JEM. Jem takes the outcome
of the trial harder than Scout or Dill. He cries following the verdict. " 'It ain't
right,' " he repeats to Atticus through his tears. He seems to understand the injustice
of the verdict better than the other children, and he becomes somewhat depressed --Scout
describes it as one of Jem's "declines"--afterward. He worries about Atticus' safety
following his father's confrontation with Bob Ewell, and he even feels differently about
the unassuming insects that he encounters, scolding Scout for nearly squashing an
innocent roly-poly.
SCOUT.
Scout seems to concentrate on the emotions of others more than her own during her
narrative of the Tom Robinson trial. Although there are certainly moments when she wears
her emotions on her sleeve, much of her commentary is in a matter-of-fact manner. Like
the other children, she is excited about attending the trial (they are the only children
present) and inquisitive about much of the testimony. She quickly decides that Bob Ewell
could have been guilty of attacking Mayella and not Tom. She also recognizes that
despite Tom's apparent innocence, the faces of the jury when they return to deliver
their verdict tell another story. Following the trial, she suggest to Jem that Atticus
should get a gun to defend himself from Bob Ewell, but she detaches herself emotionally
for the most part, describing others' reactions to the trial
instead.
DILL. Dill becomes
very upset during the prosecutor's cross-examination of Tom Robinson. Scout leads him
outside so he can regain his composure, where they meet Dolphus Raymond. Dill feels
better after drinking some of Mr. Raymond's Coke-in-a-bag, but Dolphus stirs them up
some more with his talk of racial intolerance. Dill decides later that he is going to
become a clown when he grows up, so he can stare at the audience and " 'laugh my head
off.' "
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