If it was any other man, it'd be different. But not this man, Mr. Good night, sir. Tate's decision may go against the letter of the law, but it follows a different, higher to him law. Depending on whether or not we agree with his decision, Tate is either doing the right thing or weakening the rule of law or both.
He acts on moral grounds, but in doing so he goes against Atticus's ideal of equality under the law. Maybe one message of Heck Tate's character, and Link Deas's as well, is that until that ideal becomes more of a reality, people should do what they can to bring fairness at least a little bit closer, even when the law's not on their side.
The problem with that message? The same principle could be used to justify the lynch mob's attempt to enact vigilante justice on Tom. Edit criterion description Delete criterion row.
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Consequently, the resentment against blacks on the part of the "white trash" runs deep. Against this backdrop of a trial where a "white-trash" female is accusing a black man of a violent crime, Lee expertly explores several of the novel's major themes while focusing on the questions of prejudice and class or social station. In Maycomb during the time of Tom Robinson's trial, African Americans reside at the bottom of the totem pole as far as power in the community.
Even Scout, who probably can't yet define the term "prejudice," tells Dill, "'Well, Dill, after all, he's just a Negro.
In Scout's world, some things just are, and the fact that blacks are "just Negroes" is one of them. In fact, Scout shows her lack of intentional prejudice by admitting "If he [Tom Robinson] had been whole, he would have been a fine specimen of a man. It is fair to assume, however, that the adult Scout who is actually telling the story has come to understand the error of thinking that any human being is lesser than another based solely on skin color.
If Scout believed that blacks were truly lesser, then her character would have no reason for telling this story — the story she'd tell, if she told one at all, would be markedly different. The blacks in the community accept their lot.
They may not like the treatment they receive, but to defy the rules set by the community means literally risking their lives.
Tom Robinson did nothing but help Mayella Ewell. In fact, he "was probably the only person who was ever decent to her. But, for an African American man to publicly admit feeling pity for any white person is overstepping societal bounds.
In truth, Tom embarrasses Mayella by refusing her advances and Mayella embarrasses her father by making advances toward a black man. Bob Ewell's pride can't afford for a black man to go back to his community talking about a white woman making a pass at him. Worse yet, Tom is now aware of incest in the Ewell household, something that is taboo in every class.
Tom was unlikely to tell anyone of what had happened with Mayella, recognizing that his safety was at stake. Bob Ewell could've let the whole thing drop, but he'd rather be responsible for an innocent man's death than risk having his family further diminished in the town's eyes.
Truthfully, Tom's testimony actually embarrasses the Ewells more. Tom tells the court that Mayella asked him to kiss her saying, "'what her papa do to her don't count,'" which informs the whole town that Bob Ewell sexually abuses his daughter. He further tells the court that Bob called his own child a "goddamn whore. Tom is a compassionate man, and ironically, his acts of kindness are responsible, at least indirectly, for his current situation.
In Maycomb society and, truthfully, the Southern United States at this time , basic human kindness from a black person to a white person is impermissible. The consequences are deadly when the "lesser" show their compassion — and then have the audacity to admit it — for the "greater. The all-white jury is in an awkward position. If they acquit a black man who admittedly pities a white person, then they're voting to lessen their own power over the black community.
However, if they convict Tom, they do so knowing that they're sentencing an innocent man to death. Mayella makes their choice very easy when she looks at the jury and says, "'That nigger yonder took advantage of me an' if you fine fancy gentlemen don't wanta do nothin' about it then you're all yellow stinkin' cowards.
The remaining question about Tom's innocence is why did he run from the Ewell property if he did nothing wrong? Atticus explains that Tom was truly between a rock and a hard place: "he would not have dared strike a white woman under any circumstances and expect to live long, so he took the first opportunity to run — a sure sign of guilt. Dill, a child who has not yet reached Scout's level of acceptance about societal prejudices, reacts strongly to the lack of respect African Americans are shown.
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