Chapter+19

Chapter 19 Summary. Chapter 19 starts off in the courtroom where Tom Robinson is being sworn in. However due to Tom's inability to move his left hand it keeps sliding off the bible when he is swearing himself in. Judge Taylor loses his patience and growls at Tom. Tom is described as a 25 year old man with a wife and three children. Atticus is quick to say that Tom has been in trouble with the law before for disorderly conduct Tom describes what happened. Atticus did this so that the courts could see that Tom Robbinson has nothing to hide. Atticus later goes on to question Tom about his relationship with Mayella and the chores he has done for her in the past. Tom then recalls the events of the November twenty-first last year. Tom became uncomfortable when he was retelling the events of that day after he entered the Ewell's house. He was telling the court that Miss Mayella had sent the children to get icecream when she called him in the house to fix the door. Mayella startled him and he turned the chair over and that was the only piece of furniture left disturbed in the room. He continues to say that Mayella hugged him and kissed him, he tried to get out and asked her kindly to let him out. Tom had wanted to run but he couldn't because she had her back to the door and he didn't want to harm her. This is when Mr Ewell came in yelling at Mayella calling her names and threatening to kill her. Tom says that he was running so fast that he did not know what happened between Mr Ewell and Miss Mayella. Tom said that he did not rape Mayella nor did he harm he in anyway he tried to resist her advances while not pushing or laying a hand on her. As Mr Glimmer approaches Tom Mr Link Deas stands up and vouches for Tom saying, ' I just want the whole lot of you to know one thing right now. That boy's worked for me eight years an' I ain't had a speck o' trouble outa him. Not a speck.' This makes Judge Taylor furious and he sends Link out of the room. Mr Glimmer once again brings up the fact that Tom has been charged for disorderly conduct and that if he can bust up a chiffarobe he surely can 'choke the breath out of a woman' Tom says he has never done such a thing but with repetitive questioning from Mr Glimmer he says that he probably could. While asking why Tom did all these chores for Mayella Tom finally comes out with the fact the he felt sorry for her and that was why he did all those things for her. Mr Glimmer reviews Mayellas version of events which Tom says are incorrect and that she must be confused. When asked if he thinks Mayellas lying he once again denies and instead says that she must be confused. Mr Glimmers disrespect towards Tom was too much for Dil and Scout is forced to take him outside. Dil says how unfair it is that Mr Glimmer treats Tom with such disrespect and that Atticus never spoke to Mayella in such a way.

Questions What made Tom visit the Ewell's house in the first place? Tom works at the fields picking cotton for Mr Link Deas. He passes the Ewell's house on his way to and from work at the fields and this is when he first visited the Ewell's house. Tom would tip his hat everyday as he went by, one day Mayella asked him if he could go inside the fence to bust up a chiffarobe; this was the spring before the trial. After this day Mayella always had jobs for Tom to do and Tom did them all for free because he felt sorry for Mayella due to the fact that she had noone to help her.

Why does Scout think that Mayella Ewell was "the loneliest person in the world?" Scout thinks that Mayella Ewell was the lonliest person in the world because although she was surrounded by her siblings (refered to as her children) as well as her father they never helped her with anything. No-one has ever treated Mayella with kindness or respect apart from Tom Robinson. The fact that nobody has ever treated her with respect is evident in the way she reacts to Atticus being polite to her by calling her ma'am and Miss Mayella. Mayella was even lonelier than Boo who hadn't been out of his house in decades. Once again she believed that Atticus was making fun of her because he asked her if she had any friends, Mayella never seemed to understand what he meant. Mayella had no friends because she was what Jem called a mixed child it is later explained that 'white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn't have anything to do with her because she was white.'

In your own words explain Mayella's relationship with her father. Mayella and her father have a horrible relationship. Her father is drunk more often than not and he becomes abusive, yelling at her and physically hurting her. On the witness stand Tom recalls the events of that night and he says 'She reached up an' kissed me 'side of th' face. She says she never kissed grown man before...she says what he papa do to her don't count.' This comment leads you to believe that her father has also been sexually abusive towards her. Although Mayella would not like the way her father treats her she would have to put up with it because nobody else associates with her so there would be nowhere else for her to go. This is also why she would be blaming Tom for what had happened to her, not only because she is frightened by her father but because she stands by her father as he is all she has.

How does Dill react to this part of the trial? Why is this, in your opinion? When Mr Glimmer is questioning Tom Dil starts sobbing, in a few moments Dil is suddenly crying uncontrollably to a point where Scout is forced to take him out of the courtroom. Dil reacts like this because he is seeing firsthand how unfair the world is and how Tom who is clearly innocent is going to be convicted just because of the colour of his skin. This intolerance is what made Dil cry, he couldn't stand how Mr Glimmer was talking to Tom in such a disrespectful manner calling him 'boy' and sneering at him. When Scout tells Dil that Mr Glimmer is just doing his job Dil tells her that Atticus never spoke to Mayella in that way. Scout goes on to say 'Well, Dill, after all he is just a Negro.' Maybe this remark was intended to comfort Dil but it seems as if Scout has been influenced by Maycomb's prejudice, despite the fact that she is a child and the influence of her reasonable, fair father Atticus who is fighting for Tom's innocence.

Quotes "Mr. Gilmer smiled grimly at the jury. 'You're a mighty good fellow, it seems- did all this for not one penny?'

'Yes suh. I felt right sorry for her, she seemed to try more'n the rest of 'em-'

'You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?' Mr. Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling." Page 217- 218

"Maycomb gave [the Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand." Page. 212

'Well Dill, after all he's just a Negro.'

'I don't care one speck. It ain't right, somehow it ain't right to do 'em that way. Hasn't anybody got any business talkin' like that - it just makes me sick.' Page 220

** Definitions **

vo·li·tion
[ voh- lish - uh n, v uh - ] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">noun <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;"> 1. the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing:<span style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">She left of her own volition. 2. a choice or [|decision] made by the will. 3. the power of willing; will.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">ex ca·the·dra
<span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[ <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">eks <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> k <span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">uh <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">thee <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-dr <span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">uh <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">kath <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-i-dr <span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">uh <span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">noun <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;">from the seat of authority; with authority: used especially ofthose pronouncements of the pope that are considered infallible

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">mis·de·mean·or
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;"><span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[ <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">mis-di- <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">mee <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-ner <span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">noun <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;"> 1. <span style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Law. a criminal offense defined as less serious than a [|felony]. 2. an instance of misbehavior; misdeed.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Unicode MS',Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">chif·fo·robe
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: verdana; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[ <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">shif <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">- <span class="ital-inline" style="font-family: Georgia,Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">uh <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-rohb, <span class="boldface" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">shif <span class="pron" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">-rohb <span class="prondelim" style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">] <span style="font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">noun <span style="display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em;">a piece of furniture having both drawers and space for hangingclothes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; display: block; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 1em; text-align: left;">