The case of Robinson v. the Ewells

The trial was absolutely mind-opening, and the history and tightness of the Maycomb community played more of a role than I thought. (:

Beginning in chapter 17, the attorneys gathered the basics: Mayella Ewell was found on the floor with a black right eye and bruises on her arms and neck, they blamed Tom for rape, and they didn't call a doctor (strange, right?). This being the most unbiased part of the trial, I say that each attorney sufficiently made sure all facts were established (for legal proceedings, lawyers aren't allowed to use information unstated in the trial).

During Bob Ewell's cross-examination, the circumstantial evidence gained turned the trial around; by giving Ewell confidence, Atticus easily revealed that the Ewells lived off of relief checks and that he was left-handed (a blow to the right eye is most likely caused by the left hand).

The sense of community established in Maycomb gave Atticus the upper hand. During his cross-examination, Scout stated that you should "never, on a cross-examination, ask a witness a question you don't already know the answer to" (177). However, Atticus knew what he was doing; Maycomb is so closesly bound together that everyone knows the characteristics and details of a family -- like the way the Ewells lived off of government funding and even the little details like Bob being a lefty -- and Atticus brought his outside knowledge into the trial clearly for his advantage. This allows readers to begin siding with Tom in the case.

From Mayella's cross-examination, Atticus further projected an image of the Ewells into the case: the majority of them were uneducated, they lived a poor living by the dump and by blacks, and Bob had eight kids. He also showed Mayella as extremely lonely when he asked her about friends, and that Bob isn't good to her when he drinks (183). Along with delineating that the family wasn't well-off and had an irresponsible father, making Tom show his crippled left arm countered suspicion of Tom beating her. The long-term proximity between families in Maycomb again aided to Atticus's knowledge of the Ewells and, ultimately, his argument.

What I found was most clever in Tom's examination was that Atticus previously addressed Mayella's loneliness, poverty, and family members to each prove a point: the poorness and children was relevant when Tom said "she [Mayella] didn't have nobody to help her" and when Mayella sent them out for ice cream with saved money, and her loneliness provoked her to kiss Tom. The sense of community -- through social hierarchy and distinction -- also played role in this examination and provided for a believable story on Tom's part: Tom ran away in fear -- not guilt -- because, in the Alabama society, any black person thought to be misbehaving caused more hurt than just a run through hell.

In his closing argument, Atticus sums up these points and more: he addresses racism within Maycomb as a community and the way they judge a man simply because of his race, even when a white woman was also at fault. All of his beliefs lead up to this point: his respect for all people -- disregarding age, gender, or race -- shines through at this point to show the wickedness and bias of the society he lives in. The case ultimately symbolizes the evil, corruption, and prejudice of the normal man in society. With such, Atticus is not just defending Tom: he's defending the symbol of innocence and the idea of equality for all people.

The momentum and belief in Tom that Atticus built up through the trial ultimately causes the emotional bang that a reader receives when he pleads guilty. But overall, it was stunning how smaller details in the story played a huge part in this trial. And on a side note, it really inspiring me to go through with the notion I had of going to law school :D