Tate is saying that the "black boy,” is dead and the man
who killed him is dead, so there's no point in pursuing the matter. Let the
dead bury the dead in a simplified manner is just let it go. Mr. Tate explains
his reasoning on page 369, “I’m going on forty-three years old, know every
that’s happened here since before I was born” (Lee 369). Mr. Tate has seen many
useless cases of white versus black since he was young, being the sheriff of
Maycomb. He calls the shots. Mr. Tate’s wisdom is far superior of Atticus’s in
the moment because Atticus is flustered at the thought of his boy killing Bob
Ewell. The sheriff realizes this and points it out to Atticus, “Mr. Finch, I
hate to fight you when you’re like this, You’ve been under strain tonight no
man should have to go through” (Lee 368). This time Mr. Tate has decided to
take this into his own hands and let it go. There is no point of causing any
more trouble in a case that has already solved itself. Bob Ewell was finally
brought to justice. Mr. Tate may have been unfair to African American’s in the
past, and he acknowledges his wrongs, “ I’m not a very good man, sir, but I am
the sheriff of Maycomb County” (Lee 369). It is Mr. Heck Tate’s way of paying
his dues and making the right decision for the town of Maycomb. Let the dead
bury the dead.
Heck Tate is not willing to let a Atticus, a man who has had to endure so many tribulations, through the death of Tom Robinson and the attempted murder of his own children by Bob Ewell, endure yet another awful experience in the form of having to put his own son on trial. Atticus has a deep and enduring committment to justice, as evidence when he says "Heck, its mighty kind of you and I know you're doing it from that good heart of yours but don't start anything like that." (Lee, 313). Atticus doesn't believe that Jem didn't kill Bob Ewell, so he refuses to hear otherwise. In this, Atticus is being so paranoid about the nature of justice and how it concerns himself with Jem, that he totally loses touch with the reality that Jem didn't kill Bob Ewell, and even if he had it would be no crime, as it was clear self defense and he was a juvenile. Heck Tate says let the dead bury the dead because he is trying to show Atticus that he should not be entirely consumed by his belief about Jem and the possible murder of Bob Ewell.
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