Most of Atticus' friends and supporters obviously were not
happy with the jury's verdict. Scout and Jem were unhappy with the decision, and Jem
particularly felt that Atticus had proved his case. We can assume that Dill felt Tom was
innocent after he left the courtroom in tears during the prosecutor's questioning. Miss
Maudie made her feelings known when she told the children that Atticus was not alone in
his support of Tom. Calpurnia, like the rest of Maycomb's black population, believed Tom
to be innocent. Aunt Alexandra supported her brother and despised Bob Ewell, though it
is not clear whether she believed Tom to be innocent. The newspaper editor, Mr.
Underwood, clearly believed that Tom's death was unjustified through his editorial that
compared it with the "senseless slaughter of songbirds." Dolphus Raymond refused to
attend the trial, though he likely supported Tom. Sheriff Heck Tate may not have
believed Tom innocent in the beginning, but he understood later that Bob Ewell's death
was a fitting end since Ewell had caused Tom's death.
We
don't know how Boo felt about Tom's guilty verdict, and Mrs. Dubose was dead (though she
obviously thought Atticus was wrong to defend Tom). It's not clear where Miss Stephanie
stood on this matter. We also don't know Mayella's reaction; however, her conscience
could not have been a clear one, since she knew that Tom had not committed the acts of
which he was accused. Her testimony was clearly made due to her fear of her own father.
Bob clearly hated all black men and women, and he must have been greatly satisfied at
the verdict--though not at how Atticus disgraced him on the stand. As for Tom, he chose
suicide-by-cop rather than remain imprisoned for a crime he did not
commit.
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