R.W. and Melvin Simms are the sons of a well known strongly racist farther. Right at the end of the novel the white people catch T.J. and accuse him of robbing the shop. At the time R.W. and Melvin were wearing black stockings on their heads so in the dim light Mr and Mrs Barrnet thought they were black boys and they were willing to believe this because of the racial background between races.
After the robbery T J. wanted to go home but R.W. and Melvin said “they had business to take care of” and to wait at the back of a truck. When they returned T.J. said if they don’t take him home he would tell everyone that they robbed the shop. R.W. and Melvin badly beat T.J. (“black and blue”). At the end the white gangs catch T.J and he was badly beaten but he wouldn’t say who the other two boys were, partly because he had a broken jaw leaving him unable to speak clearly.
Mr. Barnett died after being hit over the head with a flat side edged axe by Melvin Simms in the robbery, but Melvin blamed T.J. for it. T.J. is likely to be hung as everyone believes Melvin (a respectable white boy) who said he killed Mr. Barnett. If he is not hung then he may be put on the chain gang. Melvin and R.W. had no hesitation in turning T.J. in, in order to protect their lives and not a Black boys.
Directly I feel that it was R.W and Melvin Simms fault for encouraging him to break into the Barnett’s shop with them and steal the pearl handled gun. The Simms boys are very cunning and knew that when they broke into the Barnett’s shop that they were going to steal the money and set up T.J. for taking the money as well.
I feel Mr. and Mrs. Avery (T.J.’s parents) are to blame in some moderation for T.J.’s actions because of the lack of discipline, which may not have been their fault but still they didn’t do anything else about T.J.’s behaviour. One reason they couldn’t do anything about his behaviour was because Mr. Avery was ill and unable to control T.J. due to him being so sick all the time.
There are still more people to blame for T.J’s actions, not directly but indirectly, for instance racism, Harland Granger, the legal system but most importantly T.J.’s own decisions.
Racism is to blame as blacks and whites were constantly competing and the white usually won so when the opportunity for T.J. to make friends with some well respected white boys, he jumps at the chance to be associated as a white person (power wise) which in his eyes is correct but in the eyes of the whites is impossible.
The reason it could be Mr. Granger’s fault is because he owns a lot of land, which he rents out to farming families (usually black families):
Granger got more land than he know what to do with.
This shows that Mr Granger probably forgets who owns the land. Because black families could not afford to pay in cash Granger organised them to give him 50% of the crops. He is clever as he only leaves them enough to live on until the next harvest so they can’t expand or by the land. Most of these farmers farmed cotton because cottonseeds are cheap and can easily fill several fields, where as they could only fill one field with a richer crop.
Granger still lives in the past and cannot accept that black people are no longer slaves. He cannot accept that Black people are just as human as he is and have an equal right to life. The Logan’s unusually own the land they live on, this angers Granger as this shows that they have independence and Granger can’t control them. Many whites look up to Harlan Granger and whatever he says goes, this is because his is a rich businessman and in 1930’s Mississippi there is only a handful. Therefore Granger is encouraging racial activity which does not help T.J.
The legal system in 1930’s Mississippi was slightly biased towards black people but the white people exaggerated this and the white people still viewed black people as slaves and lower class citizens. They felt they didn’t deserve an equal chance in life. Which is unfortunate for T.J because he is likely to be treated extremely harshly because his skin is black.
As we read the story we learn that T.J. is a cheat and a liar. He pretends to leave his cap in the Logan’s living room and uses this as an excuse to sneak into Mama’s room to look at the exam answers which he has to take in a few days time. When he gets caught with the answers Stacy being a friend took the blame and T.J let him.
He also keeps ridiculing Stacey’s new coat by saying:
Like I said, it’s alright…if you like lookin’ like a fat preacher.’
He says this because he is jealous of the coat and he annoys Stacy into giving it up. T.J. decides to take the coat off of Stacey’s hands until Stacey grows into it. Meanwhile T.J. will wear the coat and feels smug of his new coat. After we know that Stacey has to explain to Mama and uncle Hammer where the coat has gone:
The coat was too big for me and…T.J. said it made me look like…a preacher…and he said since it fit him just right, he’d… he’d take it off my hands till I grow into it, then thataway all the guys would stop laughing at me and calling me preacher.
He also gets Mama the sack by saying that her teaching is bad, he does this because he blames her for failing school again. The other students don’t want to know him after that, that is why he then he starts mixing with R.W. and Melvin Simms because he things they are his friends. While showing Stacey the pearl-handed gun in the Barnett’s shop T.J. makes a comment to Stacey:
That pearl handled one. Stacey, man, you ever seen a gun like that before in your whole life? I’d sell my life for that gun. One of these days I’m gonna have it, too.
Mildred D Taylor wrote this bit beautify because when you read the book and look back on this sentence it sums up the book in a unique way.
