Contents
Chapter 17
Overview
Heck Tate recounts being called by Bob Ewell, confirms Mayella’s injuries, and admits no doctor was summoned. Atticus highlights that Mayella’s right eye was bruised and there were finger marks around her neck. Bob Ewell claims he saw Tom assault Mayella but also reveals he is left-handed, suggesting an alternate assailant.
The courtroom grows tense as Judge Taylor reins in decorum, while the children remain to witness the emerging contradictions.
Summary
The trial opens with Sheriff Heck Tate’s testimony. Heck Tate says Bob Ewell fetched him on November 21, claiming Tom Robinson raped Mayella. Tate found Mayella bruised, with a blackened right eye and finger marks around her neck. Under Atticus’s questions, Tate admits no one called a doctor.
Atticus presses details: which eye was injured and whether marks encircled Mayella’s throat. Tate confirms the right eye and says the marks were around her neck. Atticus’s focus signals the jury to consider how the injuries might have been inflicted.
Bob Ewell then testifies that he heard Mayella scream, looked through a window, and claims he saw Tom on her. The outburst rattles the courtroom; Judge Taylor restores order and refuses to clear spectators, warning all to remain silent.
Under cross-examination, Atticus asks why Ewell never called a doctor. Ewell says he never does and couldn’t afford it. He agrees with Tate’s description of Mayella’s injuries. Atticus then asks Ewell to write his name; Ewell does so with his left hand, revealing he is left-handed.
Ewell denies any trickery and repeats his story, but the demonstration plants reasonable doubt by aligning Mayella’s right-side injuries with a left-handed assailant. From the balcony, Jem believes the point favors the defense as the children remain to watch the case deepen.
Who Appears
- Atticus FinchDefense attorney; emphasizes lack of medical exam and elicits that Mayella’s right eye was bruised; proves Bob Ewell is left-handed.
- Heck TateSheriff; first witness; reports Mayella’s injuries, finger marks on her neck, and admits no doctor was called.
- Bob EwellComplainant; claims he saw Tom assault Mayella, never called a doctor; demonstrates he is left-handed, implying possible culpability.
- Judge TaylorPresides firmly; maintains decorum, denies clearing the courtroom, and underscores Ewell’s left-handedness.
- Mr. GilmerProsecutor; leads Tate’s and Ewell’s testimonies, establishing the state’s narrative.
- Scout FinchChild narrator; observes from the balcony, noting courtroom dynamics and Atticus’s strategy.
- Jem FinchWatches intently from the balcony; recognizes the significance of Ewell being left-handed.
- Dill HarrisObserves the testimony from the balcony with Scout and Jem.
- Reverend SykesHosts the children in the colored balcony; worries the trial is unfit for them.
- Tom RobinsonDefendant; remains mostly silent during accusers’ testimony, the focus of emerging doubt.