The conflict is between white people, with Tom as the unseen, powerless object they're fighting over. It's not until after they leave that Tom's disembodied voice comes out of the darkness.Ī soft husky voice came from the darkness above: "They gone?"Ītticus stepped back and looked up. When the lynch mob turns up at the jail where he's being held, they face off with Atticus while Tom himself listens silently from inside. Tom himself is basically absent from these debates, which assume either that he's guilty or that, regardless of his guilt or innocence, he should be punished for getting anywhere near Mayella.Īnd Tom stays invisible through most of the novel. Tom Robinson's name comes up long before he appears in person, but the main issue setting tongues wagging isn't whether Tom is innocent or guilty, but Atticus's resolve to give him a good defense. He's also a litmus test for Maycomb's racism-and, unfortunately for him, it fails. Like Boo Radley, Tom Robinson isn't just an individual.
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