Sunday, August 26, 2012

In the book "To Kill A Mockingbird," how old are Tom Robinson's children?

I do not believe we are ever told the ages of Tom Robinson's children in To Kill a Mockingbird. Tom is 25 years old, and is married to a woman named Helen. They have three children. One is named Sam, but Harper Lee does not note the names of the other two, or the ages of any of them. We can assume from the fact that Tom is 25 that his children are young; most likely the oldest would be 7 or possibly 8 years old.


Tom apparently has had a decent life until the Ewells accuse him of the rape of Mayella. He has a job despite having a "withered" left arm, has a family, and is a kind and compassionate person. We know this because he takes pity on Mayella, a poor 19 year old white girl who lives in poverty and is raising her younger siblings. Tom tries to help her when he can. When Mayella mistakes his kindness for something more and kisses him, her worthless, drunkard father sees him and accuses Tom of rape. Tom's trial and lynching are key plot points in the book.

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