in chapter 19 of To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus calls Tom Robinson to the stand through his questioning Atticus reveals what most everyone knows to be true Tom is a gentle and caring man who occasionally helped the ules because he lived near them Tom tells the court may Ella had invited him inside the fence of her yard several times to do small tasks for her on the day in question he reports that he was assisting her when she kissed him and made sexual advances toward him when Bob Ewell saw them Tom fled Tom's testimony remained solid even mr. Gilmer's cross-examination can't shake it when mr. Gilmer asks Tom why he would do so much for the ules without getting paid tom responds honestly by telling the court that he feels sorry for me Ella for people like the ules there's nothing more insulting than being pitied by a black man Scout doesn't hear all the cross examination because dill suddenly begins crying and stop jem tells her to take dill out and the to go into the square although Scout suggests it was the heat that got to dill dill tells her it was the way mr. Gilmer was speaking to Tom Robinson that upset him in this chapter it becomes clear that tom is the mockingbird representing innocence and vulnerability during this testimony it becomes clear what a kind and selfless person Tom really is the clarity and sincerity of Tom Robinson's statement makes the old statements look all the more suspect and weak in this chapter particularly the author uses dialog to demonstrate the honesty or lack thereof of each of the testifying characters the trial scene creates a great deal of tension and to kill a mockingbird as the reader senses that truth is unlikely to triumph over racial prejudice you