After all of the evidence that Atticus presented to the judge and jury, it is obvious to the reader that Tom was being accused of something he did not do. Atticus makes three strong points in his summation speech in chapter 20. The first point is the truth of what happened that night at Mayella's house. She was white and she tempted a black man. Then he points out that Bob Ewell, Mayella's father, was left handed, which leads us to make sense of the wounds on the right side of her face. He lastly points out that the one place in our country where "all men are created equal" is in the courtroom. With his dramatic explanation and plea to the jury, the jury then leaves to deliberate.
The jury is out for hours. Because of the time period, it should be a quick "done-deal" because a black man attacked a white woman, and all jury members were white. However, the jury struggles with this case. They have respected Atticus all of these years and know what he is saying is true. After what seems like days, the verdict is reached and the judge asks each juror for Tom's sentencing. Tom is found "guilty...guilty...guilty...guilty." Atticus leaves the courtroom very quickly. But as he does so, the balcony of blacks all stand to show respect for what he did for Tom.
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