Chapters 18-21 Natalie Madden Just before the court hears the verdict, Scout imagines Atticus “walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing the gun was empty.” What is the significance of this line?

Before the court hears the verdict Scout imagines Atticus that“walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing the gun was empty.”(Lee 282) This line is describing the court situation. It is saying Atticus walked into the courtroom, "the street", accepted the trial, “Raise a rifle to his shoulder.” (Lee 282) He fought for Tom Robinson or “Pull the trigger.” At the beginning of the case Atticus knew that there was a slim chance of Tom Robinson being declared not guilty. He tried as hard as he could throughout the case, even though he knew that he was going to lose, “But watching all the time knowing the gun was empty.” In the south in the 1930’s there was racial tension. If a black man was accused of raping a white girl and the white girl says he did, then the white jury is going to lean towards the side of the white girl. Scout understands that Atticus already knew that he was going to lose the case. Atticus wanted to take the case because if he didn’t he “Couldn’t hold up his head in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell Scout or Jem not to do something again.”(Lee 100) Even though Atticus knew that he wasn’t going to win the case he still took it anyway.

Would you take the case?