Alternate Ending
The following events take place before the end of chapter 21 where the jury declares Tom Robinson guilty…
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” asked Judge Taylor as the jury returned to the courtroom after their long absence. Someone I didn’t recognize in the jury stood up and poised himself to speak.
“We have your honor,” calmly spoke the juror.
“Then let’s hear it,” commanded Judge Taylor.
“After much thought, we the jury have come to the unanimous decision that the defendant Tom Robinson…” he paused and let out a nervous sigh, betraying his calm façade, “On the charges of both rape and assault we have found the defendant, Tom Robinson, innocent,” I looked over to see Jem rejoicing and silently cheering but as I did I saw the expressions of the others sitting in the balcony. Among the Negroes there was a look of utter shock. It was a look of surprise and disbelief that I, in my short life, had yet to see. I also noticed that the courthouse had grown eerily silent. As I gazed down at the white folk sitting below I saw a different, look of disbelief, except this one was paired with burning stares that shot rays of hatred towards Tom, the jury, and Atticus. Just as began to ask Reverend Sykes what was going on I heard Bob Ewell jump to his feet and begin to curse and yell, but he was quickly silenced by Judge Taylor gavel and his stern, booming voice.
“Enough! This is a court of law, and you will not raise your voice to me, this man, or anyone else! Now get out of my courtroom!” As Judge Taylor’s voice echoed through air, Bob Ewell violently grabbed Mayella by the collar of her shirt and stomped out of the courtroom, pulling her behind him. People below slowly began to file out of the courtroom behind him. As the courtroom emptied, I shifted my gaze to Tom Robinson who had tears streaming down his face and was embracing Atticus with his one good arm. This went on for about a minute as Judge Taylor, the jury, and anyone left on the courtroom floor funneled out of the courtroom leaving Tom and Atticus standing alone. Atticus began escorting Tom out of the courtroom when I heard everyone around me on the balcony rise to their feet as they passed, and Jem grabbed pulled Dill and I towards the door urging us to go down and greet Atticus.
Almost a week after the trial when Jem and I were getting ready for bed, Atticus told us that Heck Tate had stopped by that afternoon while we were outside playing. Heck had informed him that Bob Ewell had been stabbed and killed by his daughter Mayella, who claimed that she grabbed a knife in self-defense when Bob had come at her drunk. Atticus said that we wouldn’t have to worry about him dealing with another trial because Judge Taylor had appointed the case to someone else believing that Atticus needed a break.
That was the last I ever heard about Bob Ewell, or Tom’s trial for that matter and life in Maycomb pretty much went back to normal. Then a weeks later we started to see Arthur Radley out around town. He seemed like a regular old guy and I was surprised that he would be the kind of person to be shut away for so long and to come out like a normal person. I always wondered why out of the blue he just decided to leave his house and go around and talk to people, but Jem told me that he knew why. He told me he could see why someone would want to lock them self away from all the problems and hate in the world and that he finally decided to leave because after the way trial turned out and Bob Ewell was gone, Arthur Radley just thought the world might not be that bad of a place. At the time I didn’t understand what Jem meant, or what was so important about Tom’s trial, but as the years went on and I started to see white and black folk begin to mingle and live with one another, I figured it out. Tom’s trial was Maycomb’s wake up call that times were changing, and when I look back at it all, I’m proud that it had happened because Atticus didn’t care about the color of Tom’s skin and wouldn’t let an innocent man die, and I finally understood what he meant when he told Jem and I that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird.
“Has the jury reached a verdict?” asked Judge Taylor as the jury returned to the courtroom after their long absence. Someone I didn’t recognize in the jury stood up and poised himself to speak.
“We have your honor,” calmly spoke the juror.
“Then let’s hear it,” commanded Judge Taylor.
“After much thought, we the jury have come to the unanimous decision that the defendant Tom Robinson…” he paused and let out a nervous sigh, betraying his calm façade, “On the charges of both rape and assault we have found the defendant, Tom Robinson, innocent,” I looked over to see Jem rejoicing and silently cheering but as I did I saw the expressions of the others sitting in the balcony. Among the Negroes there was a look of utter shock. It was a look of surprise and disbelief that I, in my short life, had yet to see. I also noticed that the courthouse had grown eerily silent. As I gazed down at the white folk sitting below I saw a different, look of disbelief, except this one was paired with burning stares that shot rays of hatred towards Tom, the jury, and Atticus. Just as began to ask Reverend Sykes what was going on I heard Bob Ewell jump to his feet and begin to curse and yell, but he was quickly silenced by Judge Taylor gavel and his stern, booming voice.
“Enough! This is a court of law, and you will not raise your voice to me, this man, or anyone else! Now get out of my courtroom!” As Judge Taylor’s voice echoed through air, Bob Ewell violently grabbed Mayella by the collar of her shirt and stomped out of the courtroom, pulling her behind him. People below slowly began to file out of the courtroom behind him. As the courtroom emptied, I shifted my gaze to Tom Robinson who had tears streaming down his face and was embracing Atticus with his one good arm. This went on for about a minute as Judge Taylor, the jury, and anyone left on the courtroom floor funneled out of the courtroom leaving Tom and Atticus standing alone. Atticus began escorting Tom out of the courtroom when I heard everyone around me on the balcony rise to their feet as they passed, and Jem grabbed pulled Dill and I towards the door urging us to go down and greet Atticus.
Almost a week after the trial when Jem and I were getting ready for bed, Atticus told us that Heck Tate had stopped by that afternoon while we were outside playing. Heck had informed him that Bob Ewell had been stabbed and killed by his daughter Mayella, who claimed that she grabbed a knife in self-defense when Bob had come at her drunk. Atticus said that we wouldn’t have to worry about him dealing with another trial because Judge Taylor had appointed the case to someone else believing that Atticus needed a break.
That was the last I ever heard about Bob Ewell, or Tom’s trial for that matter and life in Maycomb pretty much went back to normal. Then a weeks later we started to see Arthur Radley out around town. He seemed like a regular old guy and I was surprised that he would be the kind of person to be shut away for so long and to come out like a normal person. I always wondered why out of the blue he just decided to leave his house and go around and talk to people, but Jem told me that he knew why. He told me he could see why someone would want to lock them self away from all the problems and hate in the world and that he finally decided to leave because after the way trial turned out and Bob Ewell was gone, Arthur Radley just thought the world might not be that bad of a place. At the time I didn’t understand what Jem meant, or what was so important about Tom’s trial, but as the years went on and I started to see white and black folk begin to mingle and live with one another, I figured it out. Tom’s trial was Maycomb’s wake up call that times were changing, and when I look back at it all, I’m proud that it had happened because Atticus didn’t care about the color of Tom’s skin and wouldn’t let an innocent man die, and I finally understood what he meant when he told Jem and I that it was a sin to kill a mockingbird.