Illustration of a bird perched on a scale of justice

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Start Free Trial

Editor's Choice

What text evidence suggests how adult Jean Louise perceives the Tom Robinson case in To Kill a Mockingbird?

When you and Jem are grown, maybe you'll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn't let you down.

Quick answer:

Evidence suggests the adult Scout views the events as her family does. Atticus “couldn’t. . .worship God” if he didn’t try to help,” resonates with her, as does Jem’s response "it ain’t right.” She recognizes “Tom. . .was probably the only person who was ever decent to [Mayella]" and he “would not have dared strike a white woman. . .and expect to live long.” Seeing Ewell harm Jem probably strengthens her view of Tom's innocence.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

Although To Kill a Mockingbird is presented through a child's perspective, from time to time we do hear the now-adult Scout analyzing the details of the novel in a way that a child could not.

Take, for instance, the afternoon when Scout is forced to help entertain women from the...

See
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial to unlock this answer and thousands more. Enjoy eNotes ad-free and cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

Missionary Society. The group gathers under the pretense of charitable work but many use the time together to reinforce racial prejudices in each other. As the women talk about how they would change society if they became Mayor of Birmingham, which included further means of segregation, Scout reflects,

Well, neither of us was the Mayor of Birmingham, but I wished I was the Governor of Alabama for one day: I’d let Tom Robinson go so quick the Missionary Society wouldn’t have time to catch its breath.

In this comment, we hear both the young Scout who is angered by the racial slurs in this group of women, and the adult voice of a narrator who feels the same way. The adult Scout is still a woman who detests racism in all its forms.

She is also moved to emulate the gracious hospitality of her aunt after watching her break down over the news that Tom Robinson has been shot. As they return to the Missionary Society, Scout makes an intentional effort to play the role of good hostess, which she has never been moved to do until this moment. She reflects,

After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I.

While the young Scout simply mimicked the actions of her aunt, the older Scout has learned that difficult circumstances require difficult sacrifices. Scout has never been one to behave in the "ladylike" ways that her aunt espouses, yet in this moment, she realizes that there is value in behaving in a way that doesn't add further tension to her aunt's situation.

Before the trial even begins, Scout overhears a conversation between Atticus and Uncle Jack. Atticus explains that he knows how the trial is going to turn out but that he hopes Jem and Scout can get through it all without catching Maycomb's bitterness. Scout reflects,

I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.

Again we hear the adult Scout speaking here, reflecting on the values of Atticus and his hope that through leading her well, she will become a woman of integrity. There is abundant evidence that because of her father's influence, the adult Scout becomes a woman with values reflecting the noble beliefs of her father.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

A lot of evidence in the text suggests that the adult Jean Louise views the events surrounding Tom Robinson's case as Jem and Atticus view them. She and Jem are close and she respects Atticus, whose words that he “couldn’t go to church and worship God” if he didn’t try to help that man” resonate with her. She also sees Jem’s response to the guilty verdict, noting:

It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. “It ain’t right,” he muttered..."

Scout complies with Atticus’s instructions to not get into a fight if other children taunt her about Tom’s case even though “it was the first time [she] ever walked away from a fight.” We can extrapolate that the adult Scout holds views that are similar to the younger Scout, who is already maturing as the case unfolds.

Moreover, even as a child, she recognizes several factors about the case that are aligned with how her father and others sympathetic to Tom see them. When Tom testifies, she recognizes “that Mayella Ewell must have been the loneliest person in the world” and that

Tom Robinson was probably the only person who was ever decent to her. But she said he took advantage of her, and when she stood up she looked at him as if he were dirt beneath her feet.

She also recognizes that Tom “would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long.” When she sees how Bob Ewell jeers at Helen Robinson, threatens to punish Atticus, and then tries to harm the Finch children, it probably strengthens her already-forming view that Tom was a victim.

Finally, she also thinks that if she were

the Governor of Alabama for one day: I’d let Tom Robinson go so quick the Missionary Society wouldn’t have time to catch its breath.

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, prior to Tom Robinson's trial, Scout has difficulty understanding why her father is involved and of approving of his involvement. We see her difficulty in understanding expressed in lines immediately after the passage in question when she says, "Atticus, you must be wrong ... most folks seem to think they're right and you're wrong" (Ch. 11). However, during the trial, she finally comes to understand that Tom Robinson is an innocent man. The revelation remains with her into adulthood and makes her proud of her father's actions. It's this revelation that we hear reflected in the narrating tone of the adult Jean Louise.

In the scene in which the children wait in the courtroom for the jury to return with the verdict, we find the first important clue that signifies the adult Jean Louise believes in Robinson's innocence, just as young Scout began to believe during the trial. Scout falls asleep while waiting but jerks herself back awake. In an effort to try and stay awake, she starts counting the heads of the people below. She also reflects on a time Jem told her that a lot of people can make something happen by concentrating on the event really hard. She then thinks to herself, "I toyed with the idea of asking everyone below to concentrate on setting Tom Robinson free" (Ch. 21). The fact that she wants Robinson to go free shows she believes he is innocent, as her father's evidence showed. Her belief in his innocence also shows she is now proud of what her father accomplished. Young Scout would have carried this belief and this pride in her father into her adulthood.
Another clue that signifies she is proud of her father is when she asks what will happen to Robinson if Atticus loses the appeal in Chapter 23, which shows she has taken an interest in what her father is doing. She no longer thinks her father is wrong for having defended Robinson just because most of the town thought he was wrong; she now believes he did the right thing, which signifies she is proud of him, and that pride shows up in the tone of the adult Jean Louise as she reflects on the past.

Approved by eNotes Editorial