Maycomb Tribune - Tom Robinson's failed escape attempt.

The Maycomb Tribune

Negro convicted of rape tries to escape, Shot dead.

Maycomb, Alabama. Tom Robinson, convicted of Rape barely a week ago was shot dead while attempting to escape from the Enfield Prison Farm yesterday. Robinson had rushed towards the perimeter fence around the Exercise field, and had almost made it past the fence. Ignoring warning shots, he was shot as he reached the top of the fence.

A prison officer, who declined to be named, said, "He was running so fast, if he had two whole hands, the nigger would have made it. It was a close one. "

Robinson had been convicted of raping a Mayella Ewell, 19, in a much observed trial. Despite the best efforts of Mr Atticus Finch, the lawyer appointed by the state, Robinson had been convicted of his crime and sent to Enfield Prison Farm pending the outcome of his appeal. Before the appeal could be heard, Robinson tried to escape.

When interviewed, Mr Finch stated, "I didn't expect this to happen... I told Tom that we had a good chance of overturning the judgement..."

A Mr Ewell, the father of the rape victim, was not surprised on hearing the news. Mr Ewell stated, "These niggers (sic) have it coming to them. Living around here, devaluing my property, they'll all get what's coming to them. The Electric Chair is too Good for them."

Main Themes of To Kill a Mockingbird

The main themes of To kill a Mockingbird would probably be the themes: Discrimination and Growing up, among other themes.

Discrimination is the most obvious theme of all - the Discrimination is seen between the Negroes and the White people, the Ewells and the other residents of Maycomb, as well as the Radleys and the Maycomb residents.

The discrimination against the Negroes can be seen with they are forced to sit in a separate court balcony, forced to live in a separate part of town, and use different facilities, etc.

The Ewells can be seen to be separated from the town - "She [Mayella Ewell] was as sad, I thought, as what Jem called a mixed child: 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. (Ref Pg 198)" as well as "Maycomb gave them [The Ewells] Christmas baskets, welfare money, and the back of its hand."

Next, the Radleys are portrayed as being antisocial and thus, the town is somewhat prejudiced against them for being different from everyone else, although more towards Arthur (Boo) Radley. "The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb."

Furthermore, Arthur Radley was believed to be a monster. This was further perpetrated by Miss Stephanie Crawford, who spread rumours that Boo Radley "looked at her" while she was sleeping. This shows that any difference which made a person stand out might also cause the town to be prejudiced against them. Furthermore, this prejudice lasted for a long time, as the town was unwilling to let go of their bigoted beliefs.

Quote: "Any stealthy crime committed in Maycomb were his [Arthur Radley] work. Once the town was terrorized by a series of morbid nocturnal events: people's chickens and household pets were found mutilated; although the culprit was Crazy Addie, who eventually drowned himself in Barker's Eddy, people still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions." (Page 15.)

The second theme, The growth of Scout and Jem, can be seen throughout the story as Jem becomes disillusioned with the town after the trial and subsequent conviction of Tom Robinson. Although Scout does mature nearing the end of the book, she still maintains a slightly childish perspective on life. Furthermore, at the end of the book, Scout realizes how to look at life from some one else's point of view as she stands on the Radley Porch and comments on Boo Radley's life and perspective.

To Kill A Mockingbird - Character Analysis

My favourite character in TKAM is Miss Maudie Atkinson. I find that her defining qualities are how she is very sharp tongued, and also quite sarcastic.

She is also very witty, and her sharp tongued comments usually force the other party to give in. For example, when Miss Stephanie Crawford told the town that she saw Arthur Boo Radley staring at her at night, Miss Maudie replied, "What did you do Stephanie, move over in the bed and make room for him? That shut her up for a while." (Page 51, Chapter V)

Furthermore, unlike other characters in the book, Miss Maudie treats Scout and Jem very fairly (like Atticus), and does not hide things from them. She also tries to teach them about how all people are equal. She might also be seen as teaching Scout and Jem many lessons throughout the events of the book. For example, when Jem was upset by the outcome of the trial of Tom Robinson, she reassures him that the town was taking baby steps to become less prejudiced. Also, when Scout is embarrassed of Atticus, Miss Maudie tries to convince Scout that Atticus is quite talented, although Scout is only convinced after Atticus shot Tim Robinson.

Also, Ms Maudie is very strong, as even after her house burned down, she still continued her gardening, and did not seem to be deeply affected be the event.