The Radley Tree

Jem told me about Boo Radley today! He got in trouble when he was a kid and hasn’t really been out of his house since!! It is crazy and I think he is dead, but Jem says he is alive, because they haven’t carried him out of his house yet. Jem, Dill, and me are all kind of scared of the Radley house. Every time we go by it we run very fast! Jem tried to put a letter to Boo in through their window, but Atticus caught us. Then one day we found two rare Indian coins in the tree that is partly on the schoolyard and partly on the Radley yard. We took them, and I thought maybe it was someone’s hiding space. Then the next day we found two soap carvings that looked exactly like us. Then after that we found a broken pocket watch! All of these things are great treasures, but no one seemed to be missing anything at school. Plus the soap looked just like us. I think it might have been Boo trying to communicate with us. I have a feeling that Boo is lonely. I hope I get to meet him sometime.

Tom is Found Guilty

Mr. Robinson was found guilty today at the courthouse. He is a very nice black man. Tom’s left arm is crippled from an accident when he was about my age. Tom has a wife and a couple little kids, but now he might be put to death. Tom supposedly took advantage of and beat up Mayella Ewell. The evidence that Atticus gave and the Ewell’s testimonials made it obvious that Bob Ewell beat up his daughter after his daughter kissed Tom. Tom was trying to get away from Mayella, and when she kissed him he tried not to offend her and tried to walk away. He knows if he would’ve offended her he would have been in big trouble, because she is white and he is black. I don’t see how this is that much of a problem, but when I asked Jem why it was a big deal and he said it was too hard for me to understand. Jem seems to think that I’m a little baby who doesn’t understand anything. He is not so high and mighty he’s only four years older than me. Jem is very upset that Tom was found guilty, and he is keeping to himself. My community left a ton of food at our doorstep for being Tom's lawyer, and being fair even though Tom is black. Atticus is likely one of the only white men who has showed the black community any kindness. I think it is very sad and I’m sure Tom is innocent, and I think everyone else is sure also. Atticus said he figured they would say Tom was guilty, just because he is black and there is a lot of discrimination going on at this time in history.

Tom Robinson and His Wife's Death

Today I found out that Tom Robinson an innocent black man is dead. My father said that Tom was tired of taking white man’s chances and preferred to take his own. It really is an awful way to die. He was trying to escape prison by climbing over the fence. The guards told him to stop, but when he didn’t they were forced to shoot him. Atticus even said Tom had a good chance of going free with the new evidence that Atticus had found. Even Aunt Alexandra was sad that Tom died. Calpurnia and Atticus had to go tell Tom’s family. Later in the day both of them headed off to the Robinson’s to tell them that Tom was killed. Jem told me what happened, because he went with them. They pulled up to the Robinson house, and a lot of little kids were in the front yard playing games. Sam, Tom’s son, got up and went to get his mother. A little baby girl came outside, and Atticus helped her down the steps and gave her Calpurnia. Mrs. Robinson came outside. Then she asked if Atticus would like to take a seat. All of the sudden out of nowhere Mrs. Robinson fell down in the dirt. It was like she was squashed like a bug, and she was dead. I think it might have been fate… I don’t exactly know what that is, but I think it happened for a reason.

Bob Ewell Trying To Get Even

It was pitch black so we felt our way across the school yard. Jem kept hearing someone walking behind us. I didn’t hear it at first, but then I heard footsteps stop and start when we did. Jen and me picked up the pace. He even helped me with my costume to hurry along then we stopped and I heard the swish of the trees and realized it was the swish of cotton pants. Both of us kids stopped once more just to make sure someone was following us. This time the footsteps didn’t stop when we did. Someone was really following us!! Jem told me to run. I did, but then I fell and couldn’t move because of my costume. All of the sudden my costume was crushed against me! All of the sudden I heard metal ripping on metal. I fell to the ground and rolled as far as I could, but still couldn’t get out of my stupid costume. Jem and I were almost to the road. Then Jem was pulled to the ground. I heard a crunching noise, and Jem screamed! I ran towards the scream, but ran into Bob Ewell and he squeezed the breath out of me.  Then someone jerked the man holding me to the ground. I slowly gained my senses and saw a man carrying Jem to my house and followed in my very squashed costume.


 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FROgIia2cb8 This is a video of what happened.

Getting To Know Boo Radley

I walked in the door and everyone was glad I was okay. Aunt Alexandria helped me out of my costume, and she accidentally gave me my overalls and a t-shirt. Those are the clothes of mine that she despises! I went into the family room and Dr. Reynolds came out of Jem’s room to see me. I asked him if Jem was dead, but he said Jem was far from dead. I wasn’t convinced I was sure Bob Ewell killed him. Then Mr. Reynolds checked me out and he said I was okay and nothing was broken. He let me go see Jem. Jem had his arm in a tent to protect it, because Mr. Ewell broke his elbow when he was trying to kill Jem. Jem was asleep, because he was given a sedative or something. A man who was very very pale was standing in the corner of the room. Atticus called the sheriff, Mr. Heck Tate. The sheriff had me tell him my side of the story. I realized the person in the corner of the room was Boo Radley and he had pulled Bob Ewell off of me and not Jem. We also looked at my costume and found a slice from a knife, but my costume had saved me. Mr. Tate told us he found Bob Ewell dead with a knife stabbed into him under the tree. Atticus insisted it was Jem who stabbed Bob, but I think it was Boo. I think he did it to save us. Heck said he was going to say it was Bob Ewell who fell on his knife and stabbed himself. I know that Heck just wants to save Boo from taking the blame. Atticus and Heck fought about if Jem killed Bob, but Heck won. I walked Boo in to see Jem. Then I brought him home like a lady. He doesn’t talk out loud, just with body language. I understand him better now. I believe he is a great person even if he is different. I came back home and Atticus read a story to me and then tucked me into my bed. I realized what he meant when he said that when you finally walk around in someone else’s shoes you understand them.