You will turn in a response paper that analyzes one of the works in our textbook that is not on our reading list. This can be from any era, but it must be in your textbook. You should follow the same

John Niccum

Professor Mahoney

Forms of Literature I

25 September 2017

Complete Disillusionment

Our justice system , in the early 1950’s, was governed with similar , contemporary laws, however,

it seem s incredibly foreign in compar ison to a modern -day trial . In Zora Neale Hurston’s short story “The

Trial of Ruby McCollum,” there is evidence of these injustices. Prejudice s are brought to light, shining

dimly through a prism of a first -hand point -of-view of Ruby McCollum’s fi rst -degree murder trial . Her

tone is explicit in conveying her disbelief, distain, and disgust of bias ed tendencies displayed by the

court officials in Live Oak , Florida, in the Fall of 1952 .

Hurston , an African American woman , possess a keen insight into the injustices disseminated in

Ruby’s community . As a “novelist and an anthropologist” (512) Hurston wrote “20 different stories on

the case” (512) of Ruby McCollum. Hurston has numerous documented accounts, accompanied by

personal quotes, of the intera ctions she encountered with the natives , whom were Ruby’s peers. With

each interview, Hurston became more notorious , and the distain to interact with her grew heavier , with

each local she interviewed ; particularly among her own race , “most of the negroes i n Live Oak fled my

presence.” (512) The message delivered, by the individuals interview ed , seemed to carry a comparable

tone with one another . Many of the African Americans , residing in Live Oak , recognized , speaking their

true feeling pertaining to the mu rder, “would be pleasing ,” (513) to the white citizens ; they believed,

much like the whites , without a shadow of a doubt , Ruby was guilty . One African American citizen was

quoted saying, “they wouldn’t be doing her right unless they give her the chair.” (513 ) Hurston

witnessed how the men believed a form of karma w as inevitably to blame , and her actions of “giving

herself to a white man ,” (516) were coming back to haunt her. Some of their animosity , no doubt , Niccum 2

stemmed from the divide of Ruby’s social stat us , versus their own, “she [Ruby] wouldn’t even wipe her

feet on nobody like us .” (516) Hurston had a “good view of the courtroom ,” (518) from her perch on the

“east side of the balcony.” (518) As the prosecution enters the court room, Hurston is underwhel med by

the appearance of “The State Attorney Keith Black,” (519) and she absorbs, and transcribes the words of

a “negro” (519) sitting behind her . The voice states, “Don’t let that sleepy look fool you. He’s playing

possum. He’s gonna burn Ruby. That Black is a getting fool.” (519) The atmosphere in the court room

was tense, certainly, Ruby was not the only one feeling the tension.

The shift of Hurston’s tone does not come washing over the pages quickly . Her transformation is

not sudden like a tsunami m aking landfall , but like a thunder cloud, rolling slowly across the sky. Her

journey begins with a lighter rendition of herself; due to her ignorance of the situation. When she first

arrives in Live Oak, she conveys the coherent message delivered by the masses, “he dunned her, she got

mad, she killed him.” (513) Conversely, we sense tha t Hurston in suspicious of the validity of this “tells -

all ” story. She was not buy ing the motive, and she had reservations about why everyone blindly believed

in Ruby’s guilt . “It was as if one listed a debate in which everything which might lead to and justify the

resolution had been waived.” (513) After Hurston does her prelimina ry round of interviews, she moves

to then interview Judge Adams , “several times.” (518) Based on her her diction, s he shows her true

feeli ngs, and tells us how she truly feels about Judge Adams , “I found no fault with the broad, black

Stetson, the black string tie from the past century, the chewing tobacco, the effort of wit, or yet a

mouthful of Southern idioms.” (518) Nevertheless, she was not going to let his character traits define

her imp ression of Judge Adams , “how he conducts his trial was my yard stick.” (5 18) Hurston is not

pleased when Adams denie s her access to interview Ruby, but it does not dramatically alter her

mentality. S he soon grows suspicious of the reasoning for Ruby’s seclusion. Even though he specified,

“h e didn’t want t he case tried in the ne wspapers,” (518) s he begins to question his motives for the

denial of her interview. P erhaps he is bound by the notion, there is always something, or someone, Niccum 3

bigger, and more powerful than himself , suddenly he does not look like the one pulling the string s. “W as

he a captive of the geographical emotion and tradition?” (518) The traditionalist always wins, especially

when the tradition reflects that of powerful, white men. Though Hurston has her doubts about Jud ge

Adams, her tone still favors the Judge of h aving sound moral judgment . “The slaying had been admitted

by the defendant; only the degree of her guilt was left to be decided. So the real drama was in Judge

Adams, in how far he would allow Ruby to go in explaining extenuating circumstances.” (518) She still

believed , in her heart, the good will of the Judge would shine through, and Ruby McCollum would be

given a just trial . We see the tone of the story swing heavily, when Frank Cannon, Ruby’s appointed

public defender, go into his line of questions directed at McCollum. “In your long sexual relationship.

Was he ever cruel to you? Did he ever strike you? Did you fear for your life? Did you love him?” (521)

The opposition objected to every single one of Cannon’s “thirty -eight” (520) questions directed at Ruby .

Hurston thought she was “dreaming” (523) as Judge Adams delivered his verdict, “A jury having found

you, Ruby McCollum, guilty of murder in the first degree. . . and that at the time so designated the said

superintendent of State prison or one of the authorized deputies shall cause to pass through your body

a current of electricity of sufficient intensity to cause tour imm ediate death.” (523)

Hurston’s first -person point -of-view, matched with her exceptional journalistic abilities, provides

an eagle eye view of this tragic story of injustice. The silver lining, Ruby McCollum later had her

conviction “overturned by the Flo rida Supreme Court,” (512) and subsequently was placed in a “mental

hospital.” (512) The tone does not follow an up and down progression, but rather, a progressive of

heightening awareness, of what was later deemed a mistrial. After spending 20 years in pr ison, Ruby

was released, “and died 18 years later at the age of 82.

Niccum 4

Work Cited

Hurston, Zora Neale. “The Trial of Ruby McCollum.” True Crime , edited by Harold Schechter, The Library

of America, 2008, pp 512 -523.