Heck Tate Character Analysis

In the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Sheriff Heck Tate is being used by Harper Lee as a proxy demonstrating the changing attitudes of Maycomb towards its disadvantaged members. Sheriff Heck Tate would have been elected into his position, which shows that he is aligned with their values. During the trial against Tom Robinson, many of the community members openly express their hate for Tom. Before the trial, they even go as far as trying to lynch Atticus, just for trying to defend him. Heck Tate shows that he (a representative of the community) has changed by not prosecuting Boo Radley for the murder of Bob Ewell. Sheriff Heck Tate is undoubtedly a personification of the general attitude of not only the small town of Maycomb, but also a lot of the southern United States. Although Maycomb is not technically a real town, the town it was based on (Monroeville) certainly …show more content…
Before the trial, they attempt to murder Atticus, and they would have succeeded, were it not for Scout interrupting them. They all seem to unanimously hate anyone who supports Tom. Atticus is called a "nigger lover" many times throughout the novel. The community's initial hatred of blacks is so strong that they see it as being almost as bad to support one as it is to be one. This is one of the reasons that the book is about classism rather than racism. There are a few notable characters who are seen as part of a lower class : Atticus, who supports blacks (or at least Tom Robinson); Tom Robinson, who is black; and Boo Radley, who is mentally ill. Although they may not all be seen as equals, the fact remains that in general, the community doesn't like them in the slightest. Heck Tate and the community knowingly sentencing Tom Robinson to death is no different than if Heck Tate had decided to brin Boo Radley to court. Although in a legal sense he made the wrong decision, morally, he did