Chapters 28-31: What does Heck Tate mean when he says, “Let the dead bury the dead this time” (369)? Explain what is going on here and what he means. (Ava)

While Scout and Jem are walking back from the pageant, they get attacked by Bob Ewell. Thankfully, Arthur Radley comes to their rescue and carries Jem, who was left with a broken arm, back to their house. During Scout's interview Heck Tate mentions that Bob Ewell is dead, then on the porch he says that he fell on his knife and inevitably killed himself. On page 369 Mr. Tate says, "Let the dead bury the dead" when he says this he means that Tom Robinson(who is dead) is burying Bob Ewell(now also dead). When Atticus asks her how she could be so sure that Bob Ewell fell on his knife Scout says, “Well, it’d sort of be like shootin’ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?” (Lee 370). In the book, To Kill A Mockingbird it's a sin to kill a mockingbird and right there on page 370 of the book Tom Robinson is likened to one. According to the Bible, the payment for sin is eternal death (1John 3:4; 1John 5:17; Ezekiel 18:20; Romans 6:23) and the person that killed Tom Robinson, essentially, was Bob Ewell. This means Bob Ewell had sinned and so him dying was his payment.

Look closely at the description of Boo. Why has Harper Lee included these details and why here?(Alex)

Harper Lee decided to use these details because this is the first time in the book where Boo had been introduced in person. It was also the first time when Scout was able to see and understand what Boo was like face to face outside of the rumors and myths about his appearance. Boo Radley’s description has very darkened and had sad colors in them which matches the overall mood of the current time in the Finches house. “... his gray eyes were so colorless I thought he was blind. His hair was dead and thin, almost feathery on the top of his head” (362). At this point in the book Jem is injured and unconscious and Scout is out of sorts too. Scout and Jem had been through things at such a young age and everybody was a little shocked by the situation. At this point everyone was feeling gray and out of the sorts which is how Boo feels everyday. Boo feels like he is in the ordinary for the first time in the book because everyone was able to empathize with what he feels like.

Chapters 28-31: What really happens under the tree? Be specific in your explanation, and be sure to explain where the knives come from.(Mike)

In the final chapters of To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem are coming back from the Halloween pageant when they figure out that someone is following them home. First, when Jem and Scout are heading back from the pageant, Jem hears someone’s footsteps and is freaked out, which leaves Scout confused, but they continue walking. When they were almost home, by the tree by the Radley House, someone starts running at them and then pulls Jem down to the tree. Scout is then found by Aunt Alexandra and Atticus, who are calling Dr. Reynolds for help as the mystery person, Bob Ewell, stabbed Jem. Quickly after this, Heck Tate finds the dead body of Bob Ewell by the tree, with a kitchen knife inside him. Atticus, Boo Radley, Heck Tate and Scout go outside on the porch to figure out what happened. At first, Atticus believes that Jem killed Bob, but Heck thinks differently. “‘Mr Finch,’Mr. Tate said stolidly, ‘Bob Ewell fell on his knife. He killed himself’”(Lee 366). Atticus still doesn’t believe Heck, so Heck decides to “reenact” what happened. He pulls out a “long switchblade knife” which Atticus later asks where he got it, and Heck says he, “took it off a drunk man” who could presumably be Mr. Ewell from earlier that night. There is still the question, though, of where the kitchen knife that was still in Mr. Ewell, came from. According to Heck, Mr. Ewell probably just found it in the dump, but Atticus could tell he was lying. That kitchen knife came from someone else andHeck was hiding the real truth. Scout is certain that Heck Tate is right, but just before heading inside, Atticus says to Boo, “Thank you for my children, Arthur,”(Lee 370). Which leads the reader to believe that Atticus knew the real truth and Heck Tate was lying. Boo Radley killed Mr. Ewell to save Scout and Jem.

What else could’ve happened? Was Heck Tate lying or telling the truth? Did Boo Radley kill Mr. Ewell?

"The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting." Explore this with reference to Scout's development.

The school year has come again, so Jem and Scout pass the Radley’s place every day on their way to school. Their views of the Radley’s have changed because of what they learned over the summer. Scout says “The Radley Place had ceased to terrify me, but it was no less gloomy, no less chilly under its great oaks, and no less uninviting.” (Lee 324) Scout is not afraid anymore of simple things she does not understand. She has grown up quickly and learned to respect other people’s space because of the challenges in her life. Over the summer Jem and Scout were forced to mature earlier to understand what is happening around them. Tom Robinson’s trial has showed them the racism in Maycomb and the rest of the Jim Crow South. As a result of this case Scout, who is only 8 years old knows and has experienced how differently people are treated based off of their race. Scout and Jem find this very disturbing but they are learning that this is just the way things are in Maycomb. Scout is not accepting racism, but becoming more aware of how present it is in her life and everyone else's.  She is also beginning to understand why Boo Radley never comes out. As Jem says “... Boo Radley stays shut up in the house all the time… it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee 304) Scout thinks Boo Radley never comes out because he doesn’t want to face the prejudice and racism of Maycomb.

Explore Scout's confusion in class. What is the root of Scout's confusion about Miss Gates? How is Miss Gates being a hypocrite? Why does Harper Lee include this? What is the purpose? (Sophia)

In class Miss Gates is drilling “We are a democracy” into the students’ third grader brains. The poor students barely know what these words mean, yet they are being taught from a young age that if they are racist it will be overlooked. When Miss Gates asked Scout to define the word democracy, Scout said, “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none”(Lee 328). When Miss Gates agrees with Scout, Scout is very confused,  because she is aware of the fact that in their community, whites get special privileges all the time and the black people of the community are never treated as equals to the white community. Miss Gates is being hypocritical by agreeing with Scout’s definition and acting as if the community of Maycomb lives by this definition. Also, as Cecil Jacobs gave a current events presentation about Adolf Hitler and the Jews in Germany, Miss Gates explains how awful it is to mistreat people. Harper Lee found it important to add this because it shows how oblivious the white people of Maycomb are to the fact that they are constantly being racist towards the black people in their town.

Chapter 26/27: Explore Scout's confusion in class. What is the root of Scout's confusion about Miss Gates? How is Miss Gates being a hypocrite? Why does Harper Lee include this? What is the purpose?(Quinn)

Scout is confused by Miss Gates because she demonstrates hypocrisy. During a current events lesson in class Cecil Jacobs gives a presentation on Hitler and Nazi Germany. After the experience, Miss Gates says that it is terrible to mistreat people. After Cecil's presentation, Miss gates takes an opportunity to teach the class what democracy is according to her and scout a democracy means “equal rights for all, special privileges for none”(Lee 328). When Scout gets home, she asks Jem about Miss Gates. Jem states she is a good person, but this further confuses scout. She Is confused because she saw Ms. Gates outside the courthouse being unfair to African Americans. Ms. Gates is an example of a hypocrite. She is a hypocrite when she says, “persecution comes from people who are prejudiced”(Lee 329). I think harper lee includes this because she is trying to teach us a lesson that as humans we have different views of the world and prejudices, and that these can become so much so that we do not even realize we have them. Scouts confusion is rooted in the fact that Ms. Gates has visually displayed that she is racist yet she still believes in democracy. Scout is so confused by this because Ms. Gates does not stand by her beliefs. In conclusion, Mrs gates is a hypocrite because she believes Hitler is wrong for persecuting, but she doesn’t think she is mistaken for persecuting African Americans.  

Ch 26/27: Explain the idea of hypocrisy. In thinking about the tea party and the incident with Miss Gates, how are Miss Gates and Mrs. Merriweather hypocrites? Why does Harper Lee do this? (Emma)

Miss Gates and Mrs. Merriweather are hypocrites because they are judging other cultures for the same type of segregation that they are demonstrating themselves. In Chapter 24, Mrs. Merriweather began bad-mouthing Atticus and talking about how his intentions were pure during the trial but in the end, he only stirred up the African American community. She was not saying Atticus’ name out loud but everyone in the room knew who she was talking about and she continued until Miss Maudie put an end to her snarky comments. In Chapter 26, Scouts class begins discussing current event topics from news paper clippings. Their teacher Miss Gates got really upset about Hitler's reign over the Jews. Scout doesn’t understand how she could be so sympathetic towards the Jewish community and can disregard the African American community in her own town, “I heard her say it’s time someone taught ‘em a lesson… how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ turn around and be ugly about folks right at home-”(Lee 331). Scout has a strong sense of racial justice and equality because of her father's beliefs and how she was raised. However, many people in the community do not believe African American people deserve to have the same privileges that they have. Scout has trouble understanding their point of view due to her young age and minimal exposure to other adult views in her community. Harper Lee includes these incidents to show Scouts development into adulthood and her struggle to comprehend adults and their beliefs. Hypocrisy is judging someone else for something you have done. Miss Gates was being hypocritical because she was judging Hitler for oppressing an entire group of people, while she was doing the same thing right in her own community.

What is the significance of the "roly-poly"? What does this incident tell you about Scout and Jem? (Randall)

At the start of chapter 25, Scout and Jem were sleeping on the back porch when a Roly-Poly which is and insect got inside the house. As the roly-poly went by minding it’s own business Scout decided to touch the insect, as she touched it, it kept rolling into small balls. Scout kept on bothering it even though it had not attacked her or bothered her. Then Scout decides to take it upon herself to try and kill the roly-poly. Before she can kill it Jem scowls at her letting her know not to kill it. Scout then questions him and says, “why couldn’t I mash him?( 320 Lee). Jem then says , “because they don’t bother you”(320 Lee). Scout has never seen this side of Jem so she assumes that he is in his “moment” and while in that moment he discovered sympathy for bugs. Scout says, “Reckon your at that stage now where you don’t kill flies and mosquitos now, I reckon”(320 Lee). This shows that Jem, while in his “moment” has matured and Scout is still to young to understand why such a small thing is such a big deal.

Chapter 24/25: What is the content of the editorial published in the paper? Why is this confusing to Scout? What is the significance of this? (Alisa)

At the end of chapter 25, about a week later after the news that Tom Robinson had been killed Mr. Underwood releases an editorial on Tom’s death. In the editorial Mr. Underwood did not hide his opinions and true emotions towards the case. He compared it to a “senseless slaughter of songbirds” (Lee 323). At first when Scout reads the editorial she is confused by why Mr. Underwood is so upset. She thought that it was fair that Tom was shot because he was trying to escape prison. After soaking it in, she realizes what Mr. Underwood meant and how the trial wasn't fair from the start. She realizes that “In the secret court’s of men’s hearts Atticus had no case. Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth” (Lee 323). This is  probably when Scout first realized the true extent of racism. Regardless of the amount of evidence Atticus had to prove that Tom was not guilty, he was still going to be sentenced. Although it would make sense that he was shot for trying to run away he wouldn't even have been in prison if it wasn't for racism. Tom is like the mockingbird because he did nothing wrong. He just did good for Maycomb, he sang, but he was killed just because of fear that the white community had towards the black community. The weapons that hunters and children use to (accidentally) kill mockingbirds represents the weapons that the white community thinks gives them power, authority, and control over the black community. What the white community doesn't realize or doesn't want to realize is that their weapon is actually made up of insecurity and fear.

In what way do you think Jem and Scout could be represented as a mockingbird?

Explain the Mrs. Merriweather’s quote "I tell you there are some good but misguided people in this town.”What is she talking about? (Ja'Niya)

When Mrs. Merriweather says “There are some good but misguided people in this town,” she is showing her disapproval of Atticus. She feels that Atticus is “misguided” because he believes in Tom’s innocence. This was during Aunt Alexander's missionary circle tea party that she was hosting at Atticus's house. Mrs. Merriweather felt that Atticus stirred up the black community by defending Tom. "Folks in this town who think they're doing right, I mean... but all they did was stir them up."(Lee 311). Since Tom's trial, the black community was grieving, including Mrs. Merriweather cook Sophy. Mrs. Merriweather felt that Atticus stirred the African-Americans up because now they are all sulky and "Dissatisfied". Mrs. Merriweather sees herself as this wonderful generous Christian woman, so she thinks she's being generous because she didn't fire Sophy for grieving. "I tell you if my Sophy's kept it up another day I'd have to let her go...only reason I keep her is that this depression's on..." (Lee 312) Mrs. Merriweather feels that Sophy shouldn't be grieving around her because she is doing a huge favor for giving her money but yet isn't allowing her to grieve about the trail. Overall, Mrs. Merriweather was referring to how Atticus stood up for Tom and ended up making the black community "sulky".

What is the content of the editorial published in the paper? Why is this confusing to Scout? What is the significance of this? (Grace)

At the end of chapter 25, Mr. Underwood, the editor of the Maycomb Tribune, published an editorial. It said that Tom’s death had been like “the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children.” (Lee 323) When Scout first reads this article she is confused. She wonders why Mr. Underwood was so upset. Tom had had a trial, had been sent to jail and he had tried to escape. He was then shot, but she thought that that made sense because he was breaking the law by trying to escape. Scout then realizes that Tom Robinson's trial was, in fact, not fair at all. She understands that “Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed.”(Lee 323) No matter what, Tom Robinson was going to be found guilty just because he was black. Tom had not hurt anyone and he had even tried to help Mayella with jobs around the house. Killing Tom was like killing a mockingbird because mockingbirds just sing for people to enjoy and they do not harm anyone.  There is no good reason to kill a songbird and there was no good reason for killing Tom Robinson.

Chapter 22/23: Explain Jem’s discussion of “Background” and different kinds of folks. How does that help you understand Jem’s feelings expressed at the end of chapter 23 (302)? Why did Harper Lee put this here? (Tom)

In chapter 23, Jem is arguing with Scout about what divides people. Jem argues that people are divided because of their background, not who they are as an individual. Jem argues the point that what social class you're in, “the ordinary kind, like us and the neighbors, there’s like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down in the dump and the blacks” (Lee 302), is defined by when your family learned to read and write. This makes Jem’s feelings at the end of the chapter a lot clearer too me. Jem says “If they’re all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?...I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley has stayed shut up in the house this whole time… its because he wants to stay inside. Harper Lee put this one paragraph here simply to show what Jem meant on page 302. Jem goes on a rant about how people are defined in this society and why people dislike everyone around them. Jem clearly thinks that people hate each other simply because they have a different background, a different level education.    

Chapters 22/23 What are Aunt Alexandra’s and Atticus’ definitions of “trash.” How do they differ? - Rohan

Aunt Alexandra's definition of trash is more entitled than Atticus's. When Atticus and Scout are talking about the court case, the subject of white vs. black comes up. Atticus says to Scout that "Whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family that man comes from, that white man is trash." (Lee 295). Atticus is saying if a white man of a higher power disrespects a black man, he is trash. The reason why Atticus says this is because he thinks if a white man uses his power to disrespect or discredit somebody because they are black, then they are taking advantage of the black man and abusing their power, thus making them trash. On the other hand, Aunt Alexandra says "Jean Louise will not invite Walter Cunningham to this house ... Because-He-Is-Trash" (Lee 301). Aunt Alexandra's definition of trash is somebody who is a lower class or less respected than her. Walter Cunningham and the Cunningham family are lower than the Finches in terms of class, so Aunt Alexandra classifies them as trash. Aunt Alexandra's definition of trash is more entitled because if somebody is "less" than her, she can identify them as trash. Atticus's definition of trash is more just because then a person would have to commit an act of racism and abusive power to be classified as trash.

Chapter 22/23: Explain Maudie’s two important quotes about Atticus in Chapter 22. How is she showing her support? (Eric)

Miss Maudie is similar to a grandmother figure in Jem and Scout’s life. She gives good advice and she protects them when they are in danger even if they do not know it. She is available whenever Scout and Jem feel lonely or when they do not know how to cope with their emotions. Miss Maudie helps them in a way that is understandable, or she gives them advice for the future. On page 228, when Jem is scared she comforts him and she says, “Don’t fret, Jem. Things are never as bad as they seem” (Lee 228). When she says this she is able to calm the children before she says, “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them” (Lee 228). When Miss Maudie says this she is saying that Atticus has been chosen to fight a battle he knows he can’t win, but even though he knows that he won’t back down because he senses that it is the right thing to do. Miss Maudie explains that he is a strong person with pride for his beliefs. When Miss Maudie says, “We’re the safest folks in the world… We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us” (Lee 228). In this line she references to how not often Maycomb is a busy town and some people just drift through life, but occasionally people have to step up like like Atticus, and show people the way. Miss Maudie acts as someone to talk to, and someone who is always relatable and trustworthy in this twisted community.

Chapter 22/23: Explain Jem’s discussion of “Background” and different kinds of folks. How does that help you understand Jem’s feelings expressed at the end of chapter 23 (302). Why did Harper Lee put this here? (Madison)

At the end of chapter 23, Jem argues that different kinds of folks are divided because of their “Background”, which is based on whether or not a family can read. He and Scout are disagreeing over what “Background” actually means, when Scout brings up the point, “No, everybody’s gotta learn, nobody’s born knowin’.” (Lee 304) Jem had said Walter didn’t know how to read because his family couldn’t, when in truth Walter has to help his family in the fields during the school year. It’s not his fault he doesn’t have time to learn during that time. Jem talks about what differentiates folks before he brings up “Background”, saying folks are split up by their families. He creates four categories: “the ordinary kind like [the Finches] and the neighbors, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the Negroes.” (Lee 302) and basically places them into their categories based on socioeconomic status. The Finches and other who live in Maycomb are more wealthy, thus more educated and more likely to be on the side of equality. The Cunninghams and the Ewells are far more poor, and therefore only interested in themselves and how they can get by well enough on their own; putting a black man on trial to keep their dignity isn’t such a big ask for them. The final category in Jem’s mind belongs to black families, who were the lowest of the low in the 1930s. Due to institutionalized racism, black people were viewed as even less significant than women at that time. Jem is right about a person’s level of education affecting their socioeconomic status, but Scout is also correct in that a person is born into whatever family with no way to control the socioeconomic status of said family. A person’s “Background” affects their family as much as the reverse is true.

Chapter 20/21: Examine the final line of Chapter 21. What is the significance? (Ava)

The last line of Chapter 21 is " 'Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin',' ". When he says this, Reverend Sykes means that this moment will be equivalent to Atticus' death. This is because this case, to Atticus, was the one case that would change the way he would see things forever. On page 101 of To Kill A Mockingbird Atticus says, " [...]every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. This one's mine, " (Lee 101). After reading the final events of chapter 21, it's now safe to assume that Atticus has lost this case. Since he has, it will most definitely affect him personally, to the point that he feels as if he's about to die.

Chapter 20/21: What do Scout and Dill learn about Dulphus Raymond? What does this tell you about his character? (Alex)

In chapter 20 Mr. Dulphus reveals his secret to Dill and Scout. He lets Dill drink out of his sack to make him feel better after he was crying and Dill finds out that he only drinks Coca-Cola and not whiskey. This is a surprise to them because they had only heard the stories of Mr. Dulphus the one who always is drinking whiskey. Mr. Dulphus uses this alcoholic excuse to be surrounded by the people he wants to be surrounded by, while others think he's just always drunk. He says, “... if I weave a little and drink of this sack, folks can say Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutches of whiskey- that’s why he won’t change his ways. He can’t help himself, that’s why he lives the way he does” (Lee, 268). Mr. Dulphus is known as the the alcoholic who made an irrational decisions because he was too drunk to do otherwise and that was an acceptable excuse to the community. He lied because he wanted to live life the he wanted to and if he had this lie in his life, that lie could explain it all for him that would put him in a better situation. He decided that it was better to lie about being an alcoholic than to live with the lie of desire of love he cannot get.

Chapter 20/21: Explore Atticus’ words and actions in his closing argument. What makes his argument so effective? Why does Harper Lee do this? (Chapter 20)(Mike)

After a long day in court, Atticus sums up his case defending Tom Robinson, and even shows a new side of the story that was a shock to many people in the courthouse. In chapter 20, Harper Lee showed a sign of courage almost never seen before from Atticus that he wasn’t afraid to defend Tom, and truly wanted to try his best to help him. Atticus spoke strongly about Tom and how he didn’t do anything wrong. It almost seemed as if Atticus was certain that Tom Robinson had not done anything wrong, which helped make his argument even more effective.“‘She(Mayella) was white, and she tempted a Negro. She did something that in our society is unspeakable;she kissed a black man. Not an Uncle, but a strong young Negro man’”(Lee 272). Atticus points out that Mayella had done something “unspeakable” in her society and it all fell apart and she tried to lie to make it better. Atticus says that Tom Robinson just felt bad for Mayella and so he helped her once in awhile, which makes the reader feel empathetic towards Mayella, but also towards Tom as he had been punished for helping someone out of pure kindness. Atticus ends his argument by saying that every man is equal and shouldn’t be treated differently because of their skin color, leaving a strong message that Tom shouldn’t be guilty just because he has dark skin. Was Atticus correct in defending Tom Robinson so much?

Chapter 18-19: What is ironic about Tom saying that Mayella was “mistaken in her mind”? Why does Harper Lee include this? How does this contribute to our understanding of what or who is really on trial here? (Cordelia)

I think Tom Robinson is saying what he thinks in a ironic way because at this time in Maycomb he cannot say it in any other way. Irony is saying something that is implying the opposite, of what was said. Tom Robinson is telling his version of what happened on November twenty-first which is very different from what Myella said. It was ironic when Tom Robinson said “I don’t say she’s lyin’, Mr. Glimmer, I say she is mistaken in her mind. ” (Lee 264) . This was ironic because Tom is saying that Mayella Ewell had it mixed up in her mind, that she was saying what she believed was true. This implies that she was not saying the truth. This is significant because Tom cannot say straight out that she is lying. Harper Lee included this moment in the trial to show the prejudice in Maycomb. At the time in Maycomb, it was not allowed for a black person to offend a white person. Black people had few rights and even the Ewells word was believed over theirs. Tom’s trial symbolizes the ideals of the community and their ideas about race. This court case is really about racism and overcoming it.

Chapter 18-19: What do you make of Mayella Ewell's testimony? Pay close attention to her physical appearance, speech, and attitude.

Mayella Ewell's testimony is unlike any other because she is attacking Atticus and continuously correcting herself. Mayella Ewell’s father Bob Ewell accused Tom Robinson an African American Man of raping Mayella. Mayella Ewell was called to the witness stand and had to make her testimony. Throughout the evidence and questioning from Atticus Mayella was defensive and hesitant. Mayella was hesitant when she said, “no I don’t recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me”(Lee 248). What shows that she is hesitant is that she said one thing and then took it back to tell another something that was completely different. Her speech was very tense and planed out. Mayella Ewell was indicated that she was using remarks that were not genuine. Mayella Ewell was very hesitant meaning that her testimony wasn’t truthful and she was lying about Tom Robinson raping her.

Chapter 18/19: What do you make of Mayella Ewell's testimony? Pay close attention to her physical appearance, speech, and attitude. (Sophia)

Mayella Ewell got very anxious, nervous, and sweaty during her testimony. She cried many times while testifying and Judge Taylor had to speak in a soothing voice in attempts to calm her down. While watching Mayella Ewell testify, Scout narrates, “...she had twisted her handkerchief into a sweaty rope”(Lee 241). Mayella is uncomfortable and scared. She has never been in a position like this before, and she doesn’t know how to act. When Atticus asked Mayella who the man that raped her was, Mayella only points to Tom Robinson. Mayella also accuses Atticus of teasing and mocking her. When Atticus asked Mayella about her friends, Mayella answered by saying, "Friends? You makin' fun o' me agin, Mr. Finch?"(Lee 245). Mayella obviously is lonely and doesn’t have any friends despite her many brothers and sisters. Mayella also accuses Atticus of teasing her when he refers to her as “ma’am” or “miss”. Mayella is not used to being treated with respect. She is usually looked down upon by the white community and it feels strange for her to now be treated as an equal to somebody.

Ch 18-19: Why does Dill cry? Explain the situation in detail. How does this relate back to Atticus’s comment about having a police force of children? (210) (Emma)

Dill cries because the way Mr. Gilmer was unrightfully treating Tom made him feel sick. The trial was of Tom Robinson accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Atticus was appointed to represent Tom Robinson, and he courageously continued the case, despite family and friends opinions. The court case begins in chapter 16 and the witnesses are called to the stand, questioned by Gilmer then by Atticus and dismissed. Atticus is a very fair lawyer, he respects everyone he questions no matter race, gender, or social economic status. Scout informs Dill that not all lawyers are like that, and Mr. Gilmer was only doing his job. Dill bursts into tears in the courtroom, once Scout takes him outside he educates her on why he was crying, “The way he called him ‘boy’ all the time an’ sneered at him an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered” (Lee 266). Dill is a kind child and he has pure intentions and views. On page 210 Atticus mentions that there should be a police force of children because most children do not see through and racial, social status, or gender fogged lens, not including the lens of their parent or guardians. Children have an innocent and purity to them that can only be obtained by their justice-seeking minds. Dill began crying because he saw that Mr. Gilmer was unrightfully disgracing Tom due to his race and it made him feel very sick.