Why does atticus sit outside the jail

Suddenly Scout runs out into the circle, but is taken aback when she realizes that these men are strangers to her. Atticus orders the children to go home, but Jem refuses. One man picks up Jem by the collar, and Scout kicks the man in the groin. Jem still refuses to leave.

Scout becomes interested in the men, who smell of "whiskey and pigpen" and are dressed in heavy dark clothes despite the summer night. Looking for a friendly face in the group, she recognizes Mr. Cunningham, the father of Walter from her class at school.

Atticus sits on a chair outside the jailhouse in order to make Tom Robinson feel more secure and safe. What does Tom say to Mr. Gilmer that makes the crowd angry?

That he felt bad for the white person I tried to help her. Dill cries because he was so horrified at the treatment of Tom Robinson at the hands of Mr.

Cunningham, the father of her classmate Walter Cunningham. They depart, and Mr. Underwood talk for a while, and then Atticus takes the children home. If Aunt Alexandra embodies the rules and customs of the adult world, then the reappearance of Dill at this juncture offers Scout an opportunity to flee, at least for a short time, back into the comforts of childhood.

In the previous section, we saw the twelve-year-old Jem indignantly urging Scout to act more like a girl, indicating his growing awareness of adult social roles and expectations.

As Scout duly notes, the world of childhood fun that Dill represents can no longer stave off the adult reality of hatred and unfairness that Jem finds himself entering. The now mature Jem leads Scout and Dill into town on the night that Atticus faces the lynch mob.

Though he disobeys his father, he does so not petulantly but maturely. Cunningham about his son despite being surrounded by a hostile lynch mob. Within the moral universe of To Kill a Mockingbird , the behavior of both characters makes perfect sense. Cunningham realize her essential goodness, and he responds with civility and kindness.

Ace your assignments with our guide to To Kill a Mockingbird! As You Like It Dr. Scout, Jem, and Dill protect Atticus by following him there. Jem refuses to leave when he sees that the men are threatening his father. What does Atticus tell the children about coming downtown? Scout learns that Atticus was forced to do the case, even though he wanted to. What does Atticus take with him from the house that makes the kids curious the night he sat in front of the jail?

What do the men want who confront Atticus in front of the jail? They want to discuss the trial with Atticus. They want to harm Tom.