How is tension created and relieved in CH-15

Tension is created in chapter 15 when Atticus is at the county jail with the ‘negro’ who he will be defending in court, Tom Robinson. He is there to look after him and keep him safe just in case anybody arrives looking for trouble. Jem, Scout and Dill follow Atticus to find out what he’s up too as they are very suspicious in why he’s leaving the house so late. They arrive at the county jail but hide in the shadows, suddenly cars start to pull up at the jail and men start to come out and head towards the jail and towards Atticus, who was sitting in front of Tom Robinson’s cell. Tension is then created as Scout tells us that Atticus “seemed to be expecting them”. We also get told the conversation between the men Atticus and the men which helps creates tension “you know what we want”, Get aside from the door, Mr Finch” Atticus also tells the men that Heck Tate; the sheriff of Maycomb is around in hope to get them to leave but one of the men reply by saying that “Heck’s bunch’s so deep in the woods they won’t get out till morning”. It would appear that these men have called Mr Tate off a ‘snipe’s hunt’ in order to get him away from the scene so he couldn’t help and interfere with the mission. After hearing this Atticus says “that changes things doesn’t it ?” , Scout tell us “this was the second time I heard Atticus ask that question in two days , and it meant somebody’s man would get jumped”.

Tension is both created and relived when Scout notices Walter Cunningham’s father and tries to chat to him in hope to get him to leave “Mr Cunningham displayed no interest in his son, so I tackled his entailment once more in a last-ditch effort to make him feel at home”. Tension is finally relived when Mr Cunningham orders his to leave “Let’s clear out”, “Let’s get going, boys”