In chapter 18 we are introduced to the victim, Mayella. She is put up on the stands after her father. Harper Lee gives off little hints that Mayella is smarter than her family; she can read, she is the eldest of the chirldren. And because of this we begin to feel a little sympathy for her and we are lead to believe that Atticus is a bad guy who is being very mean to Mayella

‘don’t want him(Atticus) doing me dirty like he done papa’ – Mayella

‘I won’t try to scare you(Mayella) for a while, not yet.’ – Atticus

Atticus’ further supports me augment that Mayelka is being toyed by Atticus and that Atticus is being wicked and twisted. I gathered this from the use of ‘not yet’ as it suggests that Atticus, if not being vile now, he will soon.

However other quotes suggests that Mayella is becoming impatient and angry by Arricus’ in capability to ask important questions and treating with the respect that she thinks she deserves

‘Mayella’s hostility, which had subsided to grudging neutrality, flared again.’

Harper Lee prepared us for a unfair and brutal trial for Atticus , Tom Robinson and the black community. This is done through many different characters and metaphors

‘Roman circus’- Ms Maudie (the day of the trail, description of the courthouse)

this quote is said as Ms Maudie justify’s why she will no be attending the trail. It is very powerful as using these words to describe a court suggest that the trail will be brutal/entertaining but for all the wrong reasons just like the Roman games.

‘… Original court house burnt in 1865. Another court was built around them. It’s better to say, built in spite of them’

I belive that the court house burning and the declaration of the freedom of slaves have a strong connection. I think that the original court house and the way in which it has been rebuilt shows is the true Deep South philosophy of  Maycomb society, I think this quote is a powerful metaphor as it enhances our understanding of how Tom Robinson might feel. The same persecution that the Black community has felt over the last hundred years hasn’t change and that Tom Robinson will enviably fall like the people previous to him

Calpurnia is shown to be a woman who has lost culture or her identity. This is shown throughout the chapter as we begin to discover more about her personal life. She has a son, Zeebo, and grandchildren, as well as her lack of knowledge of her own birthday. We begin to feel sympathy for her and so do Jem and Scout

‘That Calpurnia led a modest double life never dawned on me’ (Scout)

Suggesting that scout possibly feels a little sympathy for Calpurnia

At the begin of chapter we are introduced to a new character called Ms Dubose. Harper Lee uses this character to show courage throughout the chapter but at first we do not realise. This is because at the beginning of the chapter. Jem and Ms Dubose have a bit of brawl between each other

( find quote)

however during the chapter we are slowly told that Ms Dubose is very ill through the words of Atticus and Jem’s and Scout’s eyes ( page 118 lines 20-29)

And at the end of the chapter we are told that Ms Dubose has died and Harper Lee uses Atticus to summaries Ms Dubose’s live and the idea of courage is not a man with a gun