In the day following the trial, Atticus was walking down the street, minding his own business, when a very familiar face approached him. It was Bob Ewell, the uneducated, mean, dirty, tobacco chewing, disgrace to Maycomb. As he Approached Atticus, he spit in his face and said he was going to kill him...his reaction was that of a Gentleman. Atticus politely wiped his face, told him he wasn't going to fight, and walked away. Scout receives this information fro Ms. Stephanie, who personally, i would not rely on for vital information like this. In my opinion, his reaction was not a surprise. After having discovered that his children secretly follow him, and setting a bad example with the gun, he truly acted as if the whole world was watching and were to follow his example . This scene was the true characterization on the parts of Atticus and Mr. Ewell in the way that this further backs up the facts Scout told us about the Ewells and sets it in stone. As for Atticus, it marks the rest of his stressful trial and the extreme regret he will soon feel for Tom Robinson if the appeal is rejected, or he loses it once again. I also believe that this is a sign of foreshadowing that Harper Lee uses to keep the reader interested. I think that it represents the outcome of the appeal trial if there ever is one. The reason for this is because Mr. Ewell says to Atticus that he will find a way to kill him, and by having Atticus and Ton Robinson lose, and having Tom go to the electric chair will truly KILL Atticus inside.
Questions:
1) What do you think will end up happening with the appeal?
2) Do you think Mr. Ewell spitting in Atticus' face is really a sign of foreshadowing?
3)Would you ever have reacted the way Atticus did? What else can be interpreted by his actions?
I agree with Dotolo, that Atticus acts as if the entire world is watching, so he has to make good decisions. He knows that rumors get around, that Maycomb is a gossip-ridden town, and that these rumors would eventually find their way to his children. This, like the gun, would be a bad influence, blowing his cover of a controlled, emotionless, aging lawyer. This is how the kids have seen him his whole life, and that is how he planned to raise them. Throughout the experiences of Scout and Jem, they have only seen this cover blown once. When he had to shoot the mad dog. Atticus learned from that, and restrained from punching Bob Ewell at the Post office.
ReplyDeleteWhen Bob Ewell spits on Atticus and Atticus simply ignores the comment, it is an obvious passage of characterization, for it shows Atticus's emotional strength and his ability to restrain. It further showed his calmness and moral beliefs, as violence is never the answer according to him. Furthermore, it was not a surprise that Atticus reacted in such a calm manner, for Atticus is a symbol of the good in Maycomb and it would be going against his meaning and symbol in the book if he were to react violently.
ReplyDeleteAtticus says he is glad that Bob Ewell is taking out his anger from the trial on him instead of his family, which is another example of his good morals and selflessness. A question that arises is why does Atticus react so calmly after Bob Ewell said he was going to get him?
I think that Nick makes some insightful points in his analysis. In response to his first question, I think that the appeal will eventually turn out in favor of Tom Robinson. As Nick mentioned, Tom Robinson’s death would symbolically represent the defeat of Atticus’ good morals. I doubt that Harper Lee would build up her book to a great tension between good verse evil and let evil prevail in the end.
ReplyDeleteI think that Atticus’ reaction to Mr. Ewell was further characterization of his strong inner character; however, I don’t necessarily think that he only reacted in such a peaceful way because his children would hear. Returning back to Miss Maudie’s quote earlier in the book, I think that this encounter is another example of Atticus’ relentless commitment to his personal standards in any circumstances. Just as he acts the same inside and outside of his house, Atticus acts similarly in the presence of both his children and the public.
I think that these two chapters clearly depict Atticus’ tenacity in even the worst situations. It is interesting that Atticus uses the line “Not time to worry yet, Scout” throughout the book in the face of adversity. I think this line portrays Atticus’ constant hope to see change in Maycomb’s seemingly unbreakable standards. Atticus expresses optimism in regard to both the reaction of the jury and the final outcome of the case.
Toward the end of Chapter 22, Dill, Scout and Jem discuss clowns. I perceive clowns to be a symbol of Maycomb’s social conflicts. In a sense, clowns specifically represent Atticus. While Jem believes that clowns are sad and looked down upon, Dill still believes that clowns have the independence and strength to look down upon other people watching the clowns. Just as the clowns are independently strong and unaffected by the audience laughing at them, Atticus is a bold individual who is courageous enough to look down upon some beliefs that are generally accepted in Maycomb.
How do you think Boo Radley will appear in the upcoming chapters of To Kill a Mockingbird?