The setting of this particular section is from the Maycomb County Courthouse. I found the setting interesting to picture. Having never been in a courthouse, the only time I've seen one is in the movies. Somehow the courthouse scenes from tv shows about cops and detectives didn't fit very well into the setting of the book. As a result of this, my imagination filled in the gaps and made the entire courthouse scene come to life in my mind. This was welcome, seeing as we found out so many important things in this weeks section. I enjoyed this section more then any other so far because the details of the Tom Robinson case are finally revealed. It seemed before now, the book was almost pointless. Sure it was entertaining. There are a lot of good messages to find in the text, but the plot was almost non-existant. We kept hearing about the Tom Robinson case and how it affected Scout and Jem. It certainly led to plenty of conflicts. Now though, it's like a light has been turned on. We finally have something to go off of, and the rest of the book seems to have a point now. We also discover a lot about the characters and their true personalities in this section. Atticus in particular seems to be a whole new man. In the courtroom, he fights for justice, honesty, and fairness. Before he was just a father to Jem and Scout. A very good, wise, and caring father at that. But now we can see him in his true element, and I found the moments when he was questioning people on the stand to be intruiging. He helped set the tone of the section. Right vs. Wrong, Good vs. Evil, White vs. Black. It certainly seemed that Harper Lee put quite a bit of emphasis on the stark comparisons that the reader can pick out of the text.
My literature circle seemed impressed with the detail that the author put into the section. When reading about the event on November 21st, I felt almost as if I was there, watching the two different versions of the story playing out. I could see the truth in Tom Robinsons words, and the gaps in the Ewell's lies.
I suppose that is part of what I learned about being human in this book. John 8:32 says that the truth will set you free. While I'm sure the disciple of Jesus had a different idea of what the truth might be then what I take from that quote, I think my line of thought works as well. The Ewell's have caught themselves in a web of their own lies, and in doing so, they've trapped Tom Robinson as well. I cannot fathom being as deceitful as the Ewell's are, it is truly disgusting- but not at all unexpected. I feel like things would turn out much better for the Ewell's if they simply told the truth. I know it would turn out better for Tom Robinson. If they hold to their lies, then chances are the jury sides with them, and Tom Robinson will be executed for his crimes. How can someone live with wrongfully convicting a man to save their own skins? A lot of people I know would say that lying is part of human nature, but I tend to disagree. I have lied. There isn't a person my age who hasn't. But I also know how horrible it can feel to be caught in a web of lies, to be trapped with no way out. That is were the quote comes in handy. If telling the truth would get me in trouble, then there certainly is a part of me that would think that telling another lie is the only way out. But is escaping punishment really worth knowing I've done something wrong? The feeling is indescribable, awful, and ultimately wrong. The body uses pain to tell us when something is wrong. It tells us that something isn't right, that there's a problem and it isn't supposed to be there. It tells us that something is against what is right and natural. So if the brain tells us something is wrong, then is it really human nature? Lying is against human nature. Somewhere deep down, everyone knows it's wrong. There are a lot of people who simply don't care, but they still know that it's wrong. Lying has no reward, whereas telling the truth will set you free. Maybe not without punishment, but inside, you're free. So in this section, I can see where lying can get you. I see how doing something that is against our true nature, such as lying, can put someone in such a bad place- that their lives might be in question. That's another thing we can see here. Tom Robinson is innocent, but because the Ewell's are doing something as unnatural as lying, he might be killed. Our actions affect others- and that is a message heard loud and clear throughout this entire section.
