences similar pain and loss regarding his missed opportunity to befriend the Finch children. Essentially, both Jem and Boo experience deferred dreams in the first part of the story. Towards the end of the story, Boo's emotions "explode" like the last line in Hughes's poem when he defends the children against Bob Ewell's vicious attack and Ewell him during the struggle.
Dill is often described as wandering around in a sort of daydream, with "beautiful things float(ing) around in his dreamy head," but otherwise there are no obvious links to dreams in the first half of the novel, except for the dream, in the aspirational sense, of achieving racial equality in 1930s Alabama.
The point to which you have read (chapter 17) marks the beginning of Tom Robinson's trial. The reader will be very aware, as Atticus is, that, despite all the evidence in his favor, Tom Robinson will not receive a fair trial, and will, in all likelihood, be found guilty. Indeed, Attics says to Jack in chapter 9 that the "only thing we’ve got is a black man’s word against the Ewells's."
The idea that Tom Robinson could receive a fair trial in Alabama (where Jim Crow laws still legalized racial segregation and would continue to do so until 1965, five years after Harper Lee wrote this book) is, unfortunately, a dream in the sense that it is not a reality, but also, as regards Atticus, his children and the black community, a dream in the aspirational sense.
Langston Hughes's poem, "A Dream Deferred," uses the image of a festering sore, "stink(ing) like rotten meat" and running with pus, to describe what happens when a dream is not realized soon enough. The festering sore then can be read as a metaphor for the hatred and the rising anger that is created in places like Maycomb County by an unjust reality and which at times threatens to, and does (later in the novel) "explode."
What is ironic about Bob Ewell's comment about black families in Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
6 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
The irony in Bob Ewell's comment about black families devaluing property is that his own home is adjacent to a garbage dump, making it one of the least valuable properties in Maycomb. Additionally, the Ewells are notorious for their poor hygiene, antisocial behavior, and overall way of living, which devalues the community far more than the presence of black families ever could.
In addition to the points made in the previous post, Bob's own home may well be located on the least valuable piece of property in all of Maycomb. Bob lives on property adjacent to and behind the town garbage dump in an old shotgun shack, previously owned by a Negro. Bob's comments are ironic since, in truth, the black families that live nearby could only help to increase Bob's own property's value, since anything--even run-down cabins and shacks--is better than living next to a dump. No doubt Bob faces more dangers from the unhealthy vermin which invade his own property from the dump site than from the peaceful black families down the road.
This quote, spoken by Bob Ewell in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is quite ironic in many ways.
First, Ewell claims that having black people in the neighborhood would "devalue his property". The fact is that the Ewells are the most notorious villagers in Macomb, and this notoriety comes for being the lowest of the lowest in terms of social class. This has nothing to do with their level of poverty, which is quite bad, but with their overall way of living.
They are known to be untidy, sickly (due to their poor hygiene), loud, obnoxious, antisocial, and vulgar. Their place of living is completely isolated from Macomb because they do not even possess any social skills to blend in with the rest of the community. In other words, the Ewells devalue the entire town of Macomb themselves only by being there: They add no value to the community,whatsoever.
Moreover, it takes a lot of nerve for someone like Bob Ewell to dare to mention the flaws of others. This is a man who probably fondles his own daughter, is racist, violent, and a social outcast. The fact that he is oblivious to the chaos in his own life shows how dysfunctional, sad, and sorry is the life of the Ewell family, as a whole.
Therefore, the comment is an irony in its entirety.
Bob Ewell refers to the Quarters where all the Negros live as dangerous, and not valuable. Ironically, the Ewells' property is essentially in the dump. They live like it to. Their property doesn't have real value regardless of the fact that they live somewhat close to the Negros. This doesn't even matter. What makes their property not of much value is the facts that they don't take care of it, they use trash to fix it if they fix it, and it's location is in a trash heap. The Negros probably live much more cleanly than Bob Ewell. In fact, the house he lives in is referred to as an old Negro cabin. It is their trash. This is ironic because everything he says about them is actually the truth about him.
The irony in this statement is that Bob Ewell is morally corrupt, compared to the generous dignified black community around him. Scout shows us the black community as upstanding and hard working when she goes to church with Calpurnia. Their problem is that they are discriminated against and held down by white racism.
Bob Ewell has nobody to blame but himself for his problems. He is alcoholic who beats his children, doesn't feed them properly, and doesn't send them to school. His house is a wreck, and he gets money in part by wheedling it out of other people as charity. He is a liar, as his court testimony shows. The only thing he has going for him is his white skin. The irony of his situation is that he is a far greater danger to the black families that live near him then they are to him, because of his white privilege. All he has to do is accuse one of them of a crime, as he does Tom Robinson, and their lives are ruined. Also, he is the one who morally devalues the neighborhood with his behavior. The final irony is that although he complains about the neighborhood being devalued, he is the only one who has the choice to leave. The blacks are segregated into this area but if Ewell thinks it is dangerous all he has to do is move. He can, theoretically, move anywhere: it is only his own flaws that prevent it.
There is some truth, sadly, in his contention that blacks devalue his property, as racism makes that the case. However, there is no truth to the idea that the blacks are dangerous to him.
The irony of Bob Ewell''s statement is that there is no possible way anyone could devalue his property. He lives behind the town dump, and his house is practically a dump itself.
"The cabin's plank walls were supplemented with sheets of corrugated iron, its roof shingled with tin cans hammered flat. . .four tiny rooms. . .rested uneasily on four irregular lumps of limestone."
Another irony is that Ewell, who is bound and determined to remind everyone that he is superior to blacks because he is white, lives in what was once a Negro cabin. His property, he claims is being "devalued" by the Negroes, some of whom were probably descended from ancestors who once inhabited his property.
This quote from Bob Ewell takes place in Chapter 17 during his testimony in the Tom Robinson trial. His comments refer to the location of Maycomb's primary African-American neighborhood, The Quarters, which are situated in close proximity to Ewell's own property. The irony of the statement is that the Ewell property, adjacent to the town dump, is the trashiest (and possibly least valuable) property in the town. The house's
... roof (was) shingled with tin cans hammered flat... the cabin rested uneasily on four irregular lumps of limestone. Its windows were merely open spaces in the walls... the plot of ground around the cabin look(ed) like the playhouse of an insane child.
The yard was covered with discarded items mostly ravaged from the dump.
There is probably nothing truthful about the statement. The peaceful people of The Quarters were not dangerous, and the Ewell property was devalued more from the proximity to the dump than the homes of The Quarters.
In chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, what does Scout mean by "I thought Jem was counting his chickens"?
2 Educator Answers
Quick answer:
In chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, when Scout says "I thought Jem was counting his chickens," she means Jem is being overly confident about Atticus's success in proving Tom Robinson's innocence. Jem believes Atticus's argument about the attacker being left-handed is irrefutable, while Scout remains cautious, recognizing that Tom could still be found guilty despite the evidence.
Scout is using a form of the idiom,
"Don't count your chickens before they are hatched."
This idiom is most often used when one thinks that someone is unrealistically optimistic about a situation. Such is the case when Jem and Scout are in the courtroom listening to Atticus in court. Jem expresses his confidence that Atticus has succeeded in proving that Tom could be innocent of the crime with which he is charged. The point Atticus was making in court had to do with whether or not the person who attacked Mayella was left or right handed. Atticus was attempting to prove that another man could have been the one to create the marks left by the attack on Mayella rather than Tom. In Jem's opinion, Atticus had proven without a doubt that Tom could not have been the attacker and would be freed. Scout however, feels that Tom could still be found guilty and so she feels that Jem is too quickly jumping to conclusions.
This is a good question. First, it is important to know the whole saying: "Don't count your chickens before they hatch." This means that you should not be too confident that all things will go your way. In other words, if you had ten eggs, that does not mean that you will have ten chickens.
Scout say these words in the context of the trial of Tom Robinson. This is where Atticus brilliantly shows that Bob Ewell is left-handed. This shows that he could have beaten up Mayella, because the bruises on Mayella's face were on her right side. Jem believed that this was a slam dunk piece of evidence to ensure Atticus's victory and Tom Robinson's freedom.
Scout, seeing Jem, say these words. She is saying that Jem is too confident. Scout thought that Atticus's argument was good but not airtight. She says:
But Tom Robinson could easily be left-handed, too. Like Mr. Heck Tate, I imagined a person facing me, went through a swift mental pantomime, and concluded that he might have held her with his right hand and pounded her with his left.
Unfortunately, the children did not realized that in this court of law what mattered most was the color of your skin.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, chapter 17, why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell if he can write and what is he trying to prove?
1 Educator Answer
In Ch. 17, Atticus is trying to prove that Tom Robinson did not beat Mayella. Mayella and Bob are claiming that Tom Robinson beat and raped Mayella. She says that she had bruising on the right side of her face, meaning her attacker would have to be left-handed.
Atticus asks Bob to write his name. Bob writes with his left hand, meaning he could have left the bruises on Mayella. On the other hand, Tom Robinson is right handed, but not by choice; he cannot use his left hand at all because it was caught in a cotton gin and is now unusable.
This evidence casts the shadow of a doubt on Bob and Mayella's testimony that Tom was the one who beat Mayella. Atticus is trying to prove that Tom may be innocent. He succeeds in causing the audience (both the jury and the reader) to doubt the Ewells' word. This makes the eventual conviction that much more frustrating. Despite these doubts, the jury still believes that Tom was guilty. This clearly illustrates the racism that pervades Maycomb.
"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 a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed." (Chapter 25)
What are three characteristics of the Ewells in Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
1 Educator Answer
In Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird, we get a good description of the Ewell's background and living conditions during their testimony at the trial and through Scout’s narration. As Scout is watching the proceedings, she gives the readers a little information about the Ewells. She tells us that they are always on welfare, and they live near the black shanty town behind the town dump. She also says that they forage for food, water, and furniture in the dump. We also learn through Heck Tate’s testimony that Mayella shows signs of being beaten when he investigates the crime in which Tom Robinson is accused. Sheriff Tate asks her who beat her, and she identifies Tom Robinson. As readers, we know that Tom didn’t do it; it is Bob Ewell who abuses her and forces her to lie.
Scout also gives us insight into the Ewell’s living conditions by describing how the children have worms and diseases caused by their poverty and filthy house. Scout even notes that one time when she went with Atticus to discard their Christmas tree in the dump, she noticed how clean and neat the black homes were but how dirty and untidy the Ewell property was. She remembers seeing a row of dirty faces pressed against the window as they passed the house. The Ewell children live a terrible existence with horrific living conditions and an abusive father who does not care if they are educated. The children never get the opportunity to attend school, much like Burris Ewell shows at the beginning of the novel.
In the chapter, Scout also describes Bob Ewell as a “little bantam cock of a man.” This description implies that Ewell is a mean, uncaring man who feels he is better than everyone else. The Ewells are the epitome of “white trash” in the town of Maycomb.
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