1. Chapter 1
The Finch family – Simon Finch
escaped religious persecution and
started a farm that supported the
family
 Atticus – lawyer, widower, successful,
supports 2 children
 Jack – doctor
 Alexandra - farm

2. Maycomb (5)
 Atticus related by blood or marriage to
most families
 Great Depression
 “tired old town”
 “courthouse sagged” – law is in disrepair
 “there was no hurry, for there was nowhere
to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it
with, nothing to see…”

4.  Calpurnia, their cook, helps to raise the
children.
 Jem
 four years older than Scout
 has memories of their deceased mother.
Sometimes these memories make him
unhappy.
 Dill:
 Does not discuss father
 Playmate of Jem and Scout
 Visits aunt in the summer

6. Radley Place (8-13)
 Arthur Boo Radley is a recluse and no one has
seen him outside in years
 Myth: Boo had gotten into trouble and his father
imprisoned him in house as punishment.
 He was not heard from for fifteen years later
when he stabbed his father with a pair of
scissors.
 Dill dares Jem to touch the Radley house.

7. Radley Place (8-13)
 “inside the house lived a malevolent phantom”
 “he went out when the moon was down and peeped in
windows”
 “any stealthy, small crimes were committed by him”
 “people’s chickens and household pets were found
mutilated”
 “They did not go to church” “shutters and doors closed”
– stand offish, misfits
 “he dined on raw squirrels and any cats he could catch,
that’s why his hands were bloodstained – if you ate an
animal raw, you could never wash the blood off”

8. Chapter 2
Scout is excited to go to school
Jem walks her (paid by Atticus)
 “during school hours I was not to bother
him, I was not to approach him with
requests to enact a chapter of Tarzan
and the Ant Men, to embarrass him with
references to his private life…” (16)

10. Judgment
 Miss Caroline is from Winston County,
which make the children believe she
cannot be completely trusted.
 Doesn’t understand society in Maycomb
 Miss Caroline concludes that Atticus has
taught Scout to read.
 She makes Scout feel guilty for being
educated – insults her father
 “tell him I’ll take over from here and try to
undo the damage…your father does not know
how to teach…” (17)
 She learned on her own

12. The Cunninghams
 Walter has no lunch; Miss Caroline offers him a
quarter to go downtown.
 He refuses - he will be unable to pay her back
 Proud and honest family
 “The Cunninghams never took anything they can’t pay back”
(20)
 Scout tries to explain the C’s economic situation but
is disciplined by Miss Caroline, who doesn’t
understand
 The C family is hardened by the Great Depression,
which make their farming unprofitable. Pay Atticus
for legal services with firewood, nuts and turnip
greens. Mr. C does not want to give up his land and
willing to go hungry to retain his voting rights.

14. Chapter 3
 At lunch, Scout rubs Walter’s face in the dirt.
 Jem breaks up the fight and invites Walter to join
them at the house for lunch - fairness
 Walter discusses farming conditions with
Atticus; Jem and Scout do not understand.
 Different worlds:
 “Reason I can’t pass the first grade…is I’ve had to
stay out ever’ spring an’ help Papa with the choppin’,
but there’s another’n at the house now that’s field
size” – children have to work
 “he and Atticus talked together like two men” –
Walter had no childhood, unlike Jem and Scout

16. Judgment
 Walter asks for molasses; Scout criticizes
 Calpurnia pulls Scout into the kitchen and
tells her that Walter is a guest in the house
and should be treated with more respect.
 “’Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot
in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t‘ you let
me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you
was so high and mighty!” (24) – hospitality and
equality regardless of social status

18. Burris Ewell
 The Ewell’s are much poorer than the
Cunningham’s and less respected by the community.
 Only comes to the first day of school
 “Been comin’ to the first day of o’ the first grade fer
three year now” (27)
 Lice – “cooties”
 “He was the filthiest human I had ever seen. His neck
was dark gray, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his
fingernails were black…” (27)
Leaves cursing the teacher – pride (doesn’t want it to seem
that he is listening to her)

20. School
 Scout confesses that she does not want to
return to school and that Atticus should teach
her at home.
 “’You never went to school and you do all right,
so I’ll just sat home too. You can teach me…’”
 “’No I can’t…I have to make a living” (29)
 Atticus: law requires her to attend school, but
he will continue to read to her as long as she
does not tell her teacher.
 “You never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of view” (30)
THEME

21. Bending the Law
 Scout wants to be treated like Burris and be allowed
to stay home, but he’s from a disgraced family and
she’s not
 “None of them had done an honest day’s work” (30)
 “They were people, but they lived like animals”
 Laws are different for the Ewells – people pretend
not to notice their behavior
 “Mr. Bob Ewell…was permitted to hunt and trap out of
season”
 “when a man spends his relief checks on green whiskey
his children have a way of crying from hunger pains”
 “Are you going to take out your disapproval on his
children?”

22. Chapter 4
 Scout is disappointed in school
 “I could not help receiving the impression that I was being
cheated out of something…I did not believe that twelve years
of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in
mind” (33)
 Hole in the tree
 Gum – Jem thinks it’s poisoned
 Indian head pennies
 “Finders were keepers unless title was proven” (35)
 “They’re real strong magic” - imagination

24. Children’s games
 Jem rolls Scout in a tire onto the Radley property
 Jem calls Scout a girl (offensive to her) since she’s being
emotional and imaginative; he wants to make her seem
like a coward so that he becomes the hero
 Imaginative role play
 “A Hot Steam’s somebody who can’t get to heaven, just
wallows around on lonesome roads an’ if you walk through
him, when you die you’ll be one to, an’ you’ll go around at
night suckin’ people’s breath” (37)
 Dill, Jem and Scout pretend to be the Radley family and make
up stories to re-enact

26. Chapter 5
 Scout feels neglected by the boys – tries to beat
up Dill to get his attention back
 Scout spends time with Miss Maudie
 “Miss Maudie hated her house; time spent indoors was
time wasted. She was a widow, a chameleon lady who
worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and
men’s coveralls, but after her five o’clock bath she
would appear on the porch and reign over the street in
magisterial beauty. She loved everything that grew in
God’s earth…” (42)
 Baptist prejudice – “foot-washing Baptists” believe
that anything that is a pleasure is a sin (even Miss
Maudie’s flowers)
 “The thoughts I spent too much time in God’s outdoors and
not enough time inside the house reading the Bible” (44)

28. Arthur/Boo
He used to be a polite young man; Miss
Maudie suggests that Mr. Radley and his
strict religion drove Arthur crazy
“sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man
is worse than whiskey bottle in the hand of –
oh, your father” (45)
“if Atticus Finch drank until he was drunk he
wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their
best. There are just some kind of men who –
who’re so busy worrying about the next world
they’ve never learned to live in this one”

29.  Jem and Dill plan to give Boo a note inviting
him for ice cream, thinking some time outside
might make him feel better
 Atticus catches him: “stop tormenting that
man” (49) – Warns them about being polite
What Arthur does is his business
He’s entitled to his privacy
What might seem peculiar to children is not
The civil way to communicate is through the front
door, not the side window
Stay away from the house until invited
Stop the asinine imitations making fun of people
and putting Boo’s history on display

31. Chapter 6
 Children go peep into the Radley house and see
a shadow of a man
 Shotgun sounds – Mr. Radley thought a black
man was stealing his greens
 “Says he’s got the other barrel waitin’ for the next
sound he hears in that patch, an’ next time he won’t
aim high, be it dog, nigger, or – Jem Finch” (54)
 As they crawl beneath the fence by the
schoolyard, Jem’s pants get caught on the fence.
 To escape he has to leave his pants behind –
goes back at night to retrieve them (trembling of
fear)

32. Chapter 7
 Jem’s pants they were mended and neatly hung
over the fence.
 Treasure in the tree:
 Twine – no one claims it, so they think it’s theirs.
 Soap carvings that resemble themselves.
 A pocket watch
 Spelling bee medal
 Scout is still unhappy in school, but Jem
encourages her that it gets better the further
she goes.

34.  The children see Mr. Nathan Radley filling
the hole with cement.
 He tells Jem he plugged the knothole
because the tree was dying; however,
Atticus points out that the tree is still
green.

35. Chapter 8
 Cold winter:
 “Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone
that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked
cigarettes and made war on each other, the seasons
would change: Jem and I were burdened with the
guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature,
thereby causing unhappiness to our neighbors and
discomfort for ourselves” (63)

37.  Mrs. Radley’s death:
 “Old Mrs. Radley died that winter, but her death
caused hardly a ripple – the neighborhood
seldom saw her” (63).
 Snowman (judgmental) – Atticus makes
them disguise the caricature:
 Snow and mud = dark snowman (racist comments from
Scout)
 Fat snowman with a mean face = Mr. Avery
 Woman with small arms on her large hips = Stephanie
Crawford

39. Fire
 Neighbors help her save some furniture –
neighborhood works together in times of
tragedy
 Boo Radley puts a blanket around the chilled
Scout – she’s upset at being so close to him
 Despite losing her home, Miss Maudie is in good
spirits and plans to build a smaller house and a
larger garden.

40. Chapter 9
 Fight with Cecil Jacobs – “Scout Finch’s daddy
defended niggers” (74)
 Atticus says fighting is childish and reprimands Scout for
the n-word
 “’Do you defend niggers, Atticus?’ ‘Of course I do. Don’t say
nigger, Scout. That’s common’” (75)
 Tom Robinson
 Atticus thinks it’s the right thing to defend Tom – morality
and justice are important to him
 “If I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t
represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you
or Jem not to do something”

41. Tom Robinson
 Black man accused of raping a white woman
 “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…there’s been
some high talk around town to the effect that I shouldn’t
do much about defending this man…”
 The town is racist and judges Atticus
 Even though he cannot win the case, but Atticus
explains to Scout that it is the proper thing to do
and that Tom deserves the best defense he can
offer.

43. Scout’s Reaction
 Compares the attitudes of the Maycomb neighbors to
the Civil War
 Atticus prepares Scout for the racism she might
encounter from neighbors
 “This time we aren’t fighting the Yankees, we’re fighting
our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter
things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our
home” (76)
 She feels noble when she walks away from a fight with
Cecil – doesn’t want to disappoint Atticus

44. Christmas
 Uncle Jack comes to visit; a doctor who explains all
procedures he does; not terrifying
 Scout learns to swear hoping that if she says she
learned it in school Atticus won’t make her go
anymore
 Francis – cousin; Scout can’t stand him; they are polar
opposites

46. Aunt Alexandra
 Aunt Alexandra – Atticus’s and Jack’s sister that owns
the farm; Scout thinks she was swapped at birth; a
cold lady that want Scout to be a lady
 Criticizes Atticus for letting Scout “run wild” and not
disciplining her, but Atticus likes her just the way she
is
 “Aunt Alexandra was fanatical on the subject of my attire. I
could not possibly hope to be a lady if I wore breeches; when
I said I could do nothing in a dress, she said I wasn’t supposed
to be doing things that required pants. Aunt Alexandra’s
vision of my deportment involved playing with small stoves,
tea sets, and wearing the Add-A-Pearl necklace she gave
me…I should be the ray of sunshine in my father’s lonely life”
(81)

47. Racism and Ageism
 Scout has to eat at the small table – Aunt doesn’t
think she is civilized enough for the adult table
 News that Dill is homeless – “passed around from
relative to relative”
 Fight with Francis
 Aunt A’s opinion through Francis’s mouth: “If Uncle Atticus lets you
run around with stray dogs [referring to Dill] that’s his own
business…it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides,
but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the
family…we’ll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again.
He’s ruinin’ the family” (83)

49. Scout defends her family
 With fists…
 “I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth.
My left impaired, I sailed in with my right” (84)
 …and gets a spanking from Uncle Jack, which
she thinks is unfair because he never heard her
side of the story (unfair).

50. Atticus on his family
 Mad at Jack for not telling Scout the meaning of a swear word–
believes children should never be lied to
 Thinks all children go through a stage of bad language and she’ll
outgrow it when she stops getting attention for using it
 However, Scout does have a temper and needs to learn to
control it soon, especially given the up-coming court case and
what people will say
 Knows that Scout tries to obey him and loves her for it –
doesn’t judge when she’s “bad”
 Wants to raise his kids not to be judgmental

52. Chapter 10
 Atticus’s age; compared to other fathers in town, he’s
“feeble”
 The children feel embarrassed because Atticus enjoys
reading as opposed to hunting, fishing, drinking, poker
or smoking, which the other fathers enjoy
 He works in an office; is not visibly helping the
community like the sheriff, the dump-truck driver, the
farmer or the mechanic

53. Mockingbird (90)
 “Shoot all the bluejays you want…it’s a sin to kill a
mockingbird…Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but
make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up
people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t
do one thing but sing their hearts out.”
 INNOCENCE
 Atticus does not allow Jem and Scout to hurt the harmless
animals in nature (unfair to destroy something that lives
peacefully)
 Can’t point the air rifle at the neighbors either

55. Mad Dog (rabies)
 Scares the whole town because of it being February and its
strange behavior
 “I thought mad dogs foamed at the mouth, galloped, leaped and
lunged at throats, and I thought they did it in August. Had Tim
Johnson behaved thus, I would have been less frightened” (94).
 The town is deserted, behind locked doors, as they wait for
someone to take care of the dog
 “Nothing is more deadly than a deserted, waiting street. The trees
were still, the mockingbirds were silent” (94) – loss of innocence;
the kids witness their father shoot the animal.

56. Mad Dog (rabies)
 Scares the whole town because of it being February
and its strange behavior
 “I thought mad dogs foamed at the mouth, galloped, leaped
and lunged at throats, and I thought they did it in August. Had
Tim Johnson behaved thus, I would have been less frightened”
(94).
 The town is deserted, behind locked doors, as they
wait for someone to take care of the dog
 “Nothing is more deadly than a deserted, waiting street. The
trees were still, the mockingbirds were silent” (94) – loss of
innocence; the kids witness their father shoot the animal.
 Atticus keeps his nickname of One-Shot Finch a secret from
his kids, since he wants to appear civilized, not a killer.

57. Chapter 11
 Mrs. Dubose: old, bed-ridden, ill
 kept a pistol concealed
 has a wrathful gaze
 interrogates the children about their behavior, saying
they will amount to nothing; thinks the Finch kids are
wild
 “You should be in a dress and camisole, young lady!
You’ll grow up waiting on tables if somebody doesn’t
change your ways” (101)

59. Conflict (racism)
 Mrs. Dubose calls Atticus a “nigger lover”
 Jem, who normally controls his temper, reacts by
destroying Mrs. D’s flowers with Scout’s new baton
toy
 Atticus makes him apologize; Scout is worried about
Jem’s safety given Mrs. D’s reputation – she thinks
Atticus doesn’t care about his son
 “I did not understand how he could sit there in cold blood and
read a newspaper when his only son stood an excellent chance of
being murdered with a Confederate Army relic. Of course Jem
antagonized me sometimes until I could kill him, but when it
came down to it he was all I had” (104)

60. Punishment and Lesson Learned
 Atticus defends the black community because
otherwise he would not be able to live with himself
 Jem has to go to Mrs. Dubose’s house on Saturdays
to read to her as payment;
 by spending time with Mrs. D the kids learn to ignore
insults, since she still calls Atticus names – lesson
(words don’t hurt)
 each session she has fits that seem to last longer and longer
until finally the punishment is over – she’s a morphine (pain
killer) addict and is trying to kick the habit before she dies so
she’s not dependent on a substance; each session, she is able
to last longer before needing the drug

62. Freedom from Outside Forces
Live for Yourself
 “She said she was going to leave this world beholden to nothing and nobody. Jem,
when you’re as sick as she was, it’s all right to take anything to make it easier, but
it wasn’t all right for her. She said she meant to break herself of it before she died,
and that’s what she did” (111) – FREEDOM, PRIDE, COURAGE to face
pain
 She had her views and Atticus respects that
 According to Atticus, Mrs. Dubose had more courage than a man
with a gun – he wanted to show his kids what real strength of
character was, so they would stop worshiping him over the dog
incident
 Atticus does not respect violence and guns, but strength and freedom and
bravery to fight against the odds
 The lesson mirrors what Atticus is trying to do by defending Tom Robinson – a
fight against the odds

63. Chapter 12
 Jem reaches 12 and wants Scout to stop pestering
him
 He’s difficult, inconsistent, and moody, acquired an air of
wisdom; yells at Scout for not being a girl; Calpurnia calls
him Mister as a sign of adulthood – PUBERTY
 “Mister Jem’s growin’ up. He’s gonna want to be off to
himself a lot now, doin’ whatever boys do, so you just
come right on in the kitchen when you feel lonely” (115)
 Calpurnia and Scout become a bit closer due to
Jem’s absence - LONELY

65. Church
 Dill has a new family and is not coming to visit
 Atticus has work
 Calpurnia decides that the children should attend
church, so she takes the children to the “colored”
church.
 She takes time to make sure they look their best (new
clothes, checks on them in baths)– concerned about
appearances; proud of the kids and family she works for
 Maycomb’s only black church is called First Purchase
because it was bought with the earnings from the
first freed slaves.

66. Church
 Lula criticized Cal for bringing the children to their
church, but the congregation is friendly and Reverend
Sykes welcomes them.
 No hymn books or decorations - poor
 Rev. Sykes takes up an offering to help support Tom
Robinson’s wife.
 Forces everyone to donate more – locks the doors until there
is $10 – GUILT – the community has to help those in trouble;
Helen can’t find work since Tom has been accused of rape
 Calls specific people out for their sins; especially women, who
are “worse than bootleggers”
 Scout discovers that Tom is being charged by Bob Ewell.
She cannot believe that anyone would believe a Ewell.

68. Calpurnia
 Most of the blacks in the community can’t read –
Calpurnia is proud of the fact that she can
 Taught by a friendly neighbor, since she couldn’t go to
school being black and a woman
 Taught Zeebo, her oldest son, who leads the hymns in
church – everyone follows what he says
 Cal speaks proper English, unless she is in her own
community; she doesn’t want to seem stuck up
 “folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more
than they do. It aggravates them” (126).
 Scout is shocked that Cal has a “double life” – a life of her
own, with children and a community, outside of the
Finches

69. Chapter 13
 Aunt Alexandra will stay with the children for a while
to give them a feminine influence.
 Very concerned about appearances, but part of it is
illusion
 “…she chose protective garments that drew up her bosom
to giddy heights, pinched in her waist, flared out her rear,
and managed to suggest that Aunt Alexandra’s was once an
hour-glass figure” (128)
 Concerned about manners, morals, gossip, to advise,
caution and warn

70. Judgment
 Alexandra pointed out the shortcomings of various
families in Maycomb to make hers look better
 Preoccupied with heredity – thinks Jem and Scout lack
pride in their history and attempts to teach them
 Morbid Merriweathers – suicide of a young boy
 Flighty Penfield women – girl giggling in church
 Drinking Streak
 Gambling Streak
 Mean Streak
 Funny Streak

72. Cast System in Society
 To Scout: the old citizens vs. the young
 Gestures and behaviors repeated generation after
generation
 “No Crawford Minds His Own Business”
 “Every Third Merriweather is Morbid”
 “The Truth Is Not in the Delafields”
 “All the Bufords Walk Like That”
 Alexandra’s opinion is that the longer the family has
owned the same piece of land, the more fine they are;
gentle breeding
 Tries to get Scout to behave like a lady by telling her
family history

73. Chapter 14
 As the Robinson trial draws closer, the Finch children
become the focus of whispers amongst the
townspeople; accused of being Atticus’s children
 Aunt Alexandra forbids Scout to return to First
Purchase and attempts to make Atticus fire Calpurnia,
but Atticus defends her
 “Calpurnia’s not leaving this house until she wants to…I
couldn’t have gotten along without her all these years…
She’s a faithful member of this family…she’s been harder on
them in some ways than a mother would have been…the
children love her” (137)

74. Jem is growing up – tries to discipline Scout,
telling her not to bother Alexandra
Causes a fight (Scout doesn’t want to listen to
her brother)
Is pleased that he fights her back – means that they
are still equals
Jem and Scout are sent to bed – Scout is pleased
that Jem has to go to bed at the same time as her

76. Dill
 Found under Scout’s bed – ran away from his new
family
 Imaginative – tells a grand tale of escape
 “in chains and left to die in the basement…secretly kept
alive on raw field peas by a passing farmer who heard his
cries for help...[broke the chains and walked 2 miles]…
discovered a small animal show and was immediately
engaged to wash the camel…traveled” (140)
 Actual story: he was lonely
 Dills new family gave him toys and food and all material
goods, but not attention (they would tell him to go play
and spend time with each other only)

77.  Even though Jem tells on Dill (and is a traitor since he
takes the adult side) Scout realizes through Dill’s story
that she is lucky to have a family that loves to spend
time with her
 Atticus needed her advice
 Jem still sometimes liked to play
 Calpurnia “couldn’t get along” without her
 Dill escapes into fantasies when his life is terrible – a
dreamer; defense mechanism
 “Beautiful things floated around in his dreamy head. He
could read two books to my one, but he preferred the
magic of his own inventions…he preferred his own world”
(144)

78. Chapter 15
 As the trial nears Tom Robinson is moved to the
Maycomb jail and concerns of a lynch mob arise.
 Atticus trusts his neighbors with doing the right thing
 Alexandra believes Atticus’s decision to represent Tom
will bring disgrace to the Finch family name, but Atticus
will not budge
 “that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till the truth’s told…
[I’m] in favor of Southern womanhood as much as anybody, but not for
preserving polite fiction at the expanse of human life” (146-147)
 Atticus goes to the jail at night to stand guard over
Tom
 The children follow, afraid for his safety.

80. Lynch Mob – out to hurt Tom
 Scout runs out from her hiding place to aid her father.
Jem and Dill follow.
 Atticus orders the children to return home. Jem refuses –
stands up to his father.
 Scout recognizes Mr. Cunningham and speaks to him
about his son Walter and his court case, trying to diffuse
the situation. Mr. C eventually tells the crowd to go
home.
 Mr. C, once recognized, becomes embarrassed and withers.
 There is strength in a mob and anonymity – once actions
could be attached to a specific person, it is different
 Mr. Underwood had the scene covered with a shotgun –
aiding Atticus.

81. Chapter 16
 Mob mentality (remember the Salem witch trials) – in a
group, people don’t think for themselves; follow the actions of
others and are more likely to turn to violence
 Mr. Cunningham: “a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply
because they’re still human…you children last night made Walter
Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute” (157)
 Interracial children:
 “They don’t belong anywhere. Colored folks won’t have ‘em
because they’re half white; white folks won’t have ‘em ‘cause
they’re colored” (161)
 “Once you have a drop of Negro blood that makes you all
black” (162)

82. The Trial
 People from all over the county flood Maycomb.
 Miss Maudie refuses to attend the trial saying that
watching someone on trial for their life is like a Roman
carnival.
 Jem, Scout and Dill wait for the lunch group to reenter
the courthouse so they can sneak in without their father
noticing.
 They wait too long and all the seats are taken. Reverend
Sykes lets them seat in the balcony with all the other
blacks – SIGNIFICANT – shows that the Finch family
supports the black community and values equality.

83. Chapter 17
 Heck Tate is questioned - Mayella was beaten and
bruised. She accused Tom Robinson of rape.
 no doctor was called to Ewell home; all the bruises
were concentrated on the right side of her face.
 The Ewells
 Always on welfare (in times of depression and prosperity),
lived by the town dump, the children did not go to school,
diseased and filthy, never see a doctor
 EXCEPT for the red geraniums of Mayella – sign of hope and
beauty

85. Bob Ewell’s Testimony
Motivation: asking the county to “clean out
that nest” where the blacks live, since it brings
down his property values
Struts into court, swollen chest, red – PRIDE
Proven to be left handed
Since Mayella was beaten on the right side of her
face, it is possible that her father could have done it

86. Chapter 18
 Mayella – fragile mind, but physically strong and
accustomed to labor
 Looked as if she tried to keep clean
 Afraid of Atticus – afraid to look like a fool; afraid of justice?
 crying - gets the judge to feel sorry for her
 Admits that she asked Tom Robinson to help her with
chopping down the wardrobe for a nickel (she’s asked him to
do chores in the past)
 Not used to kindness – gets offended when Atticus addresses
her politely (terrible life)
 No friends - LONELY
 Alcoholic father that may beat her (though she won’t admit it)

88. Cross-Examination
 Why she didn’t put up a better fight? Where were
the children?
 How could Tom physically perform these actions
with a left hand that was destroyed by a cotton
gin? He’s crippled
 Most likely:
 Mayella was not raped – she was lonely and wanted a
friend
 She screamed when she saw her father in the window
 Bob was ashamed that his daughter was having affairs
with a black man, and spun the story into rape after
beating her

89. Mayella a Mockingbird?
 Pitiable, and her miserable existence almost allows
her to join the novel’s innocent victims—she, too,
is a kind of mockingbird, injured beyond repair by
the forces of ugliness, poverty, and hatred that
surround her
 victim—her father beats her and possibly molests
her, unhelpful siblings; lacked kind treatment in her
life
 However, she attempts to destroy Tom Robinson
in order to cover her shame; whatever her
sufferings, she inflicts worse cruelty on others.

90. Chapter 19
 Tom tells the truth – admits that he’s been in trouble with
the law before; “nothing to hide” (190)
 Mayella would often ask him to help her with chores
 Helped for free because he noticed no one else helped
her – felt sorry for the girl; GENEROUS, KIND
 She invited him inside to fix a door that wasn’t broken -
FLIRT
 she had saved her money and sent the children to buy ice
cream to be alone with Tom
 she grabbed him and kissed him – he resists
 As she struggled, her father appeared at the window,
threatening his daughter.

92.  Scout thinks Mayella was the loneliest person in the
world; lonelier than Boo Radley
 “white people wouldn’t have anything to do with her because
she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do
with her because she was white” (192)
 Tom Robinson was the only person that was decent to
her (a friend) and she took advantage of him and ruined
his life
 He didn’t want to push her (afraid to hurt a white
woman); ran away because he knew it would be assumed
the whole thing was his fault – knows the law is not on his
side

93. Cross Examination of Tom
 Mr. Gilmer implies that Tom had sexual
motives for always helping Mayella. Tom
eventually declares that he felt sorry for
her (a black man should not feel sorry
for a white woman)
 Mr. Gilmer call Tom “boy” as a way to
lower his status and importance in the
community – derogatory
 Even though Tom is crippled, he is still
strong

94. Chapter 20
 Mr. Dolphus Raymond – judged by the community, an
“evil man”
 a rich white man who has married a black woman and had
mulatto children.
 He offers Dill a sip from his drink.
 Everyone presumes the drink to be alcohol, but once Dill
drinks it he reveals that it is nothing more than Coke.
 Mr. Raymond pretends to be an alcoholic to give people a
reason for his lifestyle; it helps them to understand why
he won’t change (they don’t understand he lives the way
he wants to)
 APPEARANCES CAN BE DECEIVING – DON’T JUDGE
A BOOK BY ITS COVER

96. Atticus’s Final Remarks
 No medical evidence that the rape occurred
 Mayella is motivated to destroy Tom because of
guilt
 Her crime – tempting and desiring a black man
 Breaking the race barrier in this society means being an
outcast and hounded for the rest of one’s life
 As a white woman, she knew that accusing Tom would
cost him his life
 Like a child, she tries to get rid of the evidence of her
crime of passion – in this case, the evidence is Tom, a
human being; he is a daily reminder of her shame

97. Chapter 21
 Children are taken home to eat and return in
time to hear the verdict
 “A jury never looks at a defendant it has
convicted, and when this jury came in, not
one of them looked at Tom Robinson” (211)
– GUILTY
 As the courtroom empties, Atticus begins to
leave and the entire colored balcony stands a
sign of respect.

99. Chapter 22
 Jem cries over the injustice of the verdict – sensitive
 “It’s like being a caterpillar in a cocoon…like something asleep
wrapped in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks
were the best folks in the world…” (215) LOSS OF
INNOCENCE; Jem sees the truth of society and their cruelty;
ILLUSIONS SHATTERED
 The black community of Maycomb delivers food to the
Finch household, even though they can’t afford to spare
much – RESPECT
 Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face and vows revenge
 The jury considering the verdict so long is a step in the
right direction

100. Chapter 23
 The children worry about Atticus’s safety, but Atticus
believes if Mr. Ewell could take his anger out on him, that
will save Mayella a beating
 If Tom is not acquitted, he will die via the electric chair,
since rape is a capital offense
 World is not fair (women can’t serve on jury)
 “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men
every day of your life…whenever a white man does that to a
black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a
family he comes from, that white man is trash” (220)
 One of the Cunnighams on the jury was on Tom’s side
(respect for the Finch family after Scout’s speech at the
jail)

102.  Scout wants to befriend Walter Cunnigham and
invite him to dinner again, but Aunt Alexandra refuses
 “they’re not our kind of folks” (224)
 “he is trash, that’s why you can’t play with him” (225)
 Jem is pretty disappointed with how cruel the world is
 Separates the community into respectable white folks (Finches),
the humble poor (Cunnighams), white trash (Ewells) and the
blacks – all of whom do not interact and dislike one another
 Scout believes there’s only one type of folks. Folks – everyone is
equal in her naïve, innocent mind
 Why can’t they all just get along?
 Jem thinks that Boo Radley stays inside because he wants to – the
worls is too depressing.

103. Chapter 24 – Aunt Alexandra’s
Missionary Circle
 Gossip about everyone
 Scout is invited to participate / to learn to behave like a
lady
 Several ladies make fun of Scout’s attire and demeanor,
but Miss Maudie is supportive and warm
 The meeting is rather racist and hypocritical – the ladies
appear nice, but are rude and judgmental; Scout prefers
men, who are more “real”
 Tom is shot 17 times and killed while trying to escape
prison
 Atticus and Cal have to inform the family – the burden
to do the right thing always falls to Atticus
 Ladies go back to chatting, pretending nothing has
happened

104. Chapter 25
 Roly-poly: Scout play with it and almost crushes it
 Jem stops her: thinks it’s cruelty to animals to crush an
insect that is no bother to anyone (like the mockingbird
– innocent)
 Jem shows maturity, but Scout thinks he’s behaving
more like a girl than herself
 Tom’s death: it’s typical for a black man to do something
so irrational as to attempt to escape.
 Mr. Underwood writes a long editorial condemning
Tom’s death as the murder of an innocent man
 Compares Tom’s death to “the senseless slaughter of
songbirds by hunters and children” (241)

106. Chapter 26 – School Starts
 Jem and Scout walk past the Radley house - Both no
longer fear Boo, and Scout even feels guilty for
bothering him in the past (MATURITY)
 Current Events – Hitler (mirrors the prejudice in USA)
 Democracy – “Equal rights for all, special privileges for
none;” “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting
anybody. Persecution comes from people who are
prejudiced” (245)
 Miss Gates does not believe in persecuting the Jews in
Europe, but has no problem targeting the African
Americans in Maycomb – HYPOCRITE; blind to her
own prejudice

108. Chapter 27 - October
 Bob Ewell takes a job with the WPA, one of the
depression job programs.
 He loses the job for laziness a few days later and blames
Atticus.
 Judge Taylor sees a shadow creeping around his porch.
 Ewell begins to follow Helen to work. Link Deas threatens
to have him arrested, and he gives Helen no further
trouble.
 The town sponsors a play at the school for Halloween to
keep the kids from pranks.
 The play is an agricultural pageant in which every child
portrays a food.
 Scout is dressed as a ham.

110. Chapter 28 – Gothic night of suspense
 On the way to the pageant, Cecil Jacobs jumps out and
scares Jem and Scout.
 Scout falls asleep and misses her entrance – ruins pageant
 She is so ashamed she and Jem wait backstage until
everyone has gone before they make their way home.
 Jem hears noises, but assumes it’s Cecil trying to scare
them again.
 Their pursuer runs after them as they approach the road.
 Jem yells for Scout to run, but in her costume, she gets
tangled and falls; hears a fight and Jem screams.
 The attacker is pulled away

112.  Scout looks for Jem, but locates an unshaven
character who smells of whiskey (Bob Ewell)
 Surprise – Ewell is a coward; attacks the children since
he’s afraid of Atticus
 A loathsome person would viciously attack kids
 Scout and Jem are vulnerable – it’s dark, Scout has the
costume and is confused/blind, they are near their
home where it is normally safe
 As she stumbles home, she sees in the light, a
figure carrying Jem toward the house.
 Scout does not recognize Boo as their savior – shows
that the children do not see Boo as human or part of
the community; Boo, as the name suggests, is a
childhood ghost or phantom

114. Chapter 29
Bow Ewell attempted to stab Scout,
but the costume saved her life
“He had the guts enough to pester a
poor colored woman, he had guts enough
to pester Judge Taylor when he thought
the house was empty, so do you think
he’da met you to your face in daylight?”
(269)

116. Chapter 30
 Scout walks with Boo to the front porch where Atticus
and Heck Tate are arguing.
 Boo prefers to stay in shadow – sensitive to light
 Heck calls Ewell’s death an accident, but Atticus, thinking
his son killed Ewell doesn’t want him protected by the
law.
 “Nobody’s hushing this up. I don’t live that way…If this thing’s
hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried
to raise him…” (273)
 Heck says Ewell fell on his knife. Jem did not kill him.

117. Saving a “Mockingbird”
 Heck knows that Boo killed Bob Ewell to save the
children.
 Boo doesn’t need the attention of the town brought to
his door.
 “taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great
service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight –
to me, that’s a sin…If it was any other man it’d be different.
But not this man.” (276)
 Scout understands Boo’s need for privacy and she goes
along with the story to save Boo – “it’d be sort of like
shootin’ a mockingbird” (276)

118. Themes
 Boo the childhood phantom becomes Boo the human
being: “His lips parted into a timid smile, and our
neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. ‘Hey,
Boo,’ I said.” - development of character and a grown-
up moral perspective
 Tate’s decision to spare Boo the horror of publicity
invokes the title of the book and its central theme.
Scout is able to sympathize with Boo and understand
him.
 Boo – goodness exists in unexpected forms.
Scout will grow up knowing that good and evil
are balanced.

119. IS TOLD TO RESPECT HER NEIGHBOR
AND CALL HIM BY HIS REAL NAME
 FIRST THING SHE SAYS WHEN SHE SEES HIM: “HEY,
BOO.”

120. Chapter 31
 Scout takes Boo upstairs to say goodnight to Jem
then walks him home.
 He goes inside his house and she never sees him
again.
 “Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a
broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies,
and our lives….We never put back into the tree what
we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it
made me sad.” (278) - GUILT for judging him

121.  Standing on the Radley porch, Scout gains a new
perspective on life; sees the neighborhood from a new
angle – understands Boo
 She returns home and finds Atticus in Jem’s room. He
reads one of Jem’s books to her until she falls asleep.
 The Gray Ghost (metaphor for Boo): “An’ they chased
him ‘n’ never could catch him ‘cause they didn’t know
what he looked like, an’ Atticus, when they finally saw
him, why he hadn’t done any of those things…Atticus,
he was real nice…” (281)
 “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.”

122. Themes
 The novel closes with Scout falling asleep as Atticus
reads to her. An image of her as Atticus’s baby child -
she has grown up but she is still only eight.
 “Her ham costume, a symbol of the silly and carefree
nature of childhood, prevents Bob Ewell’s knife from
injuring her, so does the intervention of Boo, another
part of Scout’s childhood, thwart the total intrusion
into her life of the often hate-filled adult world that
Ewell represents.”
 INNOCENCE IS PROTECTED FROM ADULT
CRUELTY AND REALITY (Scout as a
mockingbird)