To kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary. To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 17 Summary and Analysis 2022-10-22

To kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary Rating: 9,7/10 725 reviews

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 17 begins with Scout and Jem walking to the courthouse with their father, Atticus, for Tom Robinson's trial. Scout is excited to go to the courthouse because she has never been inside before, and she is curious about what will happen.

As they walk, Atticus explains to Scout and Jem that the trial will be difficult because Tom is a black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus tells them that it is important to be fair and objective in the face of such a difficult and emotional case.

When they arrive at the courthouse, Scout is amazed by the size and grandeur of the building. Inside, they find that the courtroom is packed with people, and Atticus has to push his way through the crowd to get to his seat.

The trial begins with the prosecution's witness, Mayella Ewell, taking the stand. Mayella testifies that Tom Robinson attacked and raped her, but Atticus is able to expose several inconsistencies in her story. He also points out that Mayella has bruises on her face, which suggest that she was beaten by someone.

In Chapter 18, the defense continues its case by calling Tom Robinson to the stand. Tom testifies that he did go to Mayella's house to do some work, but that he did not attack or rape her. He claims that Mayella made advances towards him, and that he ran away when her father, Bob Ewell, came home and saw them together.

In Chapter 19, the trial comes to a close and the jury begins to deliberate. Scout and Jem are anxious to know the outcome, and they worry that Tom will be found guilty despite the lack of evidence against him.

In Chapter 20, the jury returns a verdict of guilty, and Tom Robinson is sentenced to life in prison. Atticus is disappointed but not surprised by the verdict, and he tells Scout and Jem that sometimes the truth does not matter in a court of law.

Despite the outcome of the trial, Atticus is proud of the way he defended Tom and stood up for what he believed was right. He tells Scout and Jem that it is important to always do what is right, even when it is difficult or unpopular.

To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 20 Summary

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

He said that a doctor was not called despite the damage. He also explains how he helped her a multiple time and how he could've fling Mayella off him. Chapter 19 Written by Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous Tom said that he passes the Ewells' on his way to work Mayella always give him chores One day she ask Tom about a broken door When he was checking it out, she hugged him As she was about to kiss him, Mr. Ewell picks up the pen with his left hand and writes his name. It was her right eye, Mr. Her brother is crushed: his dearly held illusions about justice and the law have been shattered.

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Chapter 17

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

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. On reaching their house, he had found the girl on the floor, badly beaten up. She refuses and bursts into tears refusing to answer any of the questions. As Tom Robinsons trial approaches fears of a lynch emerge forcing the sheriff to hold a meeting with other men at Atticuss house over the matter. Underwood sees the children, and the children perceive that a mention of them would definitely be made in the next issue of the "Tribune". He tells her to admit she did not get raped and that it was her father's doing. Jem, Scout, and Dill are segregated even from the other children, who have taunted Jem and Scout for loving Black people.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 17 Summary

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

Ewell himself could've beaten Mayella. Ewell is trying to garner sympathy from other people who are also racist. Tate blinked and ran his hands through his hair. Tate found Mayella beaten up on the floor and she identified Tom as her rapist, so he took Tom into custody. Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird covers the first two witnesses of the trial; Sheriff Heck Tate and Bob Ewell, father of the alleged victim.

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Chapters 16

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

Scout is bewildered by the verdict, but, like Atticus, she is resilient and retains her positive view of the world. It is in this chapter in which we first see Judge Taylor. Beyond the cabin is a neat black settlement. Atticus questions him next about the bruises, then makes him sign on an envelope, noticing aloud that he is left-handed. Bob Ewell takes the stand next and causes a stir in the courtroom with his bad attitude and foul language.

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To Kill a Mockingbird: Summary & Analysis Part 2: Chapters 17

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

Dolphus Raymond, a wealthy eccentric who owns land on a river bank, lives near the county line, is involved with a Black woman, and has biracialchildren. He could easily have done it. This remark is not liked by anyone in the courtroom. He and his children live in a run down cabin behind the town garbage dump. Lesson Summary Chapter 17 of To Kill a Mockingbird covers the first two witnesses called in the trial of Tom Robinson. Judge Taylor allows the courtroom to laugh when Mr.

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Chapter 17

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

In the trial conducted in the mind of the reader, it is the white community, wallowing in prejudice and hatred, that loses. Tom Robinson did nothing but help Mayella Ewell. He asks the court reporter to read them word for word, and then asks Mr. Ewell could have beaten up Mayella. Tate relates his story -- on the night of November twenty first, Mr. He addresses the jury like he might address friends and says that this case is easy. When Atticus starts questioning Ewell, Ewell accuses Atticus of trying to trick him.

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To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 17, 18 & 19 Summary

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

But, for an African American man to publicly admit feeling pity for any white person is overstepping societal bounds. Scout pulls Dill back into the courthouse. 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. He is a nobody in Maycomb, and yet he is everybody. She tempted a Negro. This boredom wanes at the end of the chapter when Ewell starts putting on a show. He explains that he pretends to appear drunk to give an excuse for his mixed lifestyle and so he isn't bothered with questions on why he did such a thing.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 20 Summary & Analysis

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

In the middle of all this, Mr. The vast crowd camps in the town square to eat lunch. Sherlock Holmes and Jem Finch would agree. Summary The trial begins. Scout is beginning to see that, too. He came home to hear Mayella screaming inside the house ran to the window and saw Tom Robinson raping her. Gilmer starts questioning him, Ewell goes into a sensationalized account of the rape he says he saw.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 16 & 17 Summary & Analysis

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

Worse yet, Tom is now aware of incest in the Ewell household, something that is taboo in every class. With that conversation, Scout is further educated about prejudice and the negative consequences that result from it. Gilmer, questions him about the night Bob Ewell called for him to come to his house. Mayella was found bruised and beaten Tom Robinson had been accused No doctor was called Then Ewell gets called to the stand Ewell said he was out getting kindling When he heard his daughter yell He claimed he saw Robinson raping Mayella And Robinson fled as Ewell ran for a Sheriff. Just beyond their home is a "Negro settlement. He declares that Mr.

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To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 20

to kill a mockingbird chapter 17 20 summary

This Pulitzer prize-winning classic written by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch and her experiences growing up in Depression-era small town Alabama. He suggests that Mayella and the jury would do a horrible thing by playing into racial stereotypes, which deny black people any sense of dignity or indeed, humanity—in fact, racism functions in such a way as to make it seem to white people that black people are less than human. Scout as well as Judge Taylor is genuinely surprised when Mayella claims that Atticus is mocking her. 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. Had Tom Robinson been a woman accused of seducing a white man, the outcome of the trial would be no different.

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