rrives with a mob of men. A talk is held over the soon coming trial, and whether Tom Robinson is safe in their custody. The children think its a fight, but Atticus pacifies them. Atticus says that he is going out. In the night Jem is going to follow hisAtticus. Dill and Scout go with him. They find their father going to the Maycomb jail. As they watch, a group of men join Atticus and to talk to him. Scout interrupts them at an badly timed moment and Atticus instructs them to leave. Finally they leave. Tom Robinsons trial is a big topic for discussion in the Maycomb County. Atticus wont leave the case, even after some warning. To help Toms life before the trial, Atticus even goes out to guards him in the Maycomb jail. Tom, a black man, has raped a white girl. The fact that a black has assaulted a white makes the trial uncertain. Atticus has determined to take the case (and therefore defend Tom) is not approved by the people in general. Though the supposed victim in the case, Bob Ewells daughter, is what they call white trash, she is a white, and so the chances of Tom being excused are not good.It is the first day of the trial, and the place is crowded with people who have come to witness the trial of Tom Robinson. Mr. Dolphus Raymond is noticed sitting with the colored folk, sipping from a brown paper pack (which supposedly contains whisky). The judge is none other than Judge Taylor. Though he gives the impression of dozing through the hearing is actually good in his dealings. The Tom Robinson case begins with Mr. Heck Tate being the first witness. A brief description of the courthouse and the gathering is given. Whites and blacks have arrived in equal numbers to witness the trial. The scene outside the courthouse, before the start of the trial, resembles a picnic spot. However, once the trial begins, there is absolute silence in the courtroom. The Finch children sitting in the colored balcony with the blacks, is probably representing o...
