Harper Lee did an excellent job of using dialect throughout her
novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. The quote you have referred to here is an
example of the Southern dialect used by Tom Robinson as a member of Maycomb's African-American
society and culture.
When Atticus asks Tom Robinson if he
"resist{ed} her advance," he is simply asking if Tom Robinson tried to escape Mayella Ewell's
romantic advances and attention. In other words, Atticus wants to know if Robinson welcomed
Mayella's hug and kiss, or if he discouraged such actions. In return, Robinson states that he
tried to resist Mayella's attempts. When he says that he "tried to 'thout being' ugly to her,"
he means that he did not want to do anything that is considered unkind or less than nice in any
way. "Ugly" behavior would be mean or nasty in some way. Tom Robinson is a gentle, considerate
man and has no desire to harm anyone; Robinson feels sorry for Mayella and only wants to help
her.
No comments:
Post a Comment