3.
4. From Part I, Chapter 9
5.
6. “Do all lawyers defend n-Negroes, Atticus?”
7.
8. “Of course they do, Scout.”
9.
10. “Then why did Cecil say you defended niggers? He made it
11. sound like you were runnin’ a still.”
12.
13. Atticus sighed. “I’m simply defending a Negro – his name’s Tom
14. Robinson. He lives in that little settlement beyond the town
15. dump. He’s a member of Calpurnia’s church, and Cal knows his
16. family well. She says they’re clean-living folks. Scout,
17. you aren’t old enough to understand yet, but there’s been
18. to the effect that I some things shouldn’t do much about
19. some high talk around town defending this man. It’s a peculiar
20. case – it won’t come to trial until summer session. John
21. Taylor was kind enough to give us a postponement…”
22.
23. “If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?”
24.
25. “For a number of reasons,” said Atticus. “The main one is, if I
26. didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent
27. this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or
28. Jem not to do something again.”
29.
30. “You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and me wouldn’t
31. have to mind you anymore?”
32.
33. “That’s about right.”
34.
35. “Why?”
36.
37. “Because I could never ask you to mind me again. Scout, simply
38. by the nature of the work, every lawyer gets at least one
39. case in his lifetimethat affects him personally. This one’s
40. mine, I guess. You might hear some ugly talk about it at
41. school, but do one thing for me if you will: you just hold
42. your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what
43. anybody says to you, don’t let ‘em get your goat. Try
44. fighting with your head for a change…it’s agood one,
45. even if it does resist learning.”
46.
47.
48. From Part II, Chapter 23
49.
50. "I wish Bob Ewell wouldn’t chew tobacco," was all Atticus said
51. about it.
52.
53. According to Miss Stephanie Crawford, however, Atticus was
54. leaving the post office when Mr. Ewell approached him,
55. cursed him, spat on him, and threatened to kill him.
56. Miss Stephanie . . . said Atticus didn't bat an eye,
57. just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and
58. stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses
59. could not bring her to repeat…
60.
61. "Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin' bastard?"… Atticus said,
62. "No, too old," put his hands in his pockets and strolled on. Miss
63. Stephanie said you had to hand it to Atticus Finch; he could be
64. right dry sometimes.
65.
66. [W]hen he noticed us dragging around the neighborhood, not
67. eating, taking little interest in our normal pursuits, Atticus
68. discovered how deeply frightened we were. He tempted Jem
69. with a new football magazine one night; when he saw Jem
70. flip the page and toss it aside, he said, "What's
71. bothering you son?"
72.
73. Jem came to the point: "Mr. Ewell."
74.
75. "What has happened?"
76.
77. "Nothing's happened. We're scared for you, and we think you
78. oughta do something about him."
79.
80. Atticus smiled wryly. "Do what? Put him under a peace bond?"
81.
82. “When a man says he’s gonna get you, look like he means it.”
83.
84. "He meant it when he said it," said Atticus. "Jem, see if you can
85. stand in Bob Ewell's shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred
86. of credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man
87. had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if
88. spitting in my face and threatening me saved Mayella Ewell one
89. extra beating, that's something I’ll gladly take. He had to take
90. it out on somebody and I'd rather it be me than that houseful of
91. children out there. You understand?"
92.
93. "We don't have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got it all out
94. of his system that morning."
95.
96. "I wouldn't be so sure Atticus," she said. His kind’d do anything
97. to pay off a grudge. You know how those people are.”

Last updated: January 2, 2002

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