Sunday, February 20, 2011

How would you describe the men from Old Sarum in Chapter 15 of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

In Chapter 15, Jem, Dill, and Scout search for Atticus, who happens to be sitting outside of Tom Robinson's jail cell. Atticus wants to make sure that no one will harm Tom before the trial, and shortly after the children locate Atticus, they witness a group of dusty cars arrive from the Meridian highway. The cars stop right in front of the Maycomb jailhouse and a group of men known as the Old Sarum bunch encircle Atticus. They are there to lynch Tom Robinson and the leader of the mob, Walter Cunningham, tells Atticus to move out of the way. Atticus tells them to go home, and Scout runs out from her hiding place. When she enters the circle of men, she mentions that they smelled like stale whiskey and pigpen. Jem follows Scout out of the shadows and Atticus also tells him to go home. When Jem refuses, one of the members of the Old Sarum bunch grabs him by the collar and yanks Jem off of his feet. Scout kicks the man in the crotch and Atticus continues to plead with his son to go home. Scout looks around at the mob and mentions that they are dressed in overalls and denim shirts buttoned up to the collars, with their sleeves rolled down and buttoned at the cuffs. They also wear their hats low to disguise their identity. Scout recognizes Walter Cunningham's father and attempts to carry on a conversation. She eventually gets his attention, and Walter realizes the error in his decision. Walter then tells the mob that it's time to leave, and they get in their cars and drive home.


The Old Sarum bunch was a group of racist hillbillies who wished to lynch Tom Robinson. Judging from their dusty cars, country dialect, and attire, one can tell that they are poor, uneducated farmers. The Old Sarum bunch obviously has violent tendencies because they are there to harm Tom, and one of the members is quick to grab Jem. The Old Sarum bunch has a reputation for getting drunk and disturbing the peace throughout the county, which is exactly what they do in Chapter 15. They also seem to follow Walter's lead and do not make individual decisions on their own.

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