The TKAM Trial

Today I'm going to be talking about the trial in TKAM. Hopefully you all have been keeping up with your reading and I don't spoil something and if I do you really need to catch up on reading. Anyway, let's go over the basics of what happened in the trial. (The next paragraph is basically a summary of the trial if you know everything about it, feel free to skim)

Okay so, Heck Tate, Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell and Tom Robinson are all give their side of the story. Heck Tate says he was called by Bob Ewell on the night of November twenty-first. Mr.Ewell told Heck Tate that a n-word had just raped his daughter. He found Mayella lying on the ground, beat up and asked who had beat her, to which she responded with Tom Robinson. No doctor was called and he states that she was mostly beat up on her right side. Next Bob Ewell his called and he says on the night of November 21st he was coming from the woods and heard Mayella screaming. He then sees Tom Robinson taking advantage of Mayella. He then ran and got Tate. We then find out that Bob is left handed making him a good candidate for beating Mayella. Next Mayella tells her story. she says she was on the porch and called tom over to chop up a chifferobe. she then says Tom grabbed her and began to beat and took advantage of her. Atticus then questions her a ton and figures out that she is unsure and uneasy about the events that took place that night. All of her facts don't add up like at all. She also never seems to know answers to anything and if she does she changes them often.

Tom Robinson then tells his side of the story he says that he has done chores for Mayella before and that she came on to him. This is very different from what the other witnesses are saying. I think he's telling the truth because lets be real do you really think Mayella, Bob and Tate would tell the complete truth. There is also the whole thing where Mayella changes her answers and is confused about what to say. Her body language also tells us shes super nervous as seen in the quote: "Mayella jumped slightly at the question."(pg.246)  She is clearly terrified of saying the wrong thing. Anyway during Tom's questioning we find out that his left hand was crippled in a cotton gin accident. This pretty much is sating that tom could not have committed the crime.

  Let's see, why is Tom innocent? Well we know that Mayella was beat on her right side, meaning someone must have done it with there left hand. This rules out Tom because his left hand is non functioning. Tom also states that he heard Bob Ewell say "you god-damn whore, I'll kill ya." (pg.260 also sorry about the language in the quote) which tells us that Bob Ewell was both left handed and violent, meaning it is highly likely he abused Mayella. But we know that Bob Ewell is not convicted and Tom is, why because everyone decides to take Mayella and Bob's side. It really does make me mad because of how many clear facts were overlooked. A lot of straightforward things were also overlooked. This whole convicting someone without evidence reminds me of the Scottsboro trial where 9 boys were convicted of rape with no clear evidence. Let's be real if this were a trial today this probably wouldn't have happened.

Thanks for reading, I know it was a little long but I tend to add random details. In conclusion Tom should not have been convicted and Bob should have. As always comment if you want( luv the feedback) and be nice in the comments as well. I am going to sleep now.