Heck Tate Close Read Essay

A fact showing that Heck Tate was doing poor investigation was he never called a doctor when he showed up at the scene. Another fact about how Heck Tate investigated poorly is Tate confirmed it was Mayella's right eye that had a bruise on it so that means Tom Robinson would have to use his left arm, but he couldn't because he got it caught in a cotton

Titus Smith Mrs. Lawson English 10 11 January 2023 Who is to blame? Mayella Ewell had no evidence to prove Tom was guilty, but on Tom's side, there was specific evidence that proves he is innocent. The story of, ¨To Kill a Mocking Bird¨ by Harper Lee, is about a little girl living through the experiences of a court case between a local family daughter Mayella Ewell, and a black man Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson was accused by Mayella of rape when he came to the Ewell house to help her. Mayella invited Tom inside to help her and considering Tom Robinson was a black man, the community already did not treat him well.

Naturally, Tom would be seen as the guilty party in this situation, but here’s why he isn’t. Mayella Ewell, the so-called victim, Heck Tate, Bob Ewell, and Tom Robinson all had different accounts on what happened on the twenty-first day of November. Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb County, took the stand first in this trial. Heck was dressed formally in a suit and tie. However, when Mr. Gilmer and Atticus Finch approached him to question him, he became nervous and stiff.

Bob Ewell entered the office excited saying Heck needed to get out to the Ewells house quick, because some black person raped his daughter. Mr. Tate then drove to the Ewells estate and found Mayella Ewell lying in the middle of the floor in the front room beat up. Heck then helped Mayella up and asked her who had beat her up. Mayella told Sheriff Heck Tate that it was Tom Robinson who beat her up. Then Mr. Tate asked if Tom had taken advantage of her

Heck Tate, Maycomb’s sheriff, is a good guy, who’s job is to maintain law and order inside the town. Being the sheriff, it is his job to follow the evidence and trace it back. When Miss Mayella Ewell is “abused” by a strong black man, she says that the attacker was Tom Robinson. “So I went down to Robinson’s house and brought him back. She identified him as the one, so I took him in.

Heck Tate decides to give the Tom Robinson case to Atticus because he believes that although he might not win it, the jury will actually think about the case before deciding their verdict. Atticus accepts the case because he felt as though he “couldn 't hold up [his] head in town” and that he “couldn 't represent [the] country in the legislature” (Lee 100). He acceptes the case to prove he is reliability. Another example of Atticus showing how reliable he is is when he is interrogating Mayella. She feels as though he is making fun of her.

In response to this, Heck Tate says “There's a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead'' (Lee 369). Heck, Tates wants to protect Boo’s peace as he doesnt want Boo to get in trouble for something he didn't intentionally do. Bob Ewell also sent Tom Robinson to death, so

“Mr. Ewell’s face grew scarlet. He stood up and pointed his finger at Tom Robinson”(196). Following Ewell was his daughter. Mrs. Mayella Ewell’s testimony relayed the above information along with the details of the crime. However, when Finch questioned Ewell, Finch began to find uncertainties in Ewell’s account.

After the crime had been committed, Atticus was certain that his own son, Jem had killed Ewell. Knowing the truth, Heck chose to twist it. Arthur Radley had murdered Mr. Ewell with his kitchen knife, but no one in Maycomb would know that story: the true story. Instead Heck Tate told Atticus, “Mr. Finch, Bob Ewell fell on his knife. He killed himself.”(Lee

Mr. Ewell describes to Atticus that to him it is a “sin” to bring a shy man who does good out of the shadows that the society has forced him to go into. Boo Radley has been an individual in the society for as long as anyone can remember and bring someone who has been characterized as a boogeyman into the society that has given him that name is wrong. Scout uses the rule that Atticus taught her about the Mockingbird to show Atticus that presenting Boo to the society is wrong. After Mr. Tate explains to Atticus the moral principles of the matter of bringing Boo into the light Atticus puts aside his views and thinks about his mockingbird. Seeing her father's discomfort Scout assures him

Radley is understood to be mistreated by his father in his childhood and was locked away in his home for a minor infraction, making him the gossip of the town in Maycomb. Early in the book, Jem depicts Boo as a terrifying monster who had “blood-stained hands (pg.14)” and a “long jagged scar (pg.14)” from “din[ing] on raw squirrels and cats (pg.14)”. The author creates this gruesome imagery through the frightening connotations of Boo’s description to highlight the children’s’ negative perception of him. However, Boo is a hapless and innocent individual. The audience is first positioned to view Boo as such when he showed an unanticipated act of heroism, saving Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell’s attempted murder.

Sheriff Tate’s actions do represent the ideas in the Gettysburg Address because it states that laws are to be made and enforced by the people and for the the people and this is exactly what Heck Tate did that Halloween night. He lied for the greater good of the people involved, Boo Radley. He didn’t do it in self defense, but in defense of others which would not evolve into any charges after he can prove that it was truly in defense of others. Heck Tate knew that Boo Radley did not kill Bob out of cruelty, but to protect Jem and Scout. Therefore, he did not want to put a quiet, reserved, innocent man in the public eye and put him as well as Scout through a difficult trial.

Scout says this to Atticus after Mr. Ewell tried to attack Scout and Jem. They are all beginning to understand that Mr. Arthur “Boo” Radley saved the children from the attack. Mr. Tate was saying that he could tell the town that Arthur saved the children, but then his quiet life would be ruined. Arthur Radley is a very shy man who enjoys his solitude and privacy; if the town was to hear of his, no doubt, heroic and kind actions he would be pulled out into the “limelight,” and his privacy would be severely invaded. Mr. Arthur Radley is another mockingbird in this story.

However, Heck Tate defends his actions by telling Atticus that it was his decision and responsibility to deal with Bob Ewell’s case. Heck Tate also says that because Tom Robinson died for no reason and Bob Ewell was responsible for his death, Mr. Robinson’s death led to Bob Ewell’s death. Heck Tate says to Atticus, “There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch” (369). Heck Tate says “let the dead bury the dead” to Mr. Finch because he doesn't feel any pity towards Bob Ewell after his cowardly actions of attempting to kill Scout and Jem.

Since Mr. Radley never came out of the house, frightening rumors spread about him and the children all knew them. They even played games where they reenacted the story that was spread around about him, not realizing how disgraceful it was to the Radleys. Towards the end the book, Scout finally get to meet Boo Radley after Bob Ewell attempted to kill her and Jem. Scout took Mr. Radley home and on the way back she thought, “Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.