TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Chapter 25
Chapter 25
After Atticus leaves to tell Helen Robinson the news, the children feel numb. Scout tries to understand how someone can be shot seventeen times. Jem is very quiet. He feels hopeless about the lack of justice in Maycomb.
A few days later, the news of Tom Robinson’s death is in the local newspaper. The paper calls it sad but says it is typical for a black man to try to escape. The writer suggests that Tom Robinson was a fool for trying to run.
Scout thinks about the whole story. She remembers when Tom Robinson told the court that Mayella Ewell tried to kiss him. She remembers that Tom was polite and kind.
Scout thinks about the mockingbird. Her father, Atticus, once told her it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they only sing for people and do no harm. She realizes that Tom Robinson was like a mockingbird - he was a harmless man who was destroyed by the badness of others.
Jem is older, and his view is harsher. He is sick of Maycomb. He does not understand why people are so unfair. He sees that white people are cruel to black people, and there is nothing he can do to stop it.
The town quickly forgets Tom Robinson. They talk about the news for only a couple of days. The people believe that Tom Robinson was guilty, so his death is not surprising to them. Mr. B.B. Underwood, the newspaper editor, is the only white man who speaks strongly against the killing. He writes a powerful article in his newspaper. He says that it was a senseless killing, not an escape. He writes that Tom Robinson was a man who was already crippled by the unfair court system, and then the guards destroyed him. Mr. Underwood writes that they have killed a kind, innocent man.
Atticus and Calpurnia go to Tom Robinson's small house to tell his wife, Helen, about his death. Atticus simply stands outside, while Calpurnia walks up to the door. Calpurnia speaks to Helen. She tells Helen that Tom is dead. Helen collapses immediately. She falls down onto the ground, unable to stand or speak. She is completely broken by the news.
Atticus and Calpurnia then take Helen into the house. Atticus stays with her for a long time. He wants to make sure she is safe and cared for. The children realize that the pain of the trial and the death of Tom Robinson is very real for the people who loved him. It is a pain that the white townspeople do not have to feel. The children realize that the injustice of Tom’s death will stay with them forever.
