"'If she does wrong, you can put it on me'" (Hurston 137).
Teardrop takes responsibility for Ree because he feels bad for her, and he trusts her. Teardrop realizes that beating Ree was a way for the Miltons to seek revenge on her father, but he disagrees with their logic. Ree was only looking for answers, not trying to get anyone in trouble. However, the Miltons assume Ree is just like her father, so they beat her up because they do not trust her. Teardrop threatens them when he says, "If anybody lays even just one finger on that girl ever again, they better have shot me first" (138). Even though Teardrop had warned Ree not to go to Hawkfall asking about things they were not offering to talk about, he defends her. One could assume that he would be mad at her and say 'I told you so,' but he stands up for Ree instead. Teardrop shows strong family loyalty by coming to Ree's rescue without reprimanding her.
Katie-I'm not sure that the Miltons beat up Ree in order to get revenge on Jessup-you come closer to the answer when you say it was because they do not trust her. In addition to family loyalty, why else does Teardrop come to Ree's rescue?
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