Although Mr. Underwood, the editor of the local paper, is
a minor character in the book and is almost never directly quoted, his ideas are
extremely significant in undertanding the events that take place in Maycomb concerning
Tom Robinson. In Chapter 25, he writes about the trial that has just taken place, and
Scout relates the jist of what he is saying without actually quoting his words. Scout
says, that Mr. Underwood
"didn't talk about miscarriages of justice, he
was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to
kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom's death to the
senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and
children."
After pondering
upon Mr. Underwood's words for awhile, Scout comes to an understanding of what he is
trying to say. Mr. Underwood means that
"Atticus had used every tool available to free
men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case.
Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and
screamed."
Despite the lack
of direct quotes attributed to Mr. Underwood, he apparently is a man who can be quite
garrulous. In Chapter 15, on the night that Atticus holds vigil over Tom Robinson,
trying to ensure his safety by sitting in front of the jail, Scout notes that "it seemed
that Atticus and Mr. Underwood would talk for the rest of the night." Just previously, a
mob had come to take the law into their own hands, only to be defused by the innocent
talk of Scout, who appeals successfully to their individual sense of decency. When the
incident is over, Mr. Underwood comes out and says the only words directly quoted by him
that I could find. Mr. Underwood, holding a double-barreled shotgun, calls out after
Atticus tells Tom the men won't be bothering him
anymore,
"You're damn tootin' they won't. Had you
covered all the time, Atticus."
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