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?
I think that Boo Radley killed Mr. Ewell and Mr. Tate is lying because he knows that Bob Ewell’s death won’t cause any panic in Maycomb. I think this is an act of compassion from Mr. Tate because he shows that he knows how Boo Radley has acted as a guardian angel for Jem and Scout. What could have happened was that Bob Ewell could have killed Jem and scout and there would be another trail like the Tom Robinson case. Boo Radley has been a guardian angel in this story, and he worked another miracle saving scout and Jem from Bob Ewell.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Boo killed Bob Ewell because this was his self designated job as Scouts and Jems caretaker. Through out the book, Boo had been leaving little clues that he was watching over them, like sewing up Jems pants and putting the items in the knothole. I think it was Boo because this was his job as Scouts and Jems caretaker.
ReplyDeleteI think boo killed Bob Ewell because he was a guy who kind i watched over the kids and knew that they were kids so they were curious. Like Rohan had through out the book he has been giving signs to kind of show his presence and let the kids know that he knew what was happening.
ReplyDeleteI think that Boo Radley killed Bob Ewell and Mr. Tate is covering up for him. Boo Radley is this kind gentle shy guy who never comes out. "I won't have it[Atticus]. god damn it. I'm not thinking of Jem[Tate]."(Lee 368)Tate didn't want to put Boo on trail because he would have came out innocent, and then have the whole town would be thanking him and violating his space. So I agree with Mike about his theory of Boo killing Bob.
ReplyDeleteI think that Arthur Radley killed Bob Ewell. Boo already has enough suspicions about him even though he's honestly a good guy. This is probably the reason why Heck Tate doesn't want to burden him with something like this. If people were to find out that he killed Bob Ewell, the community would feel inclined to give him the credit they believe he deserves. "To my way of thinkin', Mr. Finch, taking the one man who's done you and this town a great service an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight--to me, that's a sin [Heck Tate]", (Lee 369, 370).
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