Chapters 18-19: What does Tom Robinson suggest happened the day of the rape? Do you think the jury will believe his version of events?

n chapter nineteen, Tom Robinson is called to the witness stand. He answers all of Atticus's questions, but his account of the day of the "rape" and his previous encounters with Mayella and the Ewell family, are much different from the accounts set forward by Mayella and Bob Ewell. He says that Mayella asked him to come in and then proceeded to kiss him, and that he resisted her advances and when Mr. Ewell came to the window and screamed at him, he ran.

One of the first questions Atticus asks Tom is about his previous encounter with the law. Tom goes on to recount the cause of his thirty-day jail sentence without hesitation. Jem said, "that Atticus was showing the jury that Tom had nothing to hide," (p. 255) and even though Tom never hesitates or stumbles, as Mayella does, I doubt that the jury will believe his testimony. This is because of his race. The story takes place in a highly prejudiced southern town, and throughout the book, Harper Lee does many things to show the various ways race plays a part in Maycomb’s soceiety. Even though Mayella is part of the Ewell family, she is still white, and therefore is given the huge advantage in the case. The problem with this is that Mayella's testimony did not match her father’s and she changed her story a lot as well. Tom Robinson's testimony was honest, and Scout says, "Atticus sometimes said that one way to tell whether a witness as lying or telling the truth was to listen rather than watch," (p. 257) and when Scout closes her eyes, she finds herself believing every word that Tom Robinson says. This shows the impact of Tom's skin color on his believability. Just the fact that he is black makes the jury much less likely to hear what he is actually saying, instead just focusing on the fact that he is not white. In most of the white people's minds, white equals trust and goodness, while black equals lies and evil.

Atticus makes a very good case, but Tom's race gets in the way of the truth. This relates to the larger themes of the story; race, rumors, and even maturity. The pre-conceived prejudices of the jury are what's going to keep them from believing Tom. This is just like if one goes into a situation, or is told something, while they already know what they believe and it stops them from seeing the truth, or even seeing anything the way it really is, instead of the way they want it to be. The jury, and the whites want Tom to be lying, because if he is telling the truth, and he did not rape Mayella, then they will be presented with proof that blacks can be good too, and that the whites are not always right. This proof would rock Maycomb to its core and would change the way the whites must think, and change is not something easily accepted in Maycomb. Also, one must be truly mature in their morals to be able to listen to Tom's testimony without prejudice and be able to truly take the case for what it is. Most of the jury, and most of Maycomb, is not so morally secure. My question is, do you think that Atticus will be able to "shed some light" on the situation, and make people see the case for what it is, even if that means that the whites are not right? Also, do you think that it can ever be a good thing that Maycomb goes into situations with prejudices? Do these prejudices ever help?