Chapter 20-21 Just before the court hears the verdict, Scout imagines Atticus “walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing the gun was empty.” What is the significance of this line? (Chapter 21) - Charlotte Shapiro

        The quote "... it was like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching all the time knowing the gun was empty." (Lee 282) is significant because it shows how Scout is mature enough to understand what's really happening in Tom Robinson's case; it shows how she knows that even though her father did a magnificent job defending Tom Robinson, Tom would still be convicted because he is a black man who allegedly committed a crime against a white woman. When Scout says:

        "'Mr. Jem,' Reverend Sykes demurred, 'this ain't a polite thing for little ladies to hear...'

        'Aw she doesn't know what we're talkin' about,' said Jem. "Scout, this is too old for you, ain't it?'

        "It most certainly is not, I know every word you're saying.' Perhaps I was too convincing, because Jem hushed and never discussed the subject again." (Lee 279), Jem had been discussing the topic of rape. What shows Scout's maturity is not only what she said, but also the fact that it caused Jem to cease discussing the topic.

        The meaning of this quote also definitely has to do with Scout being the daughter of a man who is characterized in Maycomb as a "nigger lover." In the beginning of the trial, she was hopeful that Tom would be acquitted, as she had said, "I remembered something Jem had once explained to me when he went through a brief period of physical research: he said if enough people - a stadium full, maybe - were to concentrate on one thing, such as setting a tree afire in the woods, that the tree would ignite of its own accord. I toyed with the idea of asking everyone below to concentrate on setting Tom Robinson free, but thought if they were as tired as I, it wouldn't work." (Lee 281); but once the jury returned and failed to look at Tom Robinson, her hopes sinked. In those very seconds, she slightly grew up, realizing that the rest of Maycomb (and all of the South, for that matter) doesn't treat Negroes the way her father does. She realized that Tom Robinson's case was just like her father shooting an empty gun at his shoulder; the outcome had been known all along.