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WOLFNOTE SUMMARY OF…

HARPER LEE’s TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Table of Contents

Context……………………………………………………………..………….Page 2 Author………………………………………………………….………………Page 4 Main Characters…………………………..………………………….………Page 5 Chapter 1………………………………………………………………….......Page 9 Chapters 2 and 3………………………………….…………..………….….1 Chapters 4 and 5……………………………….……………………..….….Page 13 Chapters 6,7,& 8……………………………….………………..………..….Page 16 Chapters 9, 10, & 11……………………………………………….……..…Page 18 Chapters 12 & 13………………………………………………..….………..Page 21 Chapters 14 & 15…………………………………………………………….Page 24 Chapters 16 & 17………………………………………………………..…..Page 26 Chapters 18 & 19……………………………………………………………Page 28 Chapters 20, 21, & 22…………………………………………...………….Page 31 Chapters 23, 24, & 25………………………………………………..……..Page 34 Chapters 26 & 27……………………….………………………..………….Page 36 Chapters 28, 29,30, & 31………………………………………..………….Page 37 Questions for study and ideas for answers……………………………Page 40




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CONTEXT The narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird is Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch who lives with her brother Jem and widowed father who is a lawyer in the Alabama town of Maycomb. The story covers three consecutive summers and at the start of the tale Scout is aged six. During the first summer, a new boy named Dill moves into town and he, Scout, and Jem become good friends. They play a lot together acting out different stories and fantasies. One recurring theme deals with a run-down, eerie looking house on their street owned by Mr. Nathan Radley. Even though the Radley brothers live there, they have not been maintaining the property and nobody in town has ever seen either of them. The reader learns that this was Scout’s first year at school and that she has been having problems. She would prefer to stay at home and be taught by her father, but this is against the law. As time goes by, Scout and Jem find some mysterious presents in the knothole of an old tree on the Radley place, leading to fascination with the mysterious Boo Radley. Jem, Dill, and Scout venture out one night to try to see into Boo Radley's back window - an adventure that leads to frightening results, especially for Jem. As the summer comes to a close, Scout and Jem find more presents in the Radley tree. Their treasures include small sculptures and a watch. Unfortunately, Mr. Radley, who seals up the hole in the tree, suddenly cuts off their bounty. Winter comes quickly, bringing a rare snowstorm to Maycomb. Miss Maudie's house is ruined in a fire, and Scout has a rare encounter with Boo Radley without even knowing it. Scout gets into a number of fisticuffs with both a classmate and her cousin when the two boys taunt her about her father, whom they insult by calling him a "nigger lover." Atticus explains to Scout that he will be defending a black man named Tom Robinson on the charge of rape. That Christmas which is spent at Finch’s Landing, the family farm, they are given air rifles, but are told not to kill a mockingbird. It is explained to them that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird as they only given humans pleasure by singing their heart out. Jem and Scout’s Aunt Alexandra decides to come and stay with them during the final summer of the story and initially it appears that Scout will be on her own as her older brother has no time for her, and Dill will stay with his mother and new




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stepfather. He, however, runs away from home to stay with his aunt in Maycomb for the rest of that summer. The trial of Tom Robinson is scheduled to begin and when he is placed in the local jail a mob gathers to lynch him. Atticus has taken up a position outside the jail anticipating this development. The mob seems determined to have their way and it is only Scout’s intervention, which brings about the dispersal of the mob through her innocence and honesty. When Tom Robinson's trial finally begins, evidence begins to show that Robinson is obviously innocent. Heck Tate and Mr. Ewell take the stand giving further evidence to prove Robinson's innocence. Atticus points out that a left-handed man must have beaten Mayella Ewell. He goes on to show that while Mr. Ewell is left-handed, Tom Robinson's left arm is crippled due to a farming accident. When Mayella Ewell takes the stand, it becomes obvious that her story has many holes in it. However, she starts crying hysterically before Atticus may point many of them out. When Tom Robinson takes the stand, the obviously true story comes out. It becomes evident that Mayella Ewell was a very lonely person who's only crime was to kiss a black man. Her father, Bob Ewell, beat and raped her for this crime. Mr. Ewell also forced her to say that Tom Robinson did it, so that he wouldn't get in trouble. Even though it is clear that Tom Robinson is innocent, the all-white jury convicts him and he is later shot whilst trying to escape. Months pass, Summer turns to Fall, the routine of school starts for the children, but Bob Ewell holds on to his grudge against some of Maycomb's citizens, including Judge Taylor, Helen Robinson and Atticus. In October, the night of Halloween, Scout prepares for a presentation at her school. She plans to wear a bulky pig costume, one that severely limits her vision. While returning home from the school pageant, Jem and Scout are attacked. Jem's arm is broken, and a stranger carries him home. Scout cannot see what is happening because of her constrictive costume. Afterwards, a search of the area by the local officials turns up Bob Ewell's dead body. As Heck Tate and Atticus listen, Scout tells them what happened to her and Jem, ending by pointing to the man who had carried Jem home. It is then that Scout realizes that the stranger is Boo Radley who had come to their rescue. Atticus assumes that it was Jem who stabbed Bob Ewell, but the sheriff tells Atticus that he intends to report that Ewell fell on his own knife. Atticus is sure that the sheriff is trying to protect Jem, until it finally dawns on him that it was actually




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Boo Radley who killed Ewell. Scout walks Boo Radley home and then returns to her house.

The Author Nelle Harper Lee, the youngest daughter of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch Lee was born in Monroeville, Alabama on 28th April 1926. She had two sisters and one brother and although her brother died with a cerebral hemorrhage in 1951 both her sisters are still living. Her father was a bookkeeper until 1915 when he passed the Bar and began practicing law. He had a distinguished career on the Alabama State Legislature until 1938 when he became editor of the Monroe Journal until 1947. Frances Finch was from a Virginian family who settled in Alabama and founded the town of Finchburg. It is clear that the character of Scout is somewhat autobiographical and readers gain some understanding of Lee’s childhood within the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird. In 1944 at the age of eighteen, Harper Lee enrolled in Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama where she studied law until 1949. She finished her education at the University of Alabama and then transferred to Oxford University, England as an exchange student, and then she decided to go to New York to be a writer. Whilst pursuing her career as a writer, she worked briefly as a reservations clerk for Eastern Airlines and in 1957 she submitted a manuscript, which was a series of strung-together short stories giving the basic tale of To Kill a Mockingbird. This was returned to her in order for it to be made into one novel, which was published in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was made into a major motion picture starring Gregory Peck in 1962. Lee was so impressed with Peck’s portrayal of Atticus Finch that she game him his pocket watch the end of filming of the movie. During the 60’s she had several articles published including ‘Love in Other Words’ in Vogue in 1961. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson appointed Lee to the National Council of Arts. She has received several Honorary Doctorates including one from the University of Alabama and from Springhill College, Mobile, Alabama. In 1998 the Executive Committee of the Alabama Writers’ Forum unveiled the Harper Lee Award for a distinguished Alabama writer. This award recognizes an accomplished writer who was born in the state or lived in Alabama during his or her formative years.




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Never married, Lee continues to divide her time between New York and Monroeville where she lives with her sister Alice. She remains a very private person, having only granted a handful of interviews since the publication of her book To Kill a Mockingbird. Many wonder why a writer of such ability would only write one novel. Her cousin Richard Williams suggested that when you have a hit like that, you couldn’t go anywhere but down.




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Main Characters Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch Scout is the main protagonist of the novel. The story takes place during her years of growing up and maturing. As it begins, she is six years old. She is the daughter of Atticus Finch. She is very curious about various topics; school, her neighbor, Boo Radley, and all the strange people living in the town. She does not want to act like a "lady", and prefers to run around and play all day in overalls, and jeans, than sit and do nothing in a dress. She loves to sit on her father's lap and have him read stories to her. She really loves to read, and gets very upset when her teacher tells her to stop reading since she is so far ahead of her classmates. She lives with her widowed father, older brother and their black cook. Atticus Finch Atticus is the town's most respected lawyer. He is not wealthy, but he is well off in the community and kind towards everyone. He has been assigned a case of defending a black man accused of rape. Now he is both revered and reviled by the townspeople. After all, they do live in the south in the early 1930's. Atticus gives a lot of advice to his children. He tells them that they cannot judge people until they "climb into their skin and walk around in it". Jeremy Atticus ‘Jem’ Finch Jem is Scout's older brother. He is 10 as the story begins, and 13 at its end.He is very wise for his age, and also very emotional. He takes after his father Atticus a lot. He is more easy-going and not as adventurous as Scout. Tom Robinson Tom is the black man who was accused of rape by Mayella Ewell. He is a young man who works around the town doing labor. He was hired by Mayella to do chores for her. He is strong and a hard worker, even though his left arm is shriveled and useless. He is innocent of the crime, but because he is black, he is considered guilty by the townspeople. Calpurnia




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Calpurnia is the black maid and cook of the Finch household. She acts like a mother figure towards Scout, as in the scene where Scout unknowingly insults a poor neighbor boy, and Calpurnia teaches her how to behave. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley Boo Radley lives near the Finches. He is the subject of various rumors because he never comes out of his house. All of the children in Maycomb are afraid of him. He only appears once during the novel, but this is a crucial episode in the book. Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris He visits his aunt, Miss Rachel Haverford, during the summer months. He is seven yeas old and has a very vivid imagination. He has the ability to thinks up all sorts of new make-believe games that the children enjoy playing. Miss Maudie Atkinson She is a neighbor of the Finch family and knows Atticus’ friend for many years. She respects Atticus and shares his beliefs of all people being equal regardless of their color. Aunt Alexandra She is Atticus' sister. She wishes to make Scout behave like a "lady", and she takes her to a party with all of her older women friends. She doesn't approve of Atticus' defense of a black man, even though he is innocent. She is very concerned about how the Finch family is seen in the community and doesn't want them to do anything that will make the town go against them Bob Ewell Bob is the head of the least respected and most hated family in the town. They live like animals and are always dirty and illiterate. They are not included in any part of the town, as they are considered too low and animal-like to go with whites, and they are white, so they can't go with the blacks. The Ewell children only go to school on the first day, and they are never bathed or in good clothes.




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They just go that one day to get their records in, then they never attend another school day. Bob is an older man, who is very selfish and cruel. He tries to kill Jem at the end, and he is the one who most likely raped Mayella, his daughter. Mayella Ewell Mayella is the daughter of Bob Ewell. She is a teenager, who is very lonely and emotional. No one has ever liked her, and when Tom tries to be nice to her, she accuses him of rape. She lives at the end of town in squalor with her father and other brothers and sisters Walter Cunningham Walter is a classmate of Scout who is extremely poor. He is very nice. He is very thin because he has various diseases like hookworm. It is because of Walter’s dad that Atticus is not harmed in the incident at the jail. Mrs. Dubose She is a very old woman who lives near the Finch family. One time when Jem and Scout walk past her house, she starts to yell at them from her window. She says that Jem should be sent to reform school, and that Scout should quit wearing overalls and start acting like a lady. She then criticizes Atticus, which enrages Jem and Scout.




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Chapter 1

Summary Jean Louise Finch, nicknamed Scout, narrates this story and it is told during the great depression of the 1930’s. She lives in the town of Maycomb, Alabama with her widowed father Atticus, and her older brother by four years, Jeremy Finch (called Jem). Scout tells us about her ancestors who originally fled England to escape religious persecution and they established a large farm on the banks of the Alabama River called Finch’s Landing. The family was farmers for a hundred years until Atticus became a lawyer in Maycomb while his sister, Alexandra, ran the farm. At the start of the story, Scout is aged 6. Scout’s mother had died four years previously and their cook, an old black woman called Calpurnia, helps to bring up the two siblings. An odd boy named Charles Baker Harris, known as Dill, moves in next door for the summer to stay with his aunt, Miss Rachel Haverford. Dill’s parents are getting divorced and he is reluctant to talk about this taboo subject, but is very talkative about everything else. Coupled with his intelligence, he soon becomes friends with Scout and Jem. Their main curiosity over the summer months is the Radley house, in particular one of its strange occupants, Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley, who never comes out of the rundown house at the end of their street. Thus begins the fascination with Boo Radley. According to Maycomb lore and the children's vivid imaginations, Boo is a "malevolent phantom" often blamed for the unexplained bad things that happened in town from time to time. Boo ran with the wrong gang when he was a kid and got into trouble one night. Instead of sending him to an asylum or locking him up in the courthouse jail, Boo's father took him home on the promise that Boo would cause no more trouble. Since then Boo remained shut in his house while rumors swirled about his mental state and his legend grew. Although Atticus urges the children to leave the Radley house, now occupied by Boo, his mother, and his brother, Nathan, Jem, Dill, and Scout succumb to their curiosity. The chapter ends with Dill daring Jem to run inside the Radley's fence and touch the house. Jem takes the dare. Interpretation We see here that Scout’s world is based on a strong foundation of certainties, but as the story unfolds circumstances and situations arise which undermine this security. This ends up with Scout having a tarnished view of the world and how it really is. The story is told from an adult’s perspective, but through a child’s eyes and voice. This voice dominates the main plot, which forces the reader to




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make adult deductions and understandings, which clearly Scout would not formulate. This helps to give the story a good deal of humor and wit. The tale starts with Jem’s broken arm and ends at the same place and all that is told in between is a long flashback. Atticus is only briefly mentioned. We first of all obtain an insight into the children’s world of play, which focuses on Boo Radley, the recluse. The Maycomb society is close-knit and they view outsiders with suspicion. Dill is a crucial player in the story because he is both an insider and an outsider, and acts as an observant conscience for the town. A good proportion of the story focuses on the prejudices between the African Americans and the whites in the Southern States of the U.S.A.




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Chapters 2 and 3 Summary The summer is now over and Dill returns to his mother’s, and Scout starts Grade 1 at the local school. She has been looking forward to this for a long time, but her first day does not go as smoothly as she would like. Her teacher, who is new to the profession, is alarmed to find that Scout can already read and write, and she makes Scout feel guilty at her high level of education. During lunch she complains to Jem about her teacher, but he does not sympathize. Walter Cunningham, a boy from a very poor family has no lunch, so the teacher offers to buy one for him, but he refuses, as he knows his family will not be able to repay her. Scout being too smart for her own good interrupts to explain this situation to the teacher, who slaps her with a ruler across her hand. Scout is annoyed at this injustice and takes it out on Walter, and they fight, rolling around on the ground and Jem breaks it up. To Scout’s amazement he invites Walter back to their house for lunch. Scout criticizes Walter for his poor table manners and Calpurnia pulls her aside and slaps her for failing to be a good hostess. Back at school a large bug crawls out of Burris Ewell’s hair, a member of the Ewell clan, another impoverished family of the town, which causes the new teacher to be dismayed. Burris only comes to school on the first day in order to be registered. He shouts abuse at the teacher who is reduced to tears. At home Scout complains to Atticus about school and that she is never going back, but Atticus says under the law she must go, and that he will continue to read to her provided she doesn’t tell her teacher. Atticus has been Scout’s main teacher and he has always said to her that in order to understand a person one must ‘climb into his skin and walk around in it’. Interpretation We can gather three main aspects from Scout’s first day at school. One: an instant sympathy with our narrator being made to feel guilty and punished by the teacher for her good intentions. Scout always means well and her nature is basically good, and the mistakes she does make are honest and




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while there are evil influences around her, she appears to go through the story with no ill effects. Two: we obtain a good description of the Maycomb social ladder and how it works. Three: we share Scout’s confusion that things are not always what they seem. Scout expects all adults, especially those in authority to be the same, but her teacher is far removed from Atticus. Despite the injustices Scout faces she remains buoyant and not disillusioned. We also come across the Ewell clan who are a bad bunch. They live next to the village dump and make their living scavenging amongst the items discarded by the rest of the town. Both socially and geographically they are just one step above the black community, which borders their land. They seldom wash and it is difficult to tell from the color of their skin what race they are. Scout has a vain hope that Atticus will teach her at home like Burris Ewell, who does not go to school, but this is soon shattered by Atticus’ reference to the law on this subject. A famous quotation from the book is the ‘climbing into someone’s skin and walking around in it’ as a way of trying to understand people. This is a recurring theme throughout the novel.




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Chapters 4 and 5 Summary Scout describes her school year as being boring as she is not challenged by what is being taught. Quite bored with school, Scout anticipates her afternoons playing her yard with Jem. Jem, however, leaves school thirty minutes after Scout so Scout walks herself home passed the Radley house. One day, as she passes the house, she notices something shiny in the knot of an old oak tree that stands on the border of the Radley property. Scout examines the object and realizes it is two pieces of chewing gum. Scout takes the gum and tells Jem about the incident when he arrives home. Scared by the fact that Scout found the gum on the Radley lot, Jem orders Scout to spit out the gum. On the last day of school, Scout and Jem pass the oak tree together and find a shiny package made of gum wrappers containing two, polished Indian-head pennies. The children wonder who left the pennies in the tree but decide to take the pennies until they can ask their friends at school next Fall if they'd lost the pennies. Scout has no idea who placed the pennies in the tree but Jem seems to have an idea. School ends and Dill returns from Meridian. As usual, the three friends play act stories that they have read. This summer, however, they find themselves bored with the sotires they’ve already done and want to try something new. On one occasion they find and old tire and Scout curls up inside it and the other two puxh it down the street. She loses control and the tire rolls right into the Radley’s yard. The children panic and stop this game. This episode gives Dill another idea for a new game. Dill, still fascinated by the legend of Boo Radley, wants to act out Boo's story. The three take roles: Scout plays Mrs. Radley, Dill plays Mr. Radley, and Jem gets to play Boo. For several days the threesome play "Boo Radley" in their front yard, acting out the scene in which Boo stabs his father with a pair of scissors. The neighbors notice the game and alert Atticus. Atticus takes the scissors away and scolds the children who lie by saying they are not talking about the Radley's. Atticus leaves the situation alone but the children's enthusiasm about the game wanes. Chapter Five opens with Scout lamenting over Jem and Dill's growing relationship. To occupy her time while Jem and Dill spent their afternoons in their treehouse, Scout turned to her neighbor, Miss Maudie. A kind and patient woman, Maudie also had her own eccentricities. Unlike most other proper Maycomb ladies, Maudie spent most of her time outside, working in her garden. She treated Scout with respect and allowed her to be herself rather than criticize her for her tomboy ways.




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Maudie and Scout spend one summer afternoon discussing the history of the Radley family. Miss Maudie describes Mr. Radley, Boo's father, as a "foot-washing" Baptist who believed that pleasure was sin. Foot-washers, according to Maudie, believe that flowers and women are also sins by definition. Scout wonders if this is the reason why they locked Boo in the house, to keep him away from women and flowers. Although Maudie offers no explanation for Boo's reclusion, she does warn Scout against believing all the gossip she hears about Boo The day after her conversation with Maudie, Scout finds Jem and Dill plotting to send a note to Boo by attaching a piece of paper to a fishing pole. Scout reluctantly joins the boys but their plan fails as the paper remains attached to the fish hook and Atticus catches them in the act. He issues his final warning and scolds the children for the "Boo Radley" game they had thought he had forgotten. Atticus firmly believes all people, including Boo, deserve respect and should be treated decently regardless of their class, race, or strange behavior. Interpretation We get further information concerning the childhood adventures of the three with the shadow of Boo Radley hanging over their activities. This threat is purely self-generated by the children, in particular, Dill’s vivid imagination. Scout discovers gifts in the Radley tree, and of course, the reader immediately realizes where these are coming from, but Scout does not see the connection. Lee cleverly retains Scout’s naivety for a six-year old whilst giving the reader sufficient information to draw an adult conclusion. Miss Maudie is one of the book’s strongest female characters and one of the few residents of Maycomb who shares Atticus’ sense of justice. She also becomes a close friend of Scout’s and is the principal maternal figure along with Aunt Alexandra. Whereas Aunt Alexandra will provide guidance regarding the correct behavior for ladies, Miss Maudie will provide a stronger role model, as she understands the tomboy aspect of Scout’s character. There are several central themes throughout the novel’s plot. It is clear that Scout’s real education comes from outside school, from Atticus and from the books, which she reads. She would read anything, which was available in the house, especially Time Magazine, but she is bound by the law to endure the drudgery of the Maycomb County School system.




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There are differing types of prejudice prevalent in the Alabama culture, not only by whites to blacks, but vice versa. Calpurnia’s attitude about the way the Finch children should speak is typical. She is clearly concerned to teach the children to be white in total contrast to the way she brought up her own son, Zeebo. There is also prejudice between the better-off residents of Maycomb and the impoverished families like the Ewell’s and Cunningham’s. Despite the specter of evil, which the children have generated concerning Boo Radley, they show bravery by continuing to flirt with this force. A typical example of this is Jem’s bravery in deciding to deliver a note to Boo by shoving it under his door. Scout’s world is a safe place. The only fears she has have been generated through her own imagination. When she passes the Radley house she takes and eats the gum on trust. Coupled with trust is, of course, truth and we find during the course of the story that almost every character lies at some stage, although these lies are meant to protect people from trouble. Scout will face different forms of femininity as she tries to understand what it is to ‘be a girl’. The two main female role models have different views on femininity, but it would appear that Scout would tend to adopt Miss Maudie’s line.




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Chapters 6, 7 and 8 Summary The children return home to find the neighborhood adults assembled, brought out of their homes by the sound the of the shotgun. They include Atticus, Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie Crawford. The gossiping Crawford tells the children that Nathan Radley has shot at a Negro in his yard. Atticus asks Jem what has happened to his pants and he makes up a ridiculous story about being at a strip poker game at Dill’s house. Later that night Jem sneaks out of his bedroom returning to the Radley place to retrieve his pants. He finds them folded neatly where he had left them and repaired from the damage they had sustained on the fence. At the start of the school year Jem tells Scout about the mysteriously mended pants and when they come home together from school they find another present hidden in the knothole of the tree. The gifts appear at regular intervals and are more and more expensive. There are two figures carved in soap resembling Scout and Jem followed by a spelling-bee medal, an old pocket watch and so on. The children decide to leave a note thanking their unknown benefactor, but they find the knothole filled with cement. Nathan Radley tells Jem that he has plugged the hole in order to stop the dying oak tree from rotting. For the first time in decades, there is an unusually cold snap of weather and Maycomb gets snow. As a result the school is closed and Jem and Scout spend the day trying to build a snowman. That night Scout is awakened by a commotion and she goes outside to find that Miss Maudie’s house is on fire. The neighbors have rallied round and have saved her furniture and the fire truck manages to stop the fire spreading to the other houses, but Miss Maudie’s house is lost. In the confusion, someone drapes a blanket over Scout and when quizzed by Atticus about it she has no idea who has put it over her. Jem decides that it must have been Boo Radley and then he reveals the story about the knothole to Atticus including the story about his mended pants. Atticus tells them to keep this a secret. Interpretation The reader feels more and more sympathy towards Boo Radley as the story develops. Although the reader clearly guesses that Boo Radley mended Jem’s pants and placed the presents in the tree, Scout does not realize this until Jem




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explains it to Atticus after the fire. It is clear that Jem is becoming more worldly wise and shares his father’s strong sense of justice. There is a definite gothic feel to the book due to the surreal happenings, which take place. We have the strange phenomena of snow so far south, coupled with the fire to Miss Maudie’s house. There is the description of the Radley’s run-down home in which resides the strange Boo. The fire in itself is symbolic of the impending battle, which Scout and the community will face. The heat of the fire contrasts sharply with the severe cold providing an allusion to the sharply defined sides in the forthcoming trial. While Scout remains full of optimism and retains her naïve look on life, Jem undergoes disappointment after disappointment with the adult world as he develops. Scout and Jem build a fine snowman and Miss Maudie remains optimistic after her house is destroyed. Even when she sees that her prize flowers were first frozen and then charred by the fire she offers a cheerful comment about wanting a larger garden and a smaller house. It is clear that many of the characters remain cheerful despite the setbacks, which occur.




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Chapters 9, 10 and 11 Summary Atticus has been asked to defend a black man called Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman. It is a case, which he cannot hope to win, but he tells Scout that in order to uphold his sense of justice and duty, he must attempt to give Tom Robinson the best chance to win. Scout gets involved in a fight with a classmate who calls her dad ‘a nigger lover’. At Christmas Atticus takes Jem and Scout to Finch’s landing to spend the holidays with Uncle Jack and Aunt Alexandra, her husband and grandson Francis. Scout likes Uncle Jack and he takes her aside and warns her not to curse in his presence, as he likes her to be more ladylike. Francis taunts Scout about Atticus defending a black man and she curses and beats him up. Uncle Jack spanks her without hearing her side of the story, suffering again another injustice. Back home in Maycomb she tells Jack what Francis had said and Jack becomes furious. Scout is frightened that Jack will tell Atticus who has already told her not to fight with anyone over the Tom Robinson case. Jack has promised not to tell Atticus. Atticus is aged fifty and is older than most of the other fathers in Maycomb, which is sometimes a cause of embarrassment for his children. He wears glasses and reads a lot instead of hunting and fishing like the other men in the town, so his children think perhaps he is slightly feeble. However, one day the town pet-dog goes rabid and appears in the town wandering down the main street. Nobody appears to want to do anything about it. To the children’s amazement Atticus takes immediate action and from a considerable distance shoots the dog dead with one shot. Later Miss Maudie tells Jem and Scout that Atticus was the best shot in the county and was know as ‘One-shot Finch’. The Finch family receives more abuse from certain members of the community and Mrs. Dubose, a vindictive old lady, tells the children that Atticus is no better than the ‘niggers and trash he works for’. Jem is furious at this and destroys all her camellia bushes. When Atticus finds out, he sends him round to Mrs. Dubose’s house to apologize leaving the type of punishment up to the old lady. Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose is terminally ill and when she dies a month later, she leaves Jem a single white camellia in her Will. For Christmas the children receive air rifles from Atticus to their great surprise. Atticus admits ‘I merely bowed to the inevitable’ accepting that Scout and Jem




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will probably go out and kill birds. He draws the line at showing them how to shoot.

Interpretation Lee is careful to emphasize that the children don’t mind Atticus defending a black man. It is the comments, which other people make about Atticus, which disturbs them. It is clear from the dialogue that there is no chance that the case will be won, but Atticus sees this as an opportunity to bring to the forefront the injustices suffered by black people in general, and he is used to facing no-win situations. This is now a turning point in the book. The antics of the children start to take a back seat as the drama of the trial takes over the storyline. The deep seated prejudices that so far have been lying submerged within the adult world of the town appear to be surfacing as a result of the trial. The first inkling of this was when Miss Stephanie Crawford said that nathan Radley was firing at a black man showing that she immediately jumped to the conclusion that if someone were trespassing they would be black. Even within the Finches’ family racial prejudice surfaces and causes disharmony when Francis makes negative slurs against Atticus for defending a black man. Many members of the town seem to turn against Atticus and his children, but he still maintains his clear-cut values and beliefs. He is indifferent to what others have to say or think about his actions and he is steadfast in his beliefs of equality and liberty. He attempts to instill these same values in Jem and Scout and hopes that they will grow up with an unprejudiced way of thinking. It is interesting to note that even though the people of the town are critical of Atticus and his beliefs, they nevertheless turn to him for protection. Unfortunately it is far easier to protect the town by shooting the dog than it is to kill-off the prejudice within the community. Again the reader can see this, but through Scout’s eyes she is only impressed with his marksmanship. The events surrounding Miss Dubose give him a further opportunity to show Jem what he considers real courage to be. Although Miss Dubose is an ardent racist raining curses on the children and calling Atticus a nigger lover, Atticus still insists that Jem apologizes, as he does not wish their morals to only apply in certain cases and in relation to certain people Sadly, it is far easier to shoot the dog than it is to kill-off the prejudice within the community. Again the reader can see this, but through Scout’s eyes she is only impressed with his marksmanship. The events surrounding Miss Dubose give him a further opportunity to show Jem what he considers real courage to be.




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Although Miss Dubose is an ardent racist raining curses on the children and calling Atticus a nigger lover, Atticus still insists that Jem apologizes, as he does not wish their morals to only apply in certain cases and in relation to certain people. He explains that real courage knows you’re ‘licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what’. This is precisely Atticus’ approach to the Tom Robinson case. There is another interesting symbolism in that Scout is proven guilty regarding the fight with Francis before she has had the chance to tell her side of the story. Uncle Jack dishes out the punishment before the trial has even commenced. We now get an explanation of the book’s title ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. When Atticus gives the air guns to Scout and Jem for their Christmas he warns them that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. This is a surprising statement to Scout, as he never says that things are sinful only wrong or evil. It is Miss Maudie who explains this further by saying that mockingbirds only do one thing and that is to sing their hearts out for us. Again the reader realizes the connection in that Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are the mockingbirds of this story. Scout does not realize this until the end of the novel. Again, another example of a child’s view with an adult’s interpretation. As we approach the end of the first part of the book, Scout’s strong foundation is being slowly eroded by the ugly and hostile world around her.




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Chapters 12 and 13

Summary This is the third and last summer covered by our tale To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem is now twelve and is called Mr. Jem by Calpurnia, a term reserved for adults. He tells Scout to stop pestering him, a sign that she has now lost her childhood friend. Scout receives a further blow when they receive a letter from Dill saying that his mother has remarried and he won’t be coming this summer, as he will be staying with his new family in Meridian. Scout finds herself alone and the only person to give her any company is Calpurnia. She keeps Scout entertained in the kitchen letting her help in the preparation of the family meals. Atticus now has to go to the State capital for a few weeks, leaving Calpurnia in charge of the children. She decides to take them to her church, a ‘colored church’, which is in an old building called ‘First Purchase’ because it was bought with the first earnings of the freed slaves. One of the congregation criticizes Calpurnia for bringing white children to a black church, but generally the congregation are friendly and the Rev. Sykes gives them a warm welcome. All the black community knows Atticus and he is well respected. Very few of the congregation can read and they only have one hymnal which Zeebo, Calpurnia’s son reads from and the congregation repeats the lines. Scout learns that Bob Ewell and his daughter have accused Tom Robinson of rape and she cannot understand why anyone would value Ewell’s word. A collection is made at the church to help Mrs. Robinson. When they return from church they find Aunt Alexandra waiting for them. Atticus has asked her to stay with them for a while in order to provide Scout with some proper feminine influence. She receives a warm welcome from the lady folk of the town and soon becomes an integral part of the town’s social life. Aunt Alexandra is very proud of the Finch family and it is one of the favorite pastimes of the womenfolk to discuss the attributes of all the main families within Maycomb. Jem and Scout at this stage do not have any particular pride in being Finch’s and Aunt Alexandra is on a crusade to rectify this situation. She persuades Atticus to lecture them on the subject of their ancestry, but he fails in this attempt only succeeding in making Scout cry.




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Interpretation With school out, Scout’s valuable education recommences and she will, in fact, learn so much during this summer that it will influence the rest of her life. More and more the adult world is invading Scout’s childhood. Her journey to Calpurnia’s church is probably her first glimpse of the black community in action. The reader also obtains an insight and flavor of the black community as it was in the 1930’s. There is an air of impoverishness hanging over the church, the building is derelict and unpainted and they sing without hymnals and the congregation is largely illiterate. However, it is clear that there is a strong faith amongst the black congregation. We again come across various types of prejudice in these chapters. Calpurnia thinks of the Finch children as her own and deems it quite natural for her to take them to her church, yet she is faced with prejudice from a few of the congregation, in particular, one named Lula who says ‘I wants to know why you bringin’ white chillun to nigger church’. Prejudice appears to run from black towards white as much as from white towards black. On this occasion, the children are similar to mockingbirds – they are there to please Calpurnia and to worship. Undoubtedly this experience will give the children more compassion towards Tom’s treatment from a white jury, but it is clear that the majority of the congregation are pleased to see the Finch children, not only because they respect their father, but because they share in the same faith. Another interesting thing is that the two communities speak the English language differently, but Calpurnia is a master of both, easily switching from one to the other, depending on where she is. It is clear that the experience in the black church is an eye-opener for Jem and Scout, surprised to find that only four people in the church can read. The black community in Maycomb is denied an education. Lee uses the children’s ignorance to underline the injustice, which African Americans receive in all aspects of their lives. She has emphasized this point early in the novel, illustrating that even the Ewell’s have the opportunity to learn, but Burris only goes to school on the opening day. Earlier in the tale when Jem was younger he used to criticize his younger sister for her girly behavior. Now he has gone full circle by saying that she should act more like a girl. Scout’s lack of femininity is a concern amongst the Finch’s and Aunt Alexandra has been given the task of providing a feminine influence in Scout’s life. This will fail because Aunt Alexandra will try and force Scout to adopt a more feminine attitude and she will be naturally drawn towards Calpurnia and Miss Maudie who adopt a more persuasive, but less forceful approach.




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Also, Aunt Alexandra holds many of Maycomb’s prejudices against blacks. She has an African American chauffeur and says ‘Put my bags in the front bedroom, Calpurnia’, before she even says hello. The fact that Jem is determined to take the bags shows both maturity and lack of prejudice on his part. All in all, this is a very confusing time for Scout.




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Chapters 14 and 15 Summary The trial of Tom Robinson is on everyone’s mind and that Atticus is the Defense Lawyer causes a stir in the town. Aunt Alexandra is concerned about the influence that Calpurnia has over Jem and Scout. She tells Atticus that it is no longer necessary to have a black woman take care of the children and tells him to get rid of her. He does not agree with and refuses to do so. Jem tells Scout to try and keep on the good side of Aunt Alexandra, but Scout tells him that he shouldn’t lecture her and has a fight with Jem. Atticus comes in to put them to bed. Scout hears some noise from underneath her bed and discovers Dill hiding there. He has run away from home because he feels that his mother no longer loves him now that she has remarried. He tells them that he took a train for part of the distance but walked the rest of the way. Jem tells Atticus what has happened and Dill is given something to eat. They then go next door to tell Dill’s aunt of his whereabouts. Sheriff Heck Tate and a posse of townspeople congregate on the Finch's front yard to discuss moving Tom Robinson to the Maycomb jail in preparation for his impending trial. The children overhear only pieces of the conversation but it is apparent that Atticus and the other folks are worried about the trouble the move might cause. Atticus says nothing about the issue when he returns to the living room but the following day, Sunday, he mysteriously leaves after supper with a light bulb and an extension cord. The children notice he has also taken his car so they decide to find Atticus in town after Aunty thinks they've gone to bed. That night, Jem, Scout, and Dill sneak out of the house and walk into town. Sure enough, they find Atticus's car parked near the jailhouse and when the move in that direction they find Atticus sitting in front of the jail reading a book under the lightbulb he had brought. Scout's first instinct is to run to him but Jem fears Atticus would not approve of their leaving the house without permission. Right as the three decide to return home several cars pull up in front of Atticus. The children stay to watch. A group of men, mostly farmers, exit the cars and approach Atticus with guns and weapons. They want to get to Tom Robinson but Atticus stands in their way. The tension between the farmers and Atticus grows as the men confront one another. After several minutes Scout cannot handle the tension anymore so she leaps from her hiding place and runs to Atticus's defense. The other children follow her. When Atticus sees the children he demands that Jem take Dill and Scout home but Jem refuses. Scout, meanwhile recognizes Walter Cunningham's father (Walter Sr.) in the crowd and proceeds to engage him in conversation. Embarrassed that Scout has singled him out, Walter




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refuses to answer Scout's questions. Finally, Scout turns to Atticus and asks him why the men won't talk to her. She has succeeded in diffusing the tension and she has reminded Walter and the other farmers that they are all neighbors and friends. Walter motions the group to retreat and acknowledges Scout as he leaves. Grateful to the children for intervening, he lets them return home without reprisal. Alone again in front of the jail, Atticus mentions to Tom that the farmers have left and notifies B. B. Underwood, who had been hiding above Atticus with his gun ready to fire on the farmers, that all is clear. Interpretation People’s prejudices are now coming to the fore, in particular at this time Aunt Alexandra’s who refuses to allow Scout to visit Calpurnia’s house, saying ‘Young white girls don’t spend time in black people’s neighborhoods and definitely not inside their houses’. She further tries to have Calpurnia dismissed, but Atticus defends her saying ‘I don’t think the children have suffered one bit from her having brought them up. If anything, she has been harder on them in some ways than a mother would have been.’ The reappearance of Dill at this stage offers Scout a fleeting opportunity to fly back to her childhood of the previous two summers and the security, which that offered. The fact that Jem tells Atticus of Dill’s presence is the final indication that he has made the transition to the adult world as Scout thinks him to be a traitor for doing this. Of course, it all turns out all right in the end as Dill is allowed to stay with his aunt for the remainder of the summer. Things are becoming really nasty with the threat of a lynching, but it is the innocence of a young girl, which prevents the storm breaking.




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Chapters 16 and 17 Summary The next day the trial begins and everybody who is anybody attends the Court. People flock in from the surrounding area only Miss Maudie refuses to go saying it is like a Roman Circus. They camp out on the Maycomb Green to have their lunch, many of them treating it as a day out. Jem, Scout and Dill walk over to the Court, but wait until most have entered as they intend to sneak in without Atticus noticing them. However, all the ‘white’ seats have been taken and they fear that they will miss the proceedings, but Rev. Sykes takes them into the ‘colored’ gallery where they have a perfect view of the whole courtroom. Interpretation On the day of the trial, people have crawled out of the woodwork to attend, some are merely curious, but most are there to make sure that justice is done and that means the conviction of Tom Robinson. The next five chapters cover the testimony given in the trial and is the most absorbing section of To Kill a Mockingbird. The slow disintegration of Bob Ewell’s testimony by Atticus is the centerpiece of this courtroom drama. The white community is so certain of Tom Robinson’s guilt that when Ewell is unraveled, so are they. The only reason they have left to find Tom Robinson guilty is the color of his skin. Not only is there prejudice between the races, but there is also segregation. In the American south during the 1930’s it was not only normal for the races to be segregated, but also it was the law. Blacks were given special places to sit. They often used separate entrances and they used separate rest rooms and drinking fountains. When Rev. Sykes offers the children a seat in the colored balcony, they innocently accept. They have no idea that they are breaking a cultural taboo. Many of the whites in the community would of course rather miss the trial than sit amongst people of another race. Ironically Scout is quite happy at the situation because she is getting a good view of the whole of the courtroom. When the Rev. Sykes enters the colored balcony he moves to the front row where four black people immediately rise to give the minister and the three white children their front row seats. Was this done firstly out of respect for Rev. Sykes; secondly in respect of Atticus and, therefore, his children, or thirdly, was it because the children were white? The reader can draw his own conclusions. While on the subject of segregation, Lee introduces another character called Dolphus Raymond who lives in the community, but has a black mistress and, of course, their offspring are bi-racial. As a result the children do not belong anywhere. The colored community will not have them because they are half




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white, and the white community because they are half colored, so they don’t belong anywhere. His behavior is tolerated by the white community who believe him to be a drunkard, and not responsible for his actions. Jem wonders how you can tell whether someone is mixed and has discussed the topic with Uncle Jack. He revealed that they might have had some black ancestors several generations back. Scout determines that after so many generations race doesn’t count, but Jem says ‘around here once you have one drop of Negro blood that makes you all black’. This conversation is important because Jem and Scout accept the idea that they could have a drop of Negro blood. This is perhaps why they are less prejudiced than the vast majority of the community in Maycomb. It should also be noted that the reader is introduced to Judge Taylor who will be presiding over the case and runs a relaxed court. It was he who appointed Atticus to defend Tom Robinson. The full extent of Harper Lee’s writing skills are apparent in the trial scene, which is brought to life for the reader with descriptive flair and atmosphere-creating prose. The reader is drawn into the courtroom and is sitting beside Scout and Rev. Sykes feeling the tension and suspense even though we can guess the outcome. Despite Atticus’ brilliant cross-examination, which unravels Ewell giving hope to Tom Robinson and comfort to the black community, it will all be in vain. We should at this stage examine Bob Ewell whose full name is Robert E. Lee Ewell, whose only link with the legend is the name. While Robert E. Lee represents the idealized South, Bob Ewell represents all the badness, bigotry, prejudice and sloth and he is an abuser of those weaker than himself. This is not a character to try and understand and certainly one shouldn’t want to wear his skin and walk around in it. Atticus underestimates the depth of the little man’s wickedness, which is to have serious repercussions towards the end of the story. His fellow townsfolk ridicule Bob Ewell, yet sadly; because he is white he still has the power with the support of the white community to destroy an innocent black man.




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Chapters 18 and 19 Summary Mayella testifies, clearly terrified, and she reveals herself to be a lonely seventeen year-old, reasonably well kept considering her surroundings, whose daily task is to bring up seven siblings and care for her drunken father. She says that she called Tom Robinson inside the fence offering to pay him to break up a dresser for her. Once he was inside the house he grabbed her and took advantage of her. Atticus asks why she didn’t put up a better fight and why didn’t her screams bring in the other children and most crucially, how did Tom Robinson manage to perpetrate the crime of rape when his left hand is useless, torn apart by a cotton gin when he was a boy? Mayella squirms under this attack and Atticus begs her to admit that there was no rape, but like a cornered animal, she shouts at him and the courtroom calling them cowards if they don’t convict Tom Robinson. She then breaks down and refuses to answer any more questions. A recess is called and Mr. Underwood, the newspaper editor, spots the three white children in the balcony, but he doesn’t tell Atticus, but he may include it in the social section of his newspaper. The prosecution rests. Atticus now calls the only witness he has, Tom Robinson. Tom's story about the events contradicts Mayella's completely. According to Tom, Mayella, who asked him onto her property many times before, asked Tom to help her fix the door to her house. Tom enters the property and proceeds to examine the door. Finding nothing wrong with the door he asks if there is really anything that he can do for her. She asks Tom to lift a box down from atop a high dresser. Tom notices that, oddly, no children are on the property. Mayella explains that she finally saved up enough money to send all the children to town to buy ice cream. Tom remarks how generous Mayella was to do that and proceeds to reach for the box. As he does so, Mayella grabs him around his legs. Tom steps down and faces Mayella who hugs him around his chest and kisses his mouth. Scared and confused, Tom tries to push himself away from Mayella without hurting her. Bob Ewell catches the two of them together in his living room and proceeds to yell at Mayella. Tom runs and admits that he does not know who beat her (although it seems obvious that Bob Ewell, racist and ashamed of his daughter, beat Mayella). When Gilmer cross-examines Tom he calls him boy and treats him with blatant disrespect. He then brings to light a previous problem that Tom had had with




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the law. He continues by asking Tom why he had helped Mayella so many times without ever taking her money. Tom explains that he felt sorry for Mayella who always seemed to do all the work on the property and had to take care of so many children. Upon hearing that Tom felt sorry for Mayella, the people in the courtroom begin to murmur and Tom realizes that he has made a mistake. He also accuses Tom of lying to conceal his obvious guilt and gets him to admit that even though one arm was useless, he still had enough strength with his other arm to overpower a girl and rape her. When Mr. Gilmore asks Tom why he ran away, Tom said that he was afraid of being tried in court, not for what he did, but for what he didn't do. Mr. Gilmer accuses Tom of lying and making up the whole story contained in his testimony. The white children watch the proceedings with disbelief and Dill begins to cry and Scout takes him out of the courtroom. Interpretation The two accusers Bob and Mayella Ewell are a gruesome pair. The father is villainous and the daughter is pitiful. Their miserable existence almost makes the reader consider Mayella to also be an innocent victim. Atticus was desperate to make Mayella confess that no rape took place. He knew he had to achieve this in order to free his client, and with the flaws he had clearly exposed for everyone to see in both of their testimonies, he felt he had a chance of success. Both the Ewell’s are, however, slaves to their prejudice and although it may be acceptable that Bob Ewell hits his daughter, treats her like a drudge and perhaps even molests her, it is not acceptable, or even possible, for a black man, Tom Robinson, to pity Mayella. This actually compounds his guilt in the eyes of the white community. Mayella must stick to her story that she was raped, because the alternative is that she would have to live with the shame of being attracted to a black man for the rest of her life, and it would be impossible for her to live with that stigma. This means, of course, that in order to cover her shame, she has to destroy Tom Robinson, but in her eyes he is only a black man. One final shock, which Scout had, was when she heard the prosecutor calling Tom ‘boy’, a typically racist remark.




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The reader is left with the impression that the Ewell’s are slaves to their prejudice, ironically Tom Robinson, descendant of slaves, has more freedom of spirit than the whites who condemn him. He will go through the rest of his life knowing he was innocent whilst the Ewell’s and the white community, if they have any conscience at all, will have this guilt hanging over them.




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Chapters 20, 21 and 22 Summary Dill and Scout leave the courtroom and Dill is upset about the way in which the prosecutor, Mr. Gilmer treated Tom Robinson. They meet Dolphus Raymond, a rich white man from a long-established family, and he is drinking from a paper sack. His reputation as a drunkard is well known and when he offers them a drink they are surprised to see that it is Coca Cola. He tells the children that he pretends to be a drunkard so that he does not receive criticism concerning his relationship with a black woman. Dill and Scout reenter the courtroom in time to hear Atticus presenting his closing speech. He emphasizes that there is no proof that a rape ever occurred since a doctor never examined Mayella. He then explains that Tom could not have both strangled and beaten Mayella because he has only one good hand. He continues by reiterating that the prosecution has not produced any concrete evidence because it assumes that a white man's word will always win over a black man's. Atticus also outlines a case for why Bob Ewell could have beaten Mayella by showing that, in the eyes of her father, Mayella had actually committed a crime. Mayella's crime, Atticus argues, was to tempt a black man and she could not allow Tom to continue walking past her property everyday. Atticus pleads with the jury to consider the parties involved as equals under the law. He invokes Washington and Jefferson and reminds the jury that the courtroom is America's great "leveler" (218). His case and his closing argument are very strong. As soon as Atticus finishes, Calpurnia comes into the courtroom and hands him a note telling him that his children are missing. Mr. Underwood tells Atticus that they are in the colored balcony. Atticus tells them to go home, but they beg to be allowed to stay and hear the verdict. They return home to eat quickly and then return to the court to find that the jury is still out. Atticus expected them to come to their guilty verdict quickly and is surprised at the delay. Evening comes and the jury is still out, and Jem is confident that they will find Tom innocent. Eventually at 11.00 o’clock that night the jury re-enters to deliver a guilty verdict. Scout noticed that as the jury entered the court none of them looked Tom Robinson in the eye; ashamed at the verdict they had come to. The white section of the court soon disperses, but all in the colored gallery remain while Atticus collects his books and papers together. As he goes out they all rise in a gesture of respect.




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Jem spends the rest of the night in tears, unable to come to terms with the verdict passed out and the clear injustice, which has been handed down to Tom Robinson. Next day, the Finch household is inundated with baskets and parcels of food delivered from the black community. Jem is disillusioned about the residents of Maycomb having previously thought that they were the best people in the world, but having experienced the trial, he doesn’t think so any more. Miss Maudie points out that not all the people are bigoted, for instance Judge Taylor specifically appointed Atticus instead of the regular Public Defender as he knew he would do a good job in defending Tom Robinson. As the children return home, they find out that Bob Ewell accosted their father by spitting on him and swearing revenge. Interpretation After the verdict is announced in Tom Robinson's case, guilty, the children, as well as other members of the community, discuss and react to the verdict. Atticus and the children discuss the trial, Scout and Aunt Alexandra discuss Walter Cunningham, and Jem and Scout discuss class distinctions. Jem is disillusioned about the residents of Maycomb having previously thought that they were the best people in the world, but having experienced the trial, he doesn’t think so anymore. Miss Maudie talked to Jem about the way things had turned out in the trial. She told him that Atticus was one of the men in the world who had been born to do the unpleasant jobs for everyone else. Jem explained to her that he was disappointed in the people of his town because they'd convicted Tom. He had believed that they were better than that, and they'd let him down. But Miss Maudie pointed out that not everyone involved in the trial had wronged Tom. She pointed out that Judge Taylor had appointed Atticus to defend Tom although court-appointed defenses usually went to young lawyers in need of experience. But Jem still wasn't comforted. It is appropriate that the children meet Dolphus Raymond outside the courthouse. He does not belong inside the court with the rest of the white people, because he does not share their guilt and prejudices. He has had to come to terms with the fact that he cannot live with his fellow whites because he cannot share the prejudice they have for the black community. He describes himself as an unhappy figure, a good man who has turned cynic without hope.




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He tells Scout ‘you haven’t seen enough of the world yet, you haven’t even seen this town, but all you’ve got to do is step back inside the courthouse’.




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Chapters 23, 24 and 25 Summary The children and the town start to recover from the verdict. Atticus tells Jem not to worry too much because he will appeal the decision. Black people send large quantities of food to the Finch house to show their appreciation. The neighbors gossip about the case and life begins to return to normal. The only incident of note, however, occurs when Bob Ewell, still angry about the way Atticus made him look on the stand, confronts Atticus on the way to the post office. Bob spits in Atticus's face and "told him he'd get him if it took the rest of his life" (229). Atticus discusses the finer details of the case with the children. He admits that he never thought he would win the case but that he was satisfied with the fact that the jury took so long to return a verdict. Normally, Atticus explains, juries judge against a black man in a manner of minutes. The fact that it took this jury so long shows that attitudes are changing. Atticus also reveals that a relative of Walter Cunningham's sat on Tom's jury. He thinks that if one more Cunningham had sat on the jury it would not have been able to return a verdict at all. This surprises Scout who thought the Cunninghams were against Atticus based on Walter's behavior at the jailhouse the night before. Atticus has hope for the people of Maycomb. He feels that some of the white people had done their best to protect Tom without explicitly admitting that they were on his side. Tate, for example, didn't have to warn Atticus that Tom was being transported to the town jail. The judge, could have assigned Tom's case to the younger, more inexperienced district attorney as was customary. While Atticus had been the only white man to stand up for Tom publicly, others had worked behind the scenes to help Tom's cause. Tom lost this case but Atticus was confident that he would win on appeal. Aunt Alexandra hosts a womens group at the Finch house and Scout attends dressed in her finest clothes and working hard to behave properly. She has difficulty following the conversation as the women gossip and discuss various topics. One thing is apparent, though, the women in the group hold diverse viewpoints and represent the various liberal, conservative, and hypocritical viewpoints found in the general population. Atticus interrupts the event with the terrible news that Tom Robinson was shot and killed by guards as he tried to escape Enfield Prison Farm. Aunt Alexandra take the news hard and shows the first time of softening her prejudices. She agrees to let Calpurnia stop serving her group to go with Atticus to visit Tom's widow, Helen. Scout resents the fact the Maycomb's townspeople stayed interested in the news of Tom's death for only two days but she finds solace in an editorial written by




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B.B. Underwood in The Maycomb Tribune. Mr. Underwood didn't talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children would understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, by they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom's death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children…Mr. Underwood's meaning became clear: Atticus had used every tool available to free men to save Tom Robinson, but in the secret courts of men's hearts Atticus had no case. Interpretation We see a slight change in Scout’s appearance in that she wears a dress and is coerced into helping serve the ladies of the Missionary Circle. Scout listens carefully to the conversations and for the first time in the novel Christianity is used as a validation of prejudice. The ladies are concerned by the indiscipline of their servants since the trial, one in particular Mrs. Merriweather criticizes her maid Sophie saying ‘We can educate them till we are blue in the face. We can try till we drop to make Christians out of them, but there is no lady safe in her bed these nights’. The sad thing is that these women cannot understand why the black community is dissatisfied. On the surface Tom’s death goes virtually unnoticed apart from a short obituary in the colored News. However, Lee utilizes a known racist, Mr. Underwood, to condemn Tom Robinson’s death in his editorial. He likens it to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children. By purposely writing at a child’s level, Mr. Underwood underscores the town’s immaturity and callousness when it comes to racial issues. Tom’s death sentence was signed as soon as Mayella opened her mouth a screamed. However, the majority of the town refuses to acknowledge this. Instead they believe conveniently for them that Tom’s attempted escape is typical of his race and supports the decision made by the jury. Any other decision would cause a shift of power from the whites that they are unwilling to accept. Jem reaches a new level of maturity at this stage in the book, even stopping Scout from killing a bug, because it isn’t hurting anyone. Scout’s reaction is to accuse Jem of turning more and more like a girl every day.




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Chapters 26 and 27 Summary Scout describes a day in her third grade class when Cecil Jacobs gives a presentation on Adolph Hitler. The ensuing class discussion reveals yet another example of hypocrisy and the randomness of the distinctions people make between people. In this case, Scout's teacher defends the Jews and proclaims how lucky they all are for living in a democracy. She states, "That's the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship…Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced" (258). How can her teacher, Miss Gates, possibly think that Americans aren't prejudiced and do not persecute anyone? Scout is confused by the class discussion and follows up with Atticus on several of the issues. By mid-October life in Maycomb has settled back into its normal routine with the exception of three small but ominous events. First, Bob Ewell finally acquired but quickly lost a job. He was so irate about losing his job that he marched down to Atticus's office and accused him of "getting" his job. Second, someone broke into Judge Taylor's house. Finally, Link Deas, Helen Robinson's employer, threatens Bob Ewell after Helen complains that Bob had been following her to work every morning. Clearly, Bob Ewell still seeks revenge on the people he feels wronged him during the Robinson trial. Meanwhile, Scout looks forward to a Halloween pageant at school and occupies the rest of the chapter with the story of Tutti and Frutti Barber, two old ladies who were tormented by children who thought it would be a grand practical joke to hide the ladies' furniture from them Interpretation After a classroom discussion of Adolf Hitler and his treatment of the Jews, Scout is struck by the hypocrisy of many of Maycomb's residents. While condemning Hitler for being prejudiced and genocidal, the same people act racist and genocidal themselves. It would appear that Bob Ewell has not forgotten his grudge against some of Maycomb's citizens, including Judge Taylor and Helen Robinson. In the meantime, Scout prepares for a Halloween night presentation at her school. She plans to wear a bulky pig costume, one that severely limits her vision.




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Chapters 28,29,30 and 31 Summary Maycomb starts to settle down and even Bob Ewell obtains a job, but this progress is short-lived as he loses it within days for being lazy. Of course he blames Atticus for the loss of his job. Tom Robinson’s old boss Link Deas decides to give Helen a job, but Bob Ewell stalks her shouting abuse at her, causing Link Deas to step in and put a stop to it. Another incident causing Ewell more anger. Bob Ewell now turns his attention to Judge Taylor, trying to break into his house. The ladies of Maycomb decide to organize a Halloween Pageant and Scout is assigned the part of a ham. She has a big costume constructed out of chicken wire to wear, but she needs help in getting out of it. Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are tired and they persuade Jem to accompany Scout to the Pageant and bring her home. Aunt Alexandra has reservations about allowing the children to go on their own, but she relents in the end. It is a pitch-black night and on their way to the Pageant, Cecil Jacobs jumps out at Jem and Scout and frightens them. Scout is tired and falls asleep inside her costume waiting for her cue, which she, of course, misses. When she does awake, she leaps onto the stage right at the end of the Pageant causing the audience to laugh at her silliness. To save her embarrassment she decides that she wishes to stay inside her costume until she gets home. As they walk home, Jem hears something unusual and tells Scout to be very quiet. He thinks someone is following them. Then a scuffle occurs and Scout hears Jem scream. She can see very little from her costume and she trips and falls over. Suddenly she feels a vice-like grip around her as someone crushes her inside her costume. Something tears at the metal mesh and she hears struggling behind her. Then Jem breaks free and drags her to the road before their assailant pulls him back. Scout hears a crunching sound and then Jem screams. Suddenly she is attacked again, but her attacker is pulled away and she realizes that someone else has joined the affray. The noise of the struggle suddenly ceases and Scout feels along the ground for Jem, but only finds the prone figure of an unshaven man who smells of alcohol. She staggers back towards her home and ahead of her she sees a man carrying Jem towards her house. When she arrives, she finds Aunt Alexandra already calling for Dr. Reynolds and Atticus calls Sheriff Tate, telling him that someone has attacked his children. Scout is concerned that Jem is dead, but the doctor confirms that he is just unconscious and has a broken arm. When Scout goes in to see her brother she




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notices a strange man sitting in the corner. Scout tells the Sheriff what she heard and saw and he notices knife marks on her costume. When she gets to the part of the story where Jem is picked up and carried home, she turns to look at the strange man in the corner. He is pale wearing torn clothes and Scout realizes that it is Boo Radley. She takes ‘Mr. Arthur’ down to the porch and they sit on the swing together listening to Atticus and Sheriff Tate argue. The Sheriff says he is going to treat this as an accident, but Atticus thinking that it is Jem who killed Bob Ewell doesn’t want him to protect his son. The Sheriff corrects him saying that Boo killed Ewell, not Jem, and he does not need the attention of the neighborhood brought to his door. Tom Robinson died for no reason Sheriff Heck says, and now the man responsible is dead ‘Let the dead bury the dead’. Scout takes Boo up to say goodnight to Jem and then she walks him home. She never sees him again, and for a moment she tries to wear his skin and see the world from his perspective. She finds comfort sitting on Atticus’ lap who reads to her as she falls asleep. Interpretation The novel so far has dealt with the mischievous playing of three children in the sleepy town of Maycomb. It then goes on to cover a courtroom drama involving prejudice, suspense and passion. The book finishes off with a mystery concerning the death of Bob Ewell. Ewell tried to use the circumstances of the trial to better his family’s station in the community. Unfortunately, the community did not believe his story, but because he was white, they had to sustain it by finding Tom Robinson guilty. So, far from improving his station, he has been shown to be foolish and dishonest. To add insult to injury, Link Deas, who employed Tom’s widow, accuses him of having a romantic interest in her. The night of the pageant is heavy with foreboding from the pitch-black night to Cecil Jacobs’ attempt to frighten the children, and the apprehension Aunt Alexandra has just before they leave home. The pageant itself gives a brief, light relief to the impending doom hanging over the children. The comical costume, which Scout wears, a giant ham, will soon turn into a cage from which she cannot escape as it is crushed around her. As the children walk home a mood of mounting suspense is apparent, especially when the noise of their pursuer turns




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out not to be the returning Cecil Jacobs. The attack is all the more terrifying as it takes place so close to their home. Because of the restricting costume, which she is wearing, Scout has no idea what is happening. Boo Radley’s intervention clearly saves the children’s lives, but Scout does not realize the identity of their savior until she reaches home. When she does realize who has saved her, the childhood phantom transforms into a human being. After Boo’s unveiling all that remains of the story is Sheriff Heck Tate’s decision that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife, sparing Boo Radley the horror of publicity. The title of the book and its central theme are brought to life as Scout says that exposing Boo to the public eye would be ‘sort of like shooting a mockingbird’. She takes Boo home and Atticus’ theory that you can only understand somebody by wearing his or her skin has come to life in his daughter when she said this. The novel ends here and the reader is offered no details of Scout’s future, but we know that Boo is never seen again. However, we can assume that the events of the last three years have a dramatic effect on the rest of her life, and that she does not have much more to learn ‘except possibly Algebra’.




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Questions for study and ideas for answers.

Question : On giving Jem and Scout air rifles, Atticus tells them that to kill a mockingbird is a sin. Miss Maudie explains that mockingbirds only do one thing, and that is to sing their hearts out for us. Who are the mockingbirds in the story, and how have they been ‘killed’ by the society around them? Ideas : The two main mockingbirds are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson, but there are others within the storyline. Boo Radley has been shut away from the world by his father and then later his brother through an incident which occurred fifteen years earlier when he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. The suggestion is that he had gone mad and should have been committed to an asylum. His influence in our story is all-good in that he gives gifts to the children, repairs Jem’s pants when they are caught on the fence and, of course, saves the children’s lives when Bob Ewell attacks them. Sheriff Tate recognizes the vulnerability of Boo and that any publicity would destroy him, so he says that the death was an accident. Tom Robinson is actually killed and his death is a sin committed by the whole white community of Maycomb. All he tried to do was to abide by the rules of the society in which he lived and when a black person is asked to do a chore he obeys. The main enemies of birds are cats and Lee describes Mayella as being like ‘a steady-eyed cat with a twitchy tale’ and the bird she is focusing on is of course, Tom Robinson. Lee’s description is that of a cat stalking its prey. Jem to some degree was also a mockingbird. He went with Scout to the black church in order to please Calpurnia, and the Rev. Sykes. Jem suffers in that his youthful idealism is shattered by the verdict given by the all-white jury at the trial. The pet-dog of Maycomb is called Tim Johnson, a bird-dog, who one day acts strangely because he has caught rabies. He gave pleasure to the townsfolk, but suddenly he now causes fear. So much so that even the mockingbirds are silent. Atticus shoots the dog for the good of the whole town. Question : Discrimination rears its ugly head in many forms within this story. Give examples of this.




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Ideas : The obvious discrimination is that of the dominant white community over the subservient black community. They are not given the same opportunities regarding education, illustrated by the visit to the Negro church where only a few can read. As a result they have no opportunity to obtain a decent job and their families are doomed to live in poverty. When any criminal act has taken place the blame immediately falls on the black community. There is discrimination against white people when they enter into the black world illustrated by Scout and Jem’s visit to the black church, where some of the congregation objected to their presence. However, when the children attend the court, there is actually positive discrimination towards them when they receive the best seats in the colored gallery when Rev. Sykes brings them with him. There is discrimination between whites, those from fine old Southern families, and white trash, like the Ewell clan who can only occupy the lower rungs of the white social ladder. There is discrimination between the sexes. Clearly Scout wishes to become more like a boy as Jem is always criticizing her for being too girly, hence her reluctance to wear dresses and her enthusiasm to take part in more physical play. As Jem becomes more sensitive towards the end of the story, Scout criticizes him for becoming more like a girl. There is also discrimination against outsiders, as Maycomb likes to keep a closed community, which is why Atticus was more positive about the appeal being successful out with the jurisdiction of Maycomb. Question : What were the results of the guilty verdict upon the different factions of the Maycomb community? Ideas : For the blacks : it emphasized their desperate position in the society of Maycomb for they hoped that the law was without prejudice, but clearly the law only works for the white community in that an innocent black man has been found guilty of a crime he could not possibly have committed. For a while it brought unrest amongst the black community and the colored servants felt resentment in many a white person’s home. For the whites : it brought shame onto their community highlighted by the editorial by Mr. Underwood. This shame was partly relieved on the death of Tom Robinson whilst trying to escape. One suspects that if the death sentence had been carried out, then there would have been further shame for the Maycomb community as this would have brought about adverse publicity from the outside world.




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For the Finch family : Jem is the main sufferer as his youthful idealism has been shattered. Atticus was resigned to the situation in the Maycomb court, but perhaps his hope was always with the Appeal Court. Scout’s view in the end is that Tom Robinson was only a black. This is not said as a discriminatory remark, but is said by a white ten-year old who has been brought up under the rigid conventions of a white community in Alabama. She is merely repeating what her teacher and other elders in Maycomb say. Question : What factors make Jean Louise Finch a good narrator of the story? Ideas : The events are viewed through the eyes of a child who gives sufficient information for the reader to make adult interpretations from the facts presented. She is without prejudice and as such not only gives a view of the white community, but also is able to cross over to the black community and give important details of their lives. If she was to narrate this as an adult looking back, then a different perspective would be obtained and there would be no element of honesty and naivety in the story. Question : Who are Scout’s main female role models? Ideas : Calpurnia : Being primarily involved in Scout’s day-to-day upbringing, she was anxious to bring her up as a proper white girl using a combination of strictness and persuasion with a view to limiting her tomboy tendencies. This is evident in the fact that she tutored Scout in the domestic chores in running a household. She was also concerned about Scout’s religious upbringing and when her father was absent, she took Scout to her church. Clearly Atticus had faith in her because she was allowed to discipline Scout and it is apparent that she was a good parent, judging by Zeebo’s good behavior. Miss Maudie : She again uses persuasion rather than force in order to mould Scout into a respectable young lady, which is achieved through understanding. She has a similar nature to Scout and enjoys more masculine pastimes such as gardening. She is also keen to protect Scout from the harsh realities of the world in which they live. Aunt Alexandra : Her influence on Scout is harder to define for initially she uses discipline to order Scout to conform to the expected behavior of a young Southern lady. This, of course, makes Scout rebel and turn to Calpurnia or Miss




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Maudie who are able to develop Scout more successfully. However, she does instill in Scout the importance of being a Finch, and Scout is impressed by her aunt’s behavior at the Missionary Circle, and the cool way in which she accepts the news of the death of Tom Robinson.

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