Chapter 16 Summary

Tom Robinson's trial begins and all sorts of people are in attendance. An obvious person who is missing, is Miss Maudie because she objects to watching someone on trial for his life. The white people of Maycomb sit in the main section of the courthouse, while the black people are forced to sit upstairs in the balcony. Scout, Jem and Dill arrive at the last minute to avoid Atticus and Cal's minister lets them sit with him. From their vantage point, they have a bird's eye view of the entire courtroom.

Chapter 16 Analysis

Various things illustrate the divisions within Maycomb. Making the white people sit downstairs and the black people sitting the balcony show the divisions between the types of people in the town. There is also the horrible irony that a despicable man who is normally a laughing stock can destroy the...