TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Chapter 30
Chapter 30
Atticus, Sheriff Tate, Scout, and Boo Radley are all in Jem’s room. Jem is asleep and safe. Sheriff Tate and Atticus are talking quietly about Bob Ewell’s death. They both know that Boo Radley saved the children by stopping the attacker. Atticus believes that Jem somehow killed Bob Ewell in the struggle.
“Heck,” Atticus says to the Sheriff, “Jem is only a boy, but I will not hide what he has done. He must face the consequences.” Sheriff Tate shakes his head strongly.
“No, Atticus. Jem did not do it.” Atticus is confused. “What do you mean, Heck? Bob Ewell is lying dead out there with a knife in him. Jem’s arm is broken. I want the truth.”
Sheriff Tate then tells a different story. “Ewell fell on his knife, Atticus. It was an accident. The man was drunk, he was alone, and he fell. The knife went right into his side.” Atticus knows this is not the truth. The knife the Sheriff found was a kitchen knife, not the kind of long knife that Bob Ewell would carry. The Sheriff is lying to protect Boo Radley.
Atticus looks at the silent, shy man in the corner. He knows that Boo Radley is the one who stabbed Bob Ewell, but Boo did it to save the children. Atticus says, “Heck, you are saying that Bob Ewell killed himself.
That is not the truth. I know that Jem did not do it, but I think someone else did. And that person should be known.” The Sheriff becomes serious and angry. He points to Boo Radley.
“Look at him, Atticus. Mr. Arthur Radley never hurt anyone. He saved your children’s lives tonight. If we tell the town that he killed Bob Ewell, they will make him a hero. They will bring him cakes and talk to him all day. That would be a sin.”
The Sheriff explains his deep feeling: Boo Radley is a man who loves to stay inside, in the dark, alone, and far from people. He is quiet and easily scared by people. If the town forces him into the light, it will be like destroying him.
“Bringing him out into the light is like killing a mockingbird,” Sheriff Tate says. “I will not stand for that. I will tell the town that Ewell fell on his knife. That’s the end of it.”
Atticus finally understands. The Sheriff is protecting a good, shy man from the cruelty of the world. Atticus agrees that they must protect Boo. Boo Radley has stood quietly in the room the whole time. Scout takes his hand and leads him to Jem’s bed. Boo gently touches Jem’s hair.
Scout takes Boo into the living room, which is dark. She sits on the porch with him for a moment. She realizes she has finally had her chance to talk to the mysterious Mr. Arthur. She knows that he is the one who saved them, and now she must make sure he gets home safely and quietly, without the town seeing him.
Scout takes Boo’s hand, and they walk slowly back to his house. When they reach the front door, Boo quickly goes inside. Scout never sees him again. Scout stands on the porch of the Radley house. She thinks about all the years Boo watched them. She realizes that it was Boo who had given them all the gifts in the tree, and finally, he gave them the gift of life.
She returns home to Atticus, who is reading. She hugs him and says she now understands what the Sheriff meant.
She says she finally understands what “to kill a mockingbird” truly means.
