"To Kill A Mockingbird" and all associated characters belong to Harper Lee.
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Today was the day of the trial. Tom Robinson was voted "guilty" by the jury. I reckon I'll have a good chance of getting the appeal across, but I only say this in front of the children to make them feel better about it. Whenever there is a miscarriage of justice, whether in petty schoolyard quarrels or in matters as serious as to be taken to a court, it seems that only children weep.
This trial has been one of the most harrowing ones through which I've been. I don't care what they do to me for wholeheartedly defending a black man, but I fear for my children. I do not wish for them to grow up with the misconception that choosing the just path isn't worth it. Will all they've gone through cloud their sense of justice in the future? Jem, particularly, looks disappointed. It will be years before he can understand and accept the ugly side of human nature. I can accept it, but I don't understand it.
I tried to keep my calm during the trial, and I must say I did so rather successfully, but I started to get emotionally involved towards the end, and while I finished up my summation speech, my voice quavered slightly, such that I could not project the last sentence. I doubt Scout heard me. I doubt Scout even understands the significance of the case and her contribution to nearly hanging the jury. It takes a child's innocence not to be tainted or worried by these events… the reason why she fights over this, I think, is not similar to Jem's reason – the sheer unfairness of it all – but simply to stand up for me. I appreciate their support – after all, they might be the precious few in Maycomb who can still think clearly.
Through the haze of strong belief hovering around the coloured balcony, and through the strong faith of the children in the judicial system, I experienced a moment of vague optimism, but it was crushed by the deeply grounded faith of the residents in the assumption that Negroes will never win. The people were strongly drawn to Bob Ewell's performance, but I think they treat it like a show or a parade more than a serious trial. Why can't they understand that a man's life is at stake? Even Gilmer's treatment of Tom - that was downright biased. Gilmer was trying to appeal to the jury's prejudice, and it effectively undid what I tried to make them see. All I can hope for now is that the court will consider my efforts and accept the appeal for justice.
I did this because I wanted to right the system, to make the first step towards clearing discrimination, but I know it is only one small step. The small step itself, however, was actually executed by Scout by way of her talking to Mr. Cunningham when the mob confronted me. I believe that he was the one who nearly hung the jury. Not only do we need a police force of children, we'll need a jury of children as well. It surprises me how much their innocent conjectures can make one realize things.
This trial, this very trial that came so close to pitting whites against blacks on an equal level, will soon be forgotten, as with my name, when Negroes and whites finally stand on the same level. However, I do sincerely hope that I will live to see it. (Whether I might live another fifty years remains to be seen though.)