ENS‐4003 THÍ Chapters 1-2
Chapter 1: To Kill a Mockingbird begins, "When he was nearly
thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the
elbow…When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back
on them, we sometimes discussed the events leading to his
accident. I maintain that the Ewells started it all, but Jem, who was
four years my senior, said it started long before that. He said it
began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea
of making Boo Radley come out" (9). Only after one finishes
Mockingbird does the significance of Jem's broken arm become
apparent. How did it happen? Harper Lee refers to the subject only
one other time at the end of the book, turning her attention instead
to describing the setting and introducing her main characters.
Through six-year old Scout, her narrator, Lee draws an affectionate
and detailed portrait of Maycomb, Alabama, a small, sleepy,
depression-era town. She writes, "People moved slowly then.
They ambled across the square, shuffled in and out of stores
around it, took their time about everything. A day was twenty-four
hours long but seemed longer. There was no hurry, for there was
nowhere to go, nothing to buy, and no money to buy it with, nothing
to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County" (11).
In chapter one we meet Atticus, Scout's father, who left his home,
Finch's Landing, down the river from Maycomb, to study law in
Mobile, Alabama. Atticus returned to Maycomb to practice law and
help his brother, Jack, through medical school. About Atticus,
Scout relates, "He liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb County born
and bred; he knew his people, and they knew him, and because of
[his father's] industry, Atticus was related by blood or marriage to
nearly every family in the town" (11). We meet Calpurnia, the
Finch's housekeeper who Scout describes as "all angles and
bones…her hand was wide as a bed slat and twice as hard" (12).
Scout, opinionated and vocal, faced Calpurnia's discipline often.
She tells us, "our battles were epic and one-sided. Calpurnia
always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side" (12).
Finally, we meet six-year old Dill a neighbor boy visiting for the
summer from Meridian, Mississippi. Jem and Scout spot Dill hiding
in a collard patch and proceed to interrogate him. Dill prides
himself on his ability to read and impresses Jem by revealing that
his mother entered him in a beautiful baby contest, won five dollars,
and gave the winnings to Dill who used the money to visit the
picture shows 20 times. Having passed Jem and Scout's tests, Dill
quickly becomes the Finch children's best friend. The three
playmates spend their time acting out scenes from their favorite
books and dreaming about Boo Radley. "The Radley Place
fascinated Dill. In spite of our warnings and explanations it drew
him as the moon draws water, but drew him no nearer than the
light-pole on the corner" (14).
Thus begins the fascination with Boo Radley. According to
Maycomb lore and the children's vivid imaginations, Boo is a
"malevolent phantom" (15) 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
‐ 1 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ 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.
Chapter 2: The summer has ended with Dill returning to Meridian
and Scout starting her first day of school. Miss Caroline, Scout's
first grade teacher, scolds Scout because she already knows how
to read. "Your father does not know how to teach" (24) Miss
Caroline pronounces of Atticus. She forbids Scout from reading
with Atticus and begins the year upset with, perhaps, her smartest
student. Miss Caroline is new to Maycomb so she doesn't know
any of the students, their families, or their family's eccentricities.
Determined to help her learn Maycomb's ways and egged on by her
fellow students, Scout offers Miss Caroline pointers on how to get
along with folks such as Walter Cunningham.
Miss Caroline offers a quarter to Walter (whose father's name is
also Walter Cunningham) who did not bring a lunch to school with
him. When Walter refuses to take the quarter but Miss Caroline
insists, Scout interjects, "…you'll get to know all the county folks
after a while. The Cunninghams never took anything they can't pay
back—no church baskets and not scrip stamps. Thy never took
anything off of anybody, they get along on what they have. They
don't have much, but they get along on it" (27). As she was with
the fact that Scout already reads, Miss Caroline is not pleased with
Scout's imprudent behavior. Scout describes her reaction: "Miss
Caroline stood stock still, then grabbed me by the collar and hauled
me back to her desk. ‘Jean Louis, I've had about enough of you
this morning,' she said. ‘You're starting out on the wrong foot in
every way, my dear" (28). She pats Scout's hands with a ruler and
sends Scout to stand in the corner. The chapter ends with Scout
and her class filing out to lunch at the sound of the noon bell.
Chapters 3-4
Chapter 3: Terribly upset by the poor impression she made on
Miss Caroline, Scout grabs Walter Cunningham and starts a fight.
Jem stops the fight and invites Walter over to the Finch house for
lunch. Walter agrees and the three of them make their way home.
Calpurnia prepares a nice lunch for the family and gives Walter
syrup on his request. Walter pours syrup all over his food and
Scout, never one to hold her tongue, asks him "what in the sam hill
he's doing" (30). Angry at Scout for reproaching an invited guest in
such a manner, Calpurnia summons Scout to the kitchen and says,
"'There's some folks who don't eat like us,' she whispered fiercely,
‘but you ain't called on to contradict ‘em at the table when they
don't. That boy's yo' comp'ny and if he wants to eat up the
tablecloth you let him, you hear?" (31). With this incident, Scout
gets one of her first lessons in manners and humility when faced
‐ 2 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ with people who are different from her.
The three children return to school. Scout arrives to find Miss
Caroline in horror over a "cootie" in Burris Ewell's hair. The Ewells,
who live behind the town dump, are the poorest people in the area.
Bob Ewell, Burris' father, drinks up the money from their welfare
check and let's the children run wild. They do not eat or bathe
properly and they rarely attend school. One of Miss Caroline's
pupils explains, "'He's one of the Ewells, ma'am…Whole school's
full of ‘em. They come first day every year and then leave. The
truant lady gets ‘em here ‘cause she threatens ‘em with the sheriff,
but she's give up tryin' to hold ‘em. She reckons she's carried out
the law just getting' their names on the roll and runnin' ‘em here the
first day. You're supposed to mark ‘em absent the rest of the
year…" (33). Miss Caroline shows concern for Burris but he angrily
storms out of the classroom never to be seen in school that year
again.
Miserable, Scout returns home from her first day of school and
complains to Atticus that they're no longer allowed to read
together. She argues that she should never have to go to school
but Atticus encourages her to compromise: "If you'll concede the
necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night just as
we always have. Is it a bargain?" (38). Scout enthusiastically
agrees to continue going to school and Atticus holds his end of the
deal by reading the newspaper to Scout and Jem before bedtime
that night.
Chapter 4: Scout describes her first year of school as "an endless
Project that slowly evolved into a Unit, in which miles of
construction paper and wax crayon were expended by the State of
Alabama in its well-meaning but fruitless efforts to teach me Group
Dynamics" (39). 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 a 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.
Dill arrives shortly from Meridian. As usual, the three friends play
act stories that they have read. This summer, however, they find
themselves bored with the stories they've already done and want to
‐ 3 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ try something new. 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.
Chapters 5-6
Chapter 5: Chapter Five opens with Scout lamenting over Jem and
Dill's growing relationship, "Dill was becoming something of a trial
anyway, following Jem about. He had asked me earlier in the
summer to marry him, then promptly forgot about it…I beat him up
twice but it did no good, he only grew closer to Jem" (48). 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.
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. After Scout recounts all of the wild
details she's heard about Boo, Maudie answers, "That is threefourths colored folks and one-fourth Stephanie Crawford [the town
gossip]…Stephanie Crawford even told me once she woke up in
the middle of the night and found him looking in the window at her.
I said what did you do, Stephanie, move over in the bed and make
room for him? That shut her up a while" (52).
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: "Son…I'm going to tell you something and tell you
one time: stop tormenting that man. That goes for the other two of
you" (56). Atticus issues his final warning and scold the children for
the "Boo Radley" play 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.
‐ 4 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ Chapter 6: In recognition of Dill's last night in Maycomb and the
end of summer vacation, the children decide to try to see Boo
Radley one more time. They wait until nightfall then sneak out
behind the Radley house through the collard patch. Slowly, the
threesome make their way to the back porch and Jem, brave as
ever, volunteers to climb the porch to peer in the back window. A
few minutes after he positions himself under the back window the
shadow of a man crosses the porch. Steadily, the shadow moves
from one side of the porch to the other, stopping over Jem as Scout
and Dill watch in terror. As the shadow disappears the children
race away from the house in complete fear. Dill and Scout clear
the Radley back fence but Jem, larger than his playmates, gets
stuck under the fence as shotgun fire rings out above. Dill and
Scout rush back to help Jem out of his trousers. With Jem in his
underwear, the three dash safely back to the Finch house, leaving
Jem's pants stuck to the Radley fence. Alarmed by the shotgun
blasts, neighbors gather in front of the Radley house. Nathan
Radley, Boo's brother explains that he fired at some Negroes trying
to steal from his collard patch. The children join the growing
crowd. Atticus notices Jem standing in his underwear and asks him
to explain himself. Dill interjects with a story of Jem losing his
pants in a game of strip poker and the three temporarily escape
punishment. That night, however, Jem frightens Scout as he
ventures back to the Radley house after bedtime to retrieve his
trousers.
Chapters 7-8
Chapter 7: Short and descriptive, Chapter Seven finds Scout
entering the second grade and the Finch siblings finding numerous
gifts in the knot of the Radley oak tree. Jem and Scout find twine,
soap carvings of a boy and a girl, more chewing gum, a spelling
medal, a pocket watch, and a knife. The soap carvings look like
Jem and Scout so the children know for sure that the gifts are
meant for them. But who could have carved these figures? Jem
knows that Boo Radley has been giving the gifts to them because
he had also found his trousers mended and folded over the fence
the night he returned to retrieve them off the Radley property. The
children want to thank Boo for his generosity so they write a thank
you note to Boo. When they return to the oak tree to leave the
note, however, they find that the knot in the tree has been filled with
cement.
Chapter 8: A cold snap hits Maycomb County. The town
experiences its first snowfall since 1885. Coincidentally, Mrs.
Radley, who no one had seen for many years, dies during this
winter. Atticus and the neighbors gather round the Radley house
as Mrs. Radley's body is taken away by the county mortician. The
children frolic in the snow and marvel at how it changes look and
feel of their small world. Jem and Scout make a snowman by
packing heaps of mud together then covering the mud with snow.
The snowman bears an uncanny resemblance to a neighbor, Mr.
Avery. When Atticus sees the creation he exclaims to Jem, "Son, I
can't tell what you're going to be—an engineer, a lawyer, or a
portrait painter. You've perpetrated a near libel here in the front
‐ 5 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ yard. We've got to disguise this fellow" (75). The jovial mood ends,
however, when night falls, the temperature drops, and the family
scrambles out of the house as fire engines roar down their street.
Miss Maudie's house goes up in flames. As numerous fire engines
from Maycomb and other nearby towns race to save neighboring
houses, the Finch family stands across the street from Maudie's
gazing helplessly at the fire. Atticus manages to save some of
Maudie's furniture before the whole house burns down. When the
action subsides, the children realize how cold it is outside. As they
move back in the house, Scout realizes that someone has placed a
blanket around her shoulders to protect her from the cold. In her
dazed preoccupation with Maudie's fire, Scout failed to notice the
person who had acted so kindly towards her. One suspects,
however, that everyone knows that once again Boo Radley had
intervened on the children's behalf. Meanwhile, Miss Maudie, glad
to be rid of her old house, makes plans to move in with Stephanie
Crawford
Chapters 9-10
Chapter 9: Back at school, Scout defends herself against
classmate, Cecil Jacobs, who accused Atticus of "defending
niggers" (82). Scout lets her fists fly against Cecil but she can't
forget the accusation. At home that day she asks Atticus about it.
Atticus replies, "I'm simply defending a Negro—his name's Tom
Robinson. He lives in that little settlement beyond the town dump.
He's a member of Calpurnia's church, and Cal knows his family
well. She says they're clean-living folks. Scout, you aren't old
enough to understand some things yet, but there's been some high
talk around town to the effect that I shouldn't do much about
defending this man" (83). When Scout pushes Atticus to explain
why he's defending Tom, Atticus states, "For a number of
reasons…The main one is, if I didn't I couldn't hold up my head in
town, I couldn't represent this county in the legislature, I couldn't
even tell Jem not to do something again" (83). Atticus warns Scout
that there is going to be a lot of ugly talk about him and the case
over the course of the trial which will take place during the coming
summer. Scout still does not understand why Atticus agreed to
take the case:
"Atticus, are we going to win it?"
"No, honey."
"Then why—"
"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before
we started is no reason for us not to try to win," Atticus said
(84).
With that, Scout agrees not to fight over the case again.
The Finch family goes to Aunt Alexandra's house to celebrate
Christmas. Aunt Alexandra, Atticus's sister, lives on Finch Landing
with her husband, Jimmy, and her grandson, Francis, the son of
Alexandra's only son. Scout dislikes Aunt Alexandra because
‐ 6 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ Alexandra scolds her and disapproves of her unladylike qualities.
Cold and aloof, Alexandra does not know how to handle girls,
especially headstrong ones like Scout. Scout does her best to stay
out of Auntie's way by reluctantly playing with boring cousin
Francis. Fortunately, Uncle Jack, Atticus's brother, arrives bearing
gifts for Scout and Jem that he picked out on Atticus's request. The
gifts turn out to be air guns which Atticus and the children discuss
in the following chapter.
After opening presents Scout and Francis wander outside again
and shortly begin to fight. Francis calls Atticus a "nigger lover,"
driving Scout into a rage. Scout jumps on Francis but is quickly
stopped by Uncle Jack who has no patience with Scout's fighting.
Jack reprimands Scout without hearing her side of the story. Scout,
who loves Jack, sulks for the rest of the Christmas visit. Upon
returning Maycomb, however, Jack reaches out to Scout to mend
their temporarily damaged relationship. Scout reveals Francis's
attack on Atticus and Jack apologizes for racing to Francis's
defense. Jack tucks Scout into bed then retires to the living room
where he and Atticus discuss the upcoming case and the trouble
Scout has been getting into. Scout overhears their conversation:
"You know what's going to happen as well as I do, Jack, and I hope
and pray that I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness,
and most of all, without catching Maycomb's usual disease. Why
reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a
Negro comes up, is something I don't pretend to understand…I just
hope that Jem and Scout come to me for their answers instead of
listening to the town. I hope they trust me enough…" (97)
Chapter 10: Chapter Ten begins, "Atticus was feeble: he was
nearly fifty. When Jem and I asked him why he was so old, he said
he got started late, which we felt reflected his abilities and
manliness" (97). Scout spends most of chapter ten looking for
things that Atticus can "do." She and her brother mistakenly
assume that "doing something" means being able to hunt or play
football. They don't realize that Atticus is capable of so many
things beyond those physical activities and his strengths lie in areas
not stereotypically considered manly. However, Atticus proves
during this chapter that he has more abilities than his children give
him credit.
Atticus, who gave Jem and Scout air rifles for Christmas, teaches
the children how to use their toy guns. "I'd rather you shot tin cans
in the back yard," he says, "but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot
all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it's a sin
to kill a mockingbird" (98). This is the first reference to the title of
the book and the explanation for Atticus's remark on mockingbirds
becomes important as the book progresses:
That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do
something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it.
"Your father's right," she said. "Mockingbirds don't do one
thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up
‐ 7 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do but
one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a
sin to kill a mockingbird" (98).
Chapter Ten ends with a dramatic scene in which Atticus shoots a
rabid dog who has wandered onto their street. The neighbors
reveal that Atticus used to me named "One-Shot Finch" because he
was the surest shot in Maycomb County. Jem and Scout's
admiration of their father is restored but Atticus brushes off the
incident, almost as if he wishes his children had not witnessed it.
Clearly, Atticus does not want his children, especially Jem, to grow
up thinking that manhood is measured by one's ability to use a
gun. He wants his children to learn to use their minds and to rely
on their strength of character.
Chapters 11-12
Chapter 11: Throughout the book, Scout mentions an old, mean
neighbor, Mrs. Dubose. Confined to a wheelchair, Mrs. Dubose
snaps at Jem and Scout from her seat on the front porch as they
pass. One afternoon, as Jem and Scout pass Mrs. Dubose on their
way into town, Mrs. Dubose makes a loud and disparaging remark
about Atticus "lawing for niggers" (110). She growls, "Your father's
no better than the niggers and trash he works for!" (110). The
children bristle with anger as they run off to town. On their way
home Jem storms into Mrs. Dubose's yard and tramples her prized
camellias. As usual, Atticus has already heard about Jem's
behavior before he returns home from work. That evening the
children hear Atticus enter the house and they know they're in deep
trouble.
Atticus disciplines Jem for killing the camellias by requiring him to
read to Mrs. Dubose everyday after school for a month. Scout
accompanies Jem on his first trip to Mrs. Dubose's house and the
two encounter an interesting scene. When Jem and Scout enter
Mrs. Dubose's room they find her lying in her bed, "her face the
color of a dirty pillowcase" (115). At first, while Jem reads Ivanhoe,
Mrs. Dubose corrects Jem meticulously. As time passes, however,
Mrs. Dubose drifts off until an alarm goes off and Mrs. Dubose's
nursemaid enters the room to give Mrs. Dubose a dose of
medication. Everyday for a month the children follow the same
pattern while the time until the alarm sounds steadily increases.
Finally, Jem completes his sanction and life returns to normal.
Soon after, however, Mrs. Dubose dies and Atticus reveals to Jem
why he made Jem read to her in the first place. Mrs. Dubose,
Atticus explains, was a morphine addict and knew she was dying.
She vowed that she would leave this world "beholden to nothing
and nobody" (120). She did break her habit before she died and
Atticus wanted to witness this process. Atticus states, "son, I told
you that if you hadn't lost your head I'd have made you go read to
her. I wanted you to see something about her—I wanted you to
see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is
a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked
before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no
‐ 8 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose
won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she
died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person
I ever knew" (121).
Chapter 12: Jem and Scout learn some important lessons in
Chapter Twelve. Calpurnia takes the children to her church one
Sunday morning. They first face Lula, a black churchgoer who
does not want white people in her church. Fortunately, though, the
rest of the congregation rally around the group and escort them into
the church. Jem and Scout find the services quite similar to those
of their own church with the exception of one thing, "linin'." To sing
the hymns, the people, most of whom cannot read, "line" the words
by repeating them after one person first reads them. When asked
about linin', Calpurnia reveals that she is one of the very few black
people who knows how to read. Taught to read by Atticus's
relatives on Finch Landing, Calpurnia has passed her skills onto
her own family. This story illustrates the long history of Finch's
supporting black people in certain ways despite the fact that they
once owned slaves.
Chapters 13-14
Chapter 13: Atticus agrees to invite Aunt Alexandra to stay with
them throughout the trial. Alexandra, a genteel, proper lady spares
no time in teaching Scout what she knows about the history of
Maycomb's families. She energetically points out that a caste
system exists in Maycomb and that the Finch family sits atop that
system. Ironically, however, her stories reveal a great amount of
inbreeding among all of Maycomb's families including the Finch's.
So how can a caste system based on genealogy exist when
everyone is related to each other? If everyone is related how can
one family have more status than another? Scout recognizes the
convenience and hypocrisy in Alexandra's insistence on Finch
supremacy. Alexandra, however, seems perfectly satisfied with her
position and urges Atticus to teach Jem and Scout how to act like a
gentleman and a lady. At first, Atticus agrees but quickly changes
his mind.
Chapter 14: Jem and Scout argue about minding Aunt Alexandra.
Jem, having matured over the past two years, urges Scout to mind
her manners and not to antagonize their aunt. They argue until
bedtime when, on their way to bed, Jem steps on something that
seems to move. Dill emerges and the children, surprised but
happy, eagerly greet him. Dill explains that he has run away from
his family in Meridian because he doesn't get along with his new
father. Dill, prone to exaggeration, recites his narrative: "having
been bound in chains and left to die in the basement…by his new
father, who disliked him, and secretly kept alive on raw field peas
by a passing farmer who heard his cries, Dill worked himself free by
pulling the chains from the wall. Sill in wrist manacles, he
wandered two miles out of Meridian where he discovered a small
animal show and immediately engaged to wash a camel…" (150).
With the energy surrounding Dill's appearance subsided, the
‐ 9 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ children retire to bed where Dill reveals the real reason why he left
his family:
"I said why'd you run off? Was he really hateful like you
said?"
"Naw…"
"Didn't you build that boat like you wrote you were gonna?"
"He just said we would. We never did."
I raised up on my elbow, facing Dill's outline. "It's no
reason to run off. They don't get around to doin' what they
say they're gonna do half the time…"
"That wasn't it, he—they just wasn't interested in me" (153).
With Dill's description of his relationship with his family, the author
offers, for the first time, a picture of family life other than that of the
Finch family. The juxtaposition is striking and the reader, along
with Scout presumably, realize just how wonderful a father Atticus
is and how fortunate Jem and Scout are to have him.
Chapters 15-16
Chapter 15: 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 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
‐ 10 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ Walter and the other farmers that they are all neighbors and
friends. Walter motions the group to retreat and acknowledges
Scout has 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 they 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.
Chapter 16: Tom Robinson's trial begins. So many people pour in
to Maycomb to watch the trial that the town takes on a festive
atmosphere. Lee devotes this chapter to describing the festive
scene and introducing a new character, Dolphus Raymond.
Dolphus, a white man, is the only white person in the county who
associates socially with black people. In fact, he married a black
woman and is the father of bi-racial children. Dill, Scout, and Jem,
who secretly left Aunty's supervision to watch the trial, marvel at
Dolphus and wonder why he would choose to socialize with black
people and how he manages to do so in a county governed by
social rules and barriers.
The trial starts but the children, who enter the courthouse late,
cannot find seats in the lower section designated for white people.
Reverend Sykes, the preacher they met when they visited
Calpurnia's church, invites the children into the upper section
designated for black people. The children gladly accept the
invitation and settle in for the morning proceedings.
Chapters 17-18
Chapter 17: Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, calls Sheriff Tate
to the stand first. Tate describes how Bob Ewell called him to the
scene of the crime, his own house, one afternoon. Upon arrival,
Tate recollects, he finds Mayella Ewell, Bob's daughter, badly
beaten with marks around her neck and bruises about her face
especially around her right eye. His testimony makes it sound as if
someone used both hands to grab Mayella around the neck and
strike her in the face at the same time. Atticus's questioning
reveals that no one, including Tate, ever contacted a doctor.
Everyone had simply assumed that a rape had occurred due to the
nature of Mayella's external injuries.
Next Mr. Gilmer calls Bob Ewell to the stand. Bob explains the
story exactly as Tate explained it. He adds nothing new to the
prosecution's story except that he claims he saw Tom Robinson
beating Mayella. He didn't chase Tom, he says, because he stays
in the house to help Mayella. Upon cross-examination, however,
Atticus shows that Bob is left-handed and that he didn't call a doctor
either. Atticus's questions embarrass Bob Ewell who sneers and
bristles when Atticus speaks to him.
Chapter 18: Mayella takes the stand next. To Mr. Gilmer's
questions Mayella responds that she asked Tom Robinson into the
yard to help her chop up a chiffarobe (a wooden dresser). She
claims that she had never asked Tom onto the property before
‐ 11 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ even though Tom passes the Ewell property everyday on his way to
work. As Mayella went inside to fetch a nickel for Tom, she states,
Tom followed her into the house where he raped and beat her. To
Atticus, Mayella acts like a hostile witness, she thinks Atticus is
making fun of her because of the respectful language he uses to
address her. Mayella reveals to Atticus that Bob Ewell is a good
father except when he drinks and describes the poor conditions in
which she and her seven siblings live. When Atticus asks Mayella
to identify her attacker she points to Tom Robinson who stands to
face her. When Tom stands, however, we realize that his left arm,
having been mangled in a cotton gin when he was twelve, hangs
limply to his side. To Jem and Scout it is obvious that Tom could
not have attacked Mayella with only his right hand. Mayella leaves
the stand defiantly.
Chapters 19-20
Chapter 19: Mr. Gilmer rests his case and Atticus calls Tom
Robinson to the stand. 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 asks 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.
The proceeding breaks for a recess before closing arguments.
Chapter 20: Dill dashes out of the courtroom appalled and is upset
by the way Gilmer treated Tom on the stand. To help him soothe
his nerves, Dolphus Raymond offers Dill a sip from the bottle he
carries in a brown bag with him all the time. Dill takes a sip and
realizes that Dolphus drinks Coca-Cola instead of whiskey as
everyone had assumed. Then the children ask Dolphus why he
wants everyone to think he drinks whiskey, Dolphus responds, "It
ain't honest but it's mighty helpful to folks. Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm
‐ 12 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never
understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live"
(213). Dolphus and the children return inside the courthouse to
hear closing arguments.
The author does not offer the prosecution's closing argument,
focusing the rest of the chapter, instead on Atticus's remarks.
Essentially, Atticus points out the following: there is no proof that a
rape ever occurred since a doctor never examined Mayella, Tom
could not have both strangled and beaten Mayella because he has
only one good hand, 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 as a
"daily reminder of what she did" (216). 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
Chapters 21-22
Chapter 21: Calpurnia comes to the court to fetch the children.
Atticus finally realizes that they have been watching the entire
time. He admonishes them for leaving the house without
permission but he allows them to return to the courtroom later to
hear the verdict. Excited and extremely proud of Atticus, the
children feel that their side has surely won the case. They eagerly
anticipate the verdict and return to the courthouse where they rejoin
Reverend Sykes after supper.
The jury takes longer than usual to return its verdict. When it does,
however, the verdict is "guilty." Dumbstruck with disbelief, the
children slide sadly into their seats. The lower level of the
courtroom empties but the upper level, filled with black people,
stand and wait for Atticus to depart. The black spectators respect
Atticus for his effort and his obvious convictions. Scout describes
the scene:
Someone was punching me, but I was reluctant to take my eyes
from the people below us, and from the image of Atticus's lonely
walk down the aisle.
"Miss Jean Louise?"
I looked around. They were standing. All around us and in
the balcony on the opposite wall. The Negroes were
getting to their feet. Reverent Sykes's voice was a distant
as Judge Taylor's:
"Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'." (224)
Chapter 22: In this short chapter, the children and the town start to
‐ 13 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ 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).
Chapters 23-24
Chapter 23: 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.
Chapter 24: 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. Atticus describes the situation, "…the guards called him to
stop. Thy fired a few shots in the air, then to kill. They got him just
as he went over the fence. They said if he had two good arms he
would have made it, he was moving that fast…We had such a good
chance…I guess Tom was tired of white men's chances and
preferred to take his own" (248). 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.
Chapters 25-26
‐ 14 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ Chapter 25: On their way to Helen Robinson's place, Calpurnia and
Atticus find Dill and Jem by the side of the road on their way from
Barker's Eddy where they had been swimming. Atticus allows Dill
and Jem to accompany them to Helen's house so the two boys
describe that afternoon's events to Scout when they return. Dill
recounts, "she just fell down in the dirt. Just fell down in the dirt,
like a giant with a big foot just came along and stepped on her…like
you'd step on an ant" (253). Dill also says that "Calpurnia and
Atticus lifted Helen to her feet and half carried, half walked her to
the cabin. They stayed inside a long time, and Atticus came out
alone. When they drove back by the dump, some of the Ewells
hollered at them, but Dill didn't catch what they said" (253).
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 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. Tom was a dead man
the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed" (254).
Chapter 26: In this short chapter, 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.
Chapters 27-28
Chapter 27: 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
‐ 15 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ 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.
Chapter 28: Jem escorts Scout, who is dressed like a smoked
ham, to the Halloween pageant. Scout misses her cue during the
show but the children have a wonderful time. Still dressed in her
ham costume, Jem and Scout make their way back home as the
school closes for the night. A mockingbird sings in the branches
above as Jem and Scout fumble through the darkness toward
home. Jem hears footsteps behind them and slows his pace. As
they walk they hear footsteps. When they stop, the footsteps stop.
Fearful but determined the children continue toward the street
ahead. Suddenly, a man attacks Jem as he yells for Scout to run.
Scout stumbles on the tree roots below and trips on her costume.
Scout hears a commotion behind her and realizes that Jem and the
man are fighting. Shortly, though, she hears a terrible cracking
sound and Jem screaming in pain. She tries to get up and run but
the man turns his attention to her and grabs her from behind,
squeezing the air out of her lungs. Just as suddenly, however,
someone else intervenes. The man drops Scout to the ground
where she hears further commotion, panting, and coughing. In the
ensuing silence she feels around the ground and comes across a
man's body, rough and smelling of alcohol. She finally manages to
turn herself back toward the street where she sees another man
carrying Jem. She follows the man as she races for home.
When she reaches home she finds Jem lying in bed and Atticus
calling Sheriff Tate and Dr. Reynolds. Tate and Reynolds arrive.
Tate investigates the scene of the crime and Reynolds inspects
Jem. Fortunately, Jem broke his arm at his elbow and is merely
unconscious. As she worries over Jem, Scout notices an additional
man in the room watching over Jem. A countryman that she does
not recognize, Scout figures that it was this stranger who saved her
and carried Jem home. Tate returns and notifies the family that he
found Bob Ewell dead with a kitchen knife sticking out of his chest.
Chapters 29-30
Chapter 29: In this short chapter, Scout recounts the events of the
evening for Sheriff Tate. Sheriff Tate and Atticus realize that the
man in the room saved the children but they are unsure about who
killed Bob Ewell. As she finishes her story, Scout finally realizes
that the stranger who carried Jem is Boo Radley. It dawns on her
that Boo has been watching and protecting her for a long time. She
approaches Boo with kindness, as if they have been friends for a
long time. No longer a mystery, a monster, or a stranger, Boo
takes Scout's hand as Atticus, Tate, and Scout move to the front
porch to discuss the matter further.
Chapter 30: Although it seems evident that Boo killed Bob Ewell,
Atticus insists that Jem take the blame either because he truly
thinks Jem killed Ewell or because he doesn't want to subject Boo
‐ 16 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003 ENS‐4003 THÍ to further investigation. Tate and Atticus argue about the situation
because Tate insists that Jem did not kill Ewell and he will not allow
Atticus to let Jem take the blame. Tate finally asserts his authority
as sheriff and proclaims that Bob Ewell died after falling on his own
knife. He realizes that Atticus does not want to lie but he insists
that they close the issue immediately. He explains, "I'm not a very
good man, sir, but I am sheriff of Maycomb County. Lived in this
town all my life an' I'm goin' on forty-three years old. Know
everything that's happened here since before I was born. There's a
black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it's
dead. Let the dead bury the dead this time, Mr. Finch. Let the
dead bury the dead" (290). With that, the men agree not to
prosecute Boo or Jem for the murder of Bob Ewell and Scout
supports their decision by stating that she understands that Mr.
Ewell fell on his knife and that prosecuting Boo would be like killing
a mockingbird.
Chapter 31
Chapter 31: Boo pats Jem on the head before Scout walks him
home. The two say goodnight to each other and Scout never sees
Boo again. After she returns home, Atticus reads to Scout from
The Gray Ghost. Atticus tucks his daughter into bed and returns to
sit at Jem's bedside. The book ends, "He turned out the light and
went to Jem's room. He would be there all night, and he would be
there when Jem waked up in the morning" (296).
‐ 17 – Hjörtur Líndal F4B 9/19/2003