The town of Maycom was gathered in the courtroom for Tom Robinson’s case. I peered down over the crowd of people watching my father stand silently at the front next to Tom. Jem was drumming his fingers on the wooden railing in front of us. The minutes ticked by as we waited anxiously for the jury to give their verdict. Finally Judge Taylor stood up and collected their pieces of paper. He cleared his throat and read: “Not guilty, not guilty, not guilty not guilty.” I gave out a cheer and stood up clapping. Soon other members of the audience stood up too. A smile radiantly lit up Tom’s face. His wife ran up to him and took his hand as he whispered a word of thanks to Attuicus. Most people stayed on their feet as the couple walked out but Mr. Ewell sneered at them and shook his fist at them.
But the next day Atticus told me that Mr. Ewell had been put in jail. He was tried in court and found to be guilty of the crime for which he had blamed Tom Robinson. They sentenced him to twenty years in prison.
After the trial, My father and Tom were greatly respected. Many of the townspeople began to see black people as their equals. A few people remained bitter toward my father, and claimed that a great in justice had been done. But in reality, my father had given justice and shown that a person’s worth is not determined by their skin color.