Chapter 5 Summary
Jem and Dill have become closer friends, and Scout, being a girl, finds herself often excluded from her play. Dill has in childish fashion decided to get engaged to Scout, but now he and Jem play together often and Scout finds herself unwelcome. She often sits with their neighbor, the avid gardener Miss Maudie Atkinson, and watches the sun set on her front steps or partakes of Miss Maudie's fine cake. Miss Maudie is honest is her speech and her ways, with a witty tongue, and Scout considers her a trusted friend. Scout asks her one day about Boo Radley, and Miss Maudie says that he's still alive, he just doesn't like to come outside. She also says that most of the rumors about him aren't true. Miss Maudie explains that the Radleys are foot-washing Baptists -they believe all pleasure is a sin against God, and stay inside most of the time reading the Bible. She says that Arthur was a nice boy when she used to know him.
The next day Jem and Dill hatch a plan to go leave a note for Boo in the Radleys' window, using a fishing line. The note will ask him to come out sometimes and tell them what he's doing inside, and that they won't hurt him and will buy him ice cream. Dill says he wants Boo to come out and sit with them for a while, as it might make the man feel better. Dill and Scout keep watch in case anyone comes along, and Jem tries to deliver the note with the fishing pole, but finds that it's harder to maneuver than he expected. As he struggles, Atticus arrives and catches them all. He tells them to stop tormenting Boo, and lectures them about how Boo has a right to his privacy, and they shouldn't go near the house unless they're invited. He accuses them of putting Boo's life history on display for the edification of the neighborhood. Jem says that he didn't say they were doing that, and thus inadvertently admits that they were doing just that. Atticus caught him with "the oldest lawyer's trick on record."
Analysis
Though Atticus tries to encourage the children to leave Boo alone, their senses of sympathy have begun to be summoned up by thinking about Boo's solitude and his strict upbringing. Though still frightened of him, they wish to befriend him and help him now. Miss Maudie's description of Boo helps the children to understand him as a victim of his upbringing.
Miss Maudie is one of the only women that Scout respects and is friendly with. Calpurnia and Miss Maudie are the main motherly influences in her life - while Aunt Alexandra attempts to impose herself as a maternal substitute, she wants to turn Scout into a "lady" against her will. Miss Maudie is the most unbiased and supportive of these three women, though Calpurnia becomes much more sympathetic as time goes by.
Miss Maudie is obsessed with her flowerbeds, and goes about tending them despite the disapproval of the "foot-washing Baptists," who occasionally accuse her of spending too much time in such vain earthly pursuits. Miss Maudie is opposed to these staunch, strict ideas but she is also religious, showing that perhaps she finds a relationship between maintaining beautiful things in the world and connecting with God. This ties in again with the idea that laws can lose their meaning if they are taken to literal extremes. Just as in the case of the Ewells hunting out of season, some things are more important than following the letter of the law exactly. The very religious Radleys stay indoors all day and create recluses out of themselves, rarely participating in community affairs, except during emergencies. Miss Maudie, however, seems to think that serving living things - whether human or floral - is an important part of serving God. There is no one clear way to worship God, but the chapter suggests that reading the Bible inside all day may be an application of God's law which, like the hunting law when applied to the Ewell's, becomes self-defeating if applied too severely. In both cases, the maintaining of life (Mr. Ewell's children or Miss Maudie's flowers) is more important than observing the strictest codes. Miss Maudie also believes in the importance of pleasure and the enjoyment of life.
Chapter 6 Summary
It is Dill's last night in Maycomb for the summer. Jem and Scout get permission to go sit with him that evening. Dill wants to go for "a walk," but it turns into something more: Jem and Dill want to sneak over to the Radleys' and peek into one of their windows. Scout doesn't want them to do it, but Jem accuses her of being girlish, an insult she can't bear, and she goes along with it. They sneak under a wire fence and go through a gate. At the window, Scout and Jem hoist Dill up to peek in the window. Dill sees nothing, only curtains and a small faraway light. The boys want to try a back window instead, despite Scout's pleas. As Jem is raising his head to look in, the shadow of a man appears and crosses over him. As soon as it's gone, the three children run as fast as they can back home, but Jem loses his pants in the gate. As they run, they hear a shotgun sound somewhere behind them.
When they return, Mr. Radley is standing inside his gate, and Atticus is there with various neighbors. They found out that Mr. Radley was shooting at a "white Negro" in his backyard, and has another barrel waiting if he returns. Dill makes up a story about playing strip poker to explain Jem's missing pants, and Jem says it was with matches rather than cards, which would be considered very bad. Dill says goodbye to them, and Jem and Scout go to bed.
Jem decides to go back and get his pants late that night. Scout tries to persuade him that it would be better to get whipped by Atticus than to get shot and killed by Mr. Radley, but Jem insists - he says he's never been whipped by Atticus and doesn't want to be. Jem is gone for a little while, but he returns with the pants, trembling.
Analysis
The children come ever closer to bridging the distance between themselves and Boo. Scout is reluctant to participate in these games -something tells her it's not a good idea, but she can't stand to be left out, especially on charges of being too "girlish." As time goes by, Scout will learn why Boo likes his privacy and will understand why it's important to leave him alone, but for now she only has a suspicion of wrong.
The children's attempts to connect with Boo evoke, again, the sense that they, as children, will be able to see Boo with more decency and sincerity than the rest of the populace. Their search through the darkness, the many gates, the vegetables in the yard, and then Dill's glance through the dark window with curtains through which there is one small light are somewhat symbolic of the children's search through layers of ignorance and rumor to find the truth underneath it all, at the very core. By searching for the man who has been made into a monster by society, they will bring back his basic common humanity and unites him with everyone else in spite of his unusual personality. Likewise, Atticus wants to make it possible for black people to exist on the same plane as whites, no longer subjected to an inhuman, "heathen," existence. Color is not insignificant here: Boo Radley is described as very, very white at the end of the book, and Tom is described as being extremely "velvety" dark - they are at opposite ends of the flesh color spectrum but both of these main "mockingbird figures" share the common dilemma of being markedly different from the flesh color that is considered to be the norm in Maycomb.
Chapter 7 Summary
Jem is "moody and silent" after the pants incident. The new school year starts, and Scout finds it to be just as boring as first grade. She and Jem are walking home together one day when Jem says that he didn't tell her that when he found his pants that night, they were all folded up, and the tears had been crudely sewn up, as if someone knew that he would be coming back for them. He finds this highly eerie. Then they find a ball of twine in the hiding place in the oak tree. They aren't sure if it's theirs or not, so they leave it for a few days. When it's still there, they take it, and decide that anything left there is okay to take.
Jem is excited about sixth grade, because they learn about ancient Egypt, and he tells Scout that school will get better for her. One day in October they find two little figures, a boy and a girl, carved artfully out of soap. Upon closer examination, they realize that they are images of themselves. They wonder who could have done it - maybe Mr. Avery, a neighbor who whittles wood. In a couple of weeks, they find a package of chewing gum, then an old medal for winning the spelling bee, then a broken pocket watch on a chain with an aluminum knife. Jem can't get it to work, but they decide to write a letter thanking whoever gives them these gifts. They write a note of thanks and leave it in the oak tree.
The next day, they are horrified to discover that someone has filled their hole up with cement. They ask Mr. Radley about it, who claims that the tree is dying and the cement will keep it alive. But Atticus, when asked, says that the tree looks very healthy.
Jem stands out on the porch for a long time, and when he comes inside, he looks like he has been crying.
Analysis
The fact that the tree is in the Radleys' yard, coupled with Mr. Radley's act of filling the hole with concrete after they leave the note, points to Boo as the deliverer of all the presents, and probably also the sewer of the pants. He hasn't said a word, but the reader can intuit from his sweet, clumsy offerings that he means well and has a generous, thoughtful, and perceptive nature, yet very few social skills. Though he's a middle-aged man, his little hidden gifts of chewing gum and pennies suggest a childish nature or a fondness for children - he himself disappeared into the house at a young age and therefore remains forever young in the memories of the townspeople. Mr. Radley, who plugs up the hole, and all the other adults discourage this interaction, however. Jem's reaction to the plugging of the hole is perhaps symptomatic of his passage from the world of childhood toward adulthood - just as the hole has been plugged up and their "conversation" with Boo has ended, so too must childish games end and grown-up events begin. Standing on the porch, a threshold between the outdoor, summery world of childish freedom, and the inside, civilized world of the grown-ups, Jem is perhaps mourning the last days of his own childhood as much as the loss of the budding friendship with Boo.
Chapter 8 Summary
Winter comes to Maycomb and it is unexpectedly harsh. Mr. Avery blames the children for causing the bad weather, saying that disobedient children make the seasons change. Mrs. Radley dies, and Atticus goes to the Radleys' house, but upon questioning from Scout he sternly says that he did not see Boo there.
Snow comes - the first snow Scout and Jem have ever seen. School gets canceled and Jem and Scout make a plump snowman looking like Mr. Avery using soil and snow collected from Miss Maudie's yard. Atticus admires the snowman but suggests that they make it look a little less realistic. Jem gives it Miss Maudie's hat and pruning shears. Miss Maudie laughs at the impersonation.
It's bitterly cold that night. Scout is awakened in the middle of the night by Atticus. Miss Maudie's house is on fire. Three fire trucks are trying to help, but are hampered by the cold, and one of the hoses bursts. Atticus makes the two children wait by the Radleys' house, where they shiver and hope that the flames won't come too near their own house. Miss Maudie's house collapses and her tin roof helps put out the flames. Miss Maudie will live at Miss Stephanie's house for a while now.
Back at home, Atticus notices that Scout has a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Neither of the children knows where it came from. They realize that Boo Radley must have slipped it over her while they were engrossed by the fire -Mr. Radley, his brother, had been busy helping at Miss Maudie's house, so it could only have been Boo.
Miss Maudie is unexpectedly cheery about the fact that her house is gone. She says that she wanted a smaller house anyway, and now she'll be able to have a bigger garden. The fire probably started because she kept a fire going that night to keep her potted plants warm.
Analysis
These past chapters have mainly been concerned with the conclusion of the story of the search for Boo Radley, and contain less thematic material than pure storyline as they outline all the events: sneaking around the Radleys' house, gifts left in the tree, the hole filled with cement, and Miss Maudie's fire, in which the blanket is wrapped around Scout without her realizing it. Boo seems to be looking out for them in unexpected ways; showing his appreciation for them with the blanket foreshadows his daring rescue later in the book. The threat of the fire unites the community into a common fight in which everyone's differences and oddities can be forgotten in the name of a common cause - even Mr. Radley comes out to help.
Miss Maudie is happy to be able to have a smaller house so she can have a bigger garden and spend more time outdoors. Throughout the book, the location of people and events inside or outside of houses speaks toward the themes of the book. In general, those who are usually seen and described as being willfully inside the house: Mrs. Dubose and Aunt Alexandra in particular, are often more corrupted by the prejudices of society. The children run outside constantly, and Dill in particular has no house of his own, except one far away which is never described in detail within the book, making him extremely free. Miss Maudie stays outside a great deal, as does the sheriff, Heck Tate; both are on the side of all that is good. Those who are forced to stay inside are victims of society's influence, especially Boo Radley and Tom, who both live within their respective forms of jail for much of the book. Atticus is an exception: the presence of his office gives him a different kind of house to live in, one that is tied into the fabric of society and yet is also outside of it. His daily outside walks back and forth show him to be part of the "outside" world of free thinkers, and also link his professional "home" to his real home, which is emphasized especially by the fact that his morals are the same whether at work or at home.
Chapter 9 Summary
A boy at school, Cecil Jacobs, teases Scout, saying that her father "defends niggers." Scout fights him over it. Later she asks Atticus what it means, and he says he has decided to defend a black man named Tom Robinson, who lives in a settlement behind the town dump. He says that there has been talk around town that he ought not to defend Tom. Scout asks why he's still doing it, and Atticus responds that if he didn't take the case, he wouldn't be able to "hold up my head in town," represent his county in the legislature, or even tell his children what to do. He explains that every lawyer gets at least one case in a lifetime that affects them personally, and this one is his. He tells Scout to keep her cool no matter what anyone says, and fight with her head, not her hands. Scout asks if he's going to win the case and Atticus says no, but "simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." He tells her that no matter what happens, the people of Maycomb are still their friends, and this is still their town.
Back at school, Scout doesn't fight. She keeps this up until Christmas, when they all go to stay with their Aunt Alexandra at Finch's Landing. Their Uncle Jack comes to stay with them in Maycomb for a week, which Scout enjoys, because he has a good sense of humor, even though he's a doctor. Scout has been trying out swear words on the theory that Atticus won't make her go to school if he finds out she learned them there, but after dinner Uncle Jack tells her not to use them in his presence unless she's in an extremely provoking situation. For Christmas, Jem and Scout both get air rifles.
They go to Finch's Landing, a large house with a special staircase leading to the rooms of Simon Finch's four daughters that once allowed Finch to keep track of their comings and goings. Scout hates going here, because her Aunt Alexandra always tells her that she should be more ladylike - she should wear dresses and not pants, she should play with girls' toys like tea sets and jewelry. Aunt Alexandra hurts Scout's feeling and makes her sit at the little table in the dining room at dinner instead of the grown-ups' table, where Jem and Francis are sitting - Francis is a grandson of Aunt Alexandra. Scout calls Francis "the most boring child I ever met," and says that talking to him gives her the feeling of "settling slowly to the bottom of the ocean." The only good thing about being at the Landing is Aunt Alexandra's excellent cooking.
After dinner, Francis and Scout are outside in the backyard. Francis says that Atticus is a "nigger-lover," and that now Atticus will be the ruination of the family, who won't even be able to walk the streets of Maycomb again. Scout patiently awaits her chance, then punches him in the mouth. Francis screams and everyone comes outside. Francis says Scout called him a "whore-lady" and jumped on him, which Scout does not deny. Uncle Jack tells her not to use that language and pins her when she tries to run away. Scout says that she hates him. Atticus says it's high time they went home.
Back at home, Scout runs to her room to be alone. Uncle Jack comes upstairs to have a talk with her. Scout points out that he doesn't understand children very well, since he never heard her side of the story. Uncle Jack asks her for her side and Scout tells him what Francis said about Atticus. Uncle Jack is very concerned and wants to go talk with Alexandra right away, but Scout pleads with him not to tell Atticus, since she doesn't want him to know that she broke her agreement not to fight anyone over the issue of Tom Robinson's case.
Scout overhears Uncle Jack and Atticus talking. Uncle Jack explains that he doesn't want to have children because he doesn't understand them well enough. Atticus muses that Scout needs to learn to keep her temper under control because in the next few months, there is going to be a lot in store for the family. Jack asks how bad it will be, and Atticus says that it couldn't be worse - the case comes down to a black man's word against the word of the Ewells, and the jury couldn't possibly take Tom's word over the word of white people. He just hopes that he can get his children through without having them catch "Maycomb's usual disease," when "people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro come up." He hopes that Jem and Scout will look to him for their answers rather than to the townspeople. Then he calls out Scout's name and tells her to go to bed. She runs back to her room. Years later, the older narrator says, she will understand that Atticus wanted her to hear everything he said.
Analysis
This chapter lays some of the groundwork for the upcoming trial of Tom Robinson, which will occupy most of the rest of the story. Atticus knows that it will be a difficult time for the children, and though the reader doesn't know anything about the case yet, Atticus already claims that it is hopeless, because the jury simply won't believe a black man's word against a white man's, no matter what the evidence. The trial is thus about more than simply setting a man free - Atticus seems sure that he won't win, but he suggests that even though the case itself will be predictable enough, it will cause a stir in the town that will have major repercussions. The bigotry and racism that have been endemic to Southern society for a hundred years may not be eradicated by this case, but Atticus will fight anyway, because he must follow his own conscience at all times and set an example for the community. He knows that he must have absolute integrity in all aspects of his life - and if he is false in his work as a lawyer than he cannot be true to his family or his friends.
This first meeting with Aunt Alexandra shows her to be a dominating and traditional presence with strong opinions about how Scout ought to behave. Her impositions of ideas of what a Southern lady should do become a constant reminder for Scout that she is always doing something "wrong;" however, she is always comforted by the fact that the accepting and open-minded Atticus doesn't mind her "too much" the way she is. Scout's behavior constantly flies in the face of traditional Southern female attributes, but the codes that her aunt tried to pass down upon her often seem unreasonable and unjustified since they are based mainly upon sheer tradition. Scout can preserve her own identity as long as she is young, but when Aunt Alexandra comes to stay with the Finches, she will find herself made more and more aware of her lack of compliance with the Southern feminine ideal and more aware of herself as an individual in a society whose values she cannot necessarily support, at least not without a better understanding of the reasons to have such values.
The coupling of these two parallel struggles of individual identity against communal tradition -Atticus's preservation of his own morals and Scout's preservation of her own idea of being a girl as she begins to come of age -suggest that though Atticus's fight for justice is very difficult and lonely, the process of growing up as a tomboy in the South of the 30's could be equally painful and lonely at times, and certainly contributed to Scout's development of a strong character. It also suggests that Atticus provided Scout with a role model who could encourage her to be her own kind of girl. Atticus's influence over his own family might, over time, also extend over the entire community, until more people in Maycomb were unafraid of acting justly and without prejudice.
Chapter 10 Summary
Scout doesn't think her father can "do" anything - he doesn't do hands-on physical work, he doesn't play football, he's much older than the parents of her peers so he's too frail for most activity. He also wears glasses because he's nearly blind in one eye. Instead of hunting, he sits and reads inside. Scout is ashamed of her father because it seems like he can't do anything noteworthy. Scout has been dealing with a lot of not very complimentary talk at school about her father's case, but she doesn't fight anyone in public - only family like Francis.
Atticus tells them they can shoot their air guns at tins cans and bluebirds but tells them that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird. Miss Maudie affirms this, saying "Your father's right. 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 for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
Then one day a dog named Tim Johnson appears in the neighborhood. He has a strange appearance and walks slowly with a twitch. The children tell Calpurnia, who takes one look and then immediately calls Atticus to tell him that there's a rabid dog in the neighborhood. Then she gets the town operator to call everyone in the neighborhood. She even runs over to the Radleys' house to yell the warning to them. Atticus and the sheriff, Heck Tate, drive up, and the sheriff gives Atticus the gun. The dog is so close to the Radleys' house that a stray bullet might go into the building. Atticus reluctantly takes up the gun and shoots the dog. The dog crumples into a heap. Jem is dumbstruck. Miss Maudie tells the children that their father used to be known as "One-Shot Finch," the best dead-shot in the county. She says he doesn't shoot unless he has to, because he feels that, when he holds a gun, God has given him an unfair advantage over living beings. Scout wants to tell everyone in school, but Jem tells her not to, because he says that he wouldn't care if Atticus "couldn't do a blessed thing," because Atticus is a gentleman.
Analysis
The rabid dog is a deadly, dangerous menace to the town, and its presence affects everyone in the community, black or white, irrespective of class or personality. Thus, the dog creates a unifying affect over the neighborhood - no one is immune to it, and everyone must take cover together. Even the Radleys, the neighborhood oddballs, must be warned by Calpurnia's shouting. The presence of the rabid dog is an emergency that makes everyone equal for a few moments. Later in the book, Atticus will credit the court of law with the same capability of making everyone equal, regardless of ethnicity or social stature. Also, though Atticus does not like to shoot, his role as marksman in hitting the rabid dog calls for him to stand as a defender of all the people, not just blacks or whites. While he holds the gun, the fate of the entire community rests upon his shoulders, a role which will be discussed more in Chapter 24, where Miss Maudie points out that the town depends upon Atticus to uphold truth for them all. Atticus dislikes handling a gun because it makes him feel like he has an unfair advantage over all living things, that is, nature is fair in what it has given all beings, and using a tool like a gun to kill with allows him special privileges which nature never intended for him to use. Nature seems to have its own law which states that humans should not take advantage of their knowledge of machines and weapons in order to shoot animals, who have no such advantage. In the name of public safety, however, Atticus is willing to put this moral aside in the name of a higher goal: the protection of human life. Again, this shows how a law, such as nature's law or even a personal law such as Atticus's avoidance of guns, must sometime be bent toward a higher aim.
Atticus is not the only important figure in the crisis: Calpurnia is the one to recognize the serious nature of the situation, make the right phone calls, and run out to warn the neighbors. She spares many people from death, yet she gets no credit for it when compared to Atticus who actually shoots the gun to kill the dog. Though Atticus's skill with a gun is remarkable, Calpurnia's swift action and knowledge are invaluable. This is an example of how the black community in Maycomb helps the white community in ways that may not always be realized, and despite the amount of prejudice and discrimination that they suffer, they make many unsung contributions to the community.
Atticus's warning about shooting a mockingbird is the first mention of the mockingbird theme. The idea coincides with his distaste for hunting: Atticus doesn't want his children to inflict cruelty upon the innocent mockingbirds just because they have the power of the air guns, just as he doesn't like to shoot. His warning serves to emphasize the responsibilities that come with power. Those who have power must be careful not to use it cruelly upon beings who are innocent and harmless. If an animal provokes harm, such as a bluebird, then one may exercise power against it, but the powerful must be careful in choosing whom they target. In the trial of the harmless Tom Robinson, the white people in the jury have power over the black man, and they choose to exercise their power poorly, declaring him guilty simply because he is black. The mockingbird theme will also appear at the end of the book regarding Boo's rescue of Jem and Scout. Atticus's preference for not shooting shows that he would like to remove himself from situations of unfair power. Like the gun, the situation of white supremacy is a creation of society that contradicts all that is natural to mankind; it separates men into groups and places one ahead of the other. Atticus wishes to do away with these categories and power discrepancies.
Chapter 11 Summary
On their way to meet Atticus after work, Scout and Jem have to pass by the house of Mrs. Dubose, a very mean, sick old lady who sits on her front porch and yells at them as they pass by. The day after Jem's twelfth birthday, they go to town to spend some of his birthday money. On the way, Mrs. Dubose yells to Jem that he broke Miss Maudie's grape arbor that morning, which is untrue, and yells at Scout for wearing overalls. Then she starts yelling at them about how Atticus is defending "niggers," and says that Atticus is no better than "the trash he works for." Jem tries to follow Atticus's advice regarding Mrs. Dubose: just hold your head high and be a gentleman.
In town, Jem gets a model steam engine and Scout gets a sparkly twirling baton.
On the way home, Jem suddenly grabs Scout's baton and cuts off all the tops of Mrs. Dubose's camellia bushes. They return home and gloomily await Atticus's return. Atticus comes home carrying green camellia buds and Scout's broken baton. He makes Jem go to Mrs. Dubose's house and apologize to her in person. Scout and Atticus discuss the necessity of keeping one's head even when times get hard. Atticus explains that he has to follow his conscience, no matter what anyone else in the town says.
Jem returns. Atticus says that one can't hold a sick old lady responsible for what she says. Jem says that Mrs. Dubose wants him to read out loud to her every afternoon for two hours for a full month.
The two both go to read to Mrs. Dubose, whose house is dark and frightening, full of medical equipment. Mrs. Dubose is lying in bed, and she looks friendly but her face is old and hideous. Jem begins to read Ivanhoe and Mrs. Dubose snaps at him when he says any word incorrectly. As time passes, though, she stops speaking and her mouth opens and closes while her head sways from side to side. Jem asks her if she is all right, but she doesn't reply. In a few minutes, an alarm clock sounds, and Mrs. Dubose's assistant tells them to go home - it's time for Mrs. Dubose's medicine. This happens every time they go to her house.
Scout asks Atticus what a nigger-lover is, and he says that it's just a meaningless term that "ignorant, trashy people use when they think somebody's favoring Negroes above themselves." He tells her that these words hurt the people who say them more than they hurt him.
The end of the month comes and Mrs. Dubose asks them to read to her for one more week. Now they read to her for two hours before the alarm sounds for them to leave - each day it seem that they stay there a little longer. When Mrs. Dubose makes remarks about Atticus's case, Jem responds with detachment and keeps his anger hidden. Weeks after the last day of reading, Atticus gets a phone call and goes to Mrs. Dubose's house for a long time. He comes back to announce that she is dead, and tells them that she was a morphine addict. Every day she waited a little longer while Jem read to her, until she broke herself from her addiction to morphine, which the doctors put her on as a pain-killer for her illness. Atticus wanted his children to see her an example of true courage - even though she knew she was going to die, Mrs. Dubose wanted to be free of her addiction. Atticus tells Jem that courage is about more than men with guns, it's knowing you're going to lose but sticking to your views and fighting anyway. Mrs. Dubose won, because she died beholden to nothing. Atticus calls her "the bravest woman I ever knew."
Analysis
Again, the events of this chapter help to underscore the severe racial intolerance of many of the townspeople, and the extreme ostracizing that the Finches underwent in the name of maintaining good conscience. Mrs. Dubose calls all black people "trash" without exception, and tests Jem's patience to the point of breaking. Atticus wants the children to understand that courage has to do with the fight for one's personal goals, no matter what the odds are against achieving the goal. Heroism is the fight itself, the struggle against fate or circumstance or any other overpowering force. Mrs. Dubose's goal was to break free from her addiction to morphine and her struggle against the clock and mortality bears comparison to Atticus's struggle to uphold his own morals despite the fact that his case is nearly hopeless and the majority of the town is against him. According to Atticus's definition, he and Mrs. Dubose are both brave, even heroic, and he wants the children to follow their example. Even though Mrs. Dubose is a mean and bigoted old woman, she has her good side that demands respect. Atticus wants the children to see that though many of the townspeople are ignorant and racist, they also have personal strengths that keep them from being all bad and give them hope for becoming better.
Jem learns some lessons in how to remain impassive even when his father's judgement is questioned and criticized. Jem is usually calmer and quieter than Scout, but his outward calm often disguises as much hurt and anger as Scout feels and expresses. Because he so rarely expresses his rage in verbal or physical fights, he often ends up bottling his feelings up. When these feelings do explode, as when he cuts up Mrs. Dubose's flowers, the explosion is much bigger and more destructive than what Scout would normally do, and he finds himself extremely ashamed afterwards. Part of Scout and Jem's growing up will be understanding how to manage their feelings of anger - Scout must learn to calm her responses, whereas Jem may need to learn to find useful ways to express his feelings rather than suppressing them.
Part Two
Chapter 12 Summary
Jem is growing up and tends to become moody and temperamental. Scout tries to give him his space, looking forward to Dill coming in the summer. But Dill doesn't come that summer - he writes to say that he has a new father and has to stay in Meridian. To make matters worse, Atticus has to leave for two weeks for an emergency session with the state legislature. Instead of letting the children go to church unattended that Sunday (last time they went by themselves, Scout locked one of the Sunday School girls in the furnace room telling her that she, like Shadrach, wouldn't burn if she had enough faith), Calpurnia takes them to the First Purchase African M.E. church, an all-black congregation. Calpurnia takes special pains to make sure they are cleanly-scrubbed and as perfectly dressed as possible on Sunday.
At the church, a black woman named Lula tries to tell Calpurnia that white children don't belong at the church. However, Calpurnia points out that it's the same God, and the rest of the congregation welcomes the newcomers. Scout is surprised to hear Calpurnia speak in the same black dialect as the others, which she has never heard her use before. Inside the church, everything is much simpler than in the church she is used to, and there are no hymn-books. Reverend Sykes announces that the collection taken up today will go to Helen, the wife of Tom Robinson. Calpurnia's son Zeebo, the town's trash collector, leads the congregation in hymns, singing each line and having the group repeat it back to him. Reverend Sykes gives a sermon, which seems similar to the sermons Scout is used to, except that he makes examples of particular people in the congregation to illustrate his points. After collection time, the Reverend counts the money collected and announces that they must raise ten dollars to give to Helen Robinson. He orders for the doors to be closed until everyone gives more.
After the service, Scout asks Reverend Sykes why Helen needs the collection money when she can still go to work and take her children with her. Reverend Sykes explains that she may have trouble getting any work in the fields now. Scout asks Calpurnia about this, and Calpurnia say that it's because Tom has been accused of raping Bob Ewell's daughter. Mr. Ewell had Tom arrested and put in jail. Scout remembers that the Ewells are the ones who only come to school once a year, and are what Atticus calls "absolute trash." Calpurnia won't tell her what rape is. Scout asks why they don't have hymn-books, and Calpurnia explains that only a few people at the church can read - she and Zeebo are among the few who can. Calpurnia used to work at the Landing and for Miss Maudie's aunt, Miss Buford, who taught her to read. Jem asks Calpurnia why she doesn't speak with proper grammar around black people, and Calpurnia explains that it would be out of place, and that she would look pretentious. The others don't want to learn to speak the "right" way, she says, so she speaks their language. Scout asks if she can come over to Calpurnia's house sometimes, and Calpurnia says yes.
When they arrive home, Aunt Alexandra is sitting on their porch.
Analysis
This chapter offers the only real window into the life and culture of Maycomb's black community provided in the book. The scarcity of views into the "Quarters," the black residential part of town, within the book probably reflects accurately upon what it would be like to grow up as a white girl in the Deep South in the 30s. Scout lives almost exclusively in a middle-class white world, and as the book tends to stay centered around her own experience, it almost never moves into other racial circles. The narrowness of her own experience, seen through the book, demonstrates the rigidity of Maycomb's segregated society.
The First Purchase church is noticeably shabbier and simpler than Scout's church, reflecting the material poverty of its congregation. However, though poor in material riches, the congregation displays a richness in human and spiritual dignity. Though exposed to decades of white racist hatred and discrimination, the entire congregation (except Lula) gives the Finch children a warm welcome. For the most part, the black community seems unified in a sense of solidarity that their poverty and shared hardships help to solidify. The Reverend singles out individuals in front of the group in his sermon because within a community of discriminated people, the actions of individuals have a more profound effect upon the image of the entire group. Thus it becomes every individual's responsibility to act with the group's common goals in mind. Likewise, in making a collection for Helen Robinson, everyone in the community must sacrifice a little more than they are comfortable with in order to help out those in need. In a more affluent social group, the very wealthy can act as philanthropists, doling out large sums to support the very poor without significant sacrifice to their own large fortunes. In the black community, the needs of the poorest members are felt by everyone else in the group.
Despite the differences, however, between the black and white congregations, Scout notes that most aspects of the service are very similar, including the nature of the sermon itself. This demonstrates that the two groups, though so socially segregated, share much in common where the issue of faith is concerned. Like the courtroom (house of the state), later in the book, the church (house of God) is a space in which all people can be treated on equal terms.
Calpurnia's ability to speak the English of the white community and of the black community shows one aspect of her role as a mediator between the otherwise far-removed worlds of black and white. She is often called upon as a go-between between the two communities, as in the case of the death of Tom Robinson in chapter 24. She manages to bridge both worlds without becoming a foreigner to both, as in the case of the "mixed" children seen around the courthouse in chapter 16. However, the discussion of English dialects also dates Lee's book considerably, as white grammar is referred to as "proper" English, whereas black grammar comes across as being a more ignorant way of speaking. More recent linguistic research has demonstrated that the dialects of African-American English follow the same kinds of logical, systematic rules as all languages and are correct and perfectly contained unto themselves. Calpurnia explains that members of the black community prefer to speak their own form of English, which shows that their dialect helps to identify them as a group, an idea which has contemporary reverberations with respect to the issue of introducing ebonics in public schools.
Lula's defensive attitude toward allowing the Finch children into the church shows that though the black community is by and large welcoming, there are always people, black or white, who are less generous or who will practice unfair kinds of behavior, which relates to Atticus's courtroom speech, in which he explains that there are honest and dishonest people everywhere, regardless of race. Creating one somewhat hostile black character saves the black populace from becoming an unrealistic stereotype for unambiguous "good" in the book. The experience of being temporarily restricted from the space of the church also forces the Finch children to momentarily experience the same kind of racial discrimination that is a terrible daily reality for the black community. Lula's stand also suggests that there may be some divisiveness in the black community with regard to their attitudes toward the white oppressors: Lula's actions suggest that in retaliation against the cruelty of white domination, she wants the black community to, like whites, have their own spaces and lead mutually exclusive lives. The others, however, seem more interested in working toward a peaceful integration between blacks and whites despite historical atrocities and animosity.
Chapter 13 Summary
Aunt Alexandra has decided that it would be best for the family if she stays with them for "a while," which worries Scout even though she knows there's nothing to be done about it. Aunt Alexandra establishes herself in the neighborhood and continues to pester the children about what they should and shouldn't do. She is old-fashioned and proper, and she often refers to the people of Maycomb in light of their family history. She seems to believe that behaviors and character traits are passed on from one generation to the next through heredity - one family might have a Gambling Streak, or a Mean Streak, or a Funny Streak. She also judges families on the basis of how long they've been settled in the same place. Those who have stayed in the same places for many generations are deemed "Fine Folks," whereas Scout always thought that "Fine Folks" were those who "did the best they could with the sense they had." In Aunt Alexandra's eyes, the Ewells, who are very poor, are "Fine Folks," because they have stayed on the same land by the town dump for three generations.
Scout remembers how Maycomb was founded around an old tavern run by a man named Sinkfield. Its location was very far inland and away from the only form of transportation in that day - riverboats. Thus, the original town families tended to intermarry a great deal, until most people looked fairly similar in the town. Newcomers arrived rarely and made little difference to the genetic and social mix. Most old people still know each other so well that every behavior is somewhat predictable and repetitive.
Aunt Alexandra wants the children to know all about the Finch family and uphold its genteel heritage, but Atticus hasn't introduced them to all of their cousins, and has told them stories about how their cousin Josh went insane at university. Aunt Alexandra tries to pressure Atticus into telling the children why they should behave and "live up to your name" but he finds himself incapable of doing it. Scout says that "it takes a woman to do that kind of work."
Analysis
Aunt Alexandra's views probably typify the general consensus of traditional assumptions held by the Maycomb community at large. She introduces the idea of "Fine Folks" to Scout, who will be forever perplexed about what criteria are used to determine whether or not a family fits this category. The rigidity of the patterns of behavior that Aunt Alexandra (and the rest of Maycomb) believe in shows that individuals from white families also are subject to a certain amount of discrimination on the basis of their family's social stature. Individuals are not judged on their own qualities, but upon stereotypes forced upon their entire clan. Given the enormous amount of racist thought in Maycomb, it becomes incredibly unlikely that many whites in Maycomb will treat blacks with respect, because according to Aunt Alexandra's way of thinking, dishonesty and inferiority would be traits that are somehow genetically endemic to the entire race.
Aunt Alexandra begins trying to make Scout into a proper Southern girl, and meets with much opposition. She has an idea of what Finch women should be like, based upon years of family tradition, and tries to impose this idea onto Scout. In this way, Scout is also a victim of this old-fashioned system for judging individuals, and as Aunt Alexandra tries to mold her into the image of Southern femininity, she gets a clear taste of what it is like to be held up to a stereotyped identity rather than being allowed to simply be herself.
Chapter 14 Summary
Scout asks her father what rape is. He tells her it is "carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." There is a family scene when Aunt Alexandra finds out that Scout and Jem went to the black church with Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra tries to forbid Scout from going to visit Calpurnia in the future, and tries to make Atticus fire Calpurnia. Atticus refuses on the grounds that she's done an excellent job of running the house and raising the children, and the children love her. Jem takes Scout aside and tries to tell her not to antagonize their aunt. He and Scout get into a fistfight, which Atticus breaks up, saying that Scout doesn't have to obey Jem unless he can make her do so.
That night Scout and Jem discover Dill hiding under Scout's bed. He tells a long story about being locked and chained in a basement and escaping with a traveling animal show, then the real story about stealing money from his mother's purse, and walking and hitching his way from the train station to the Finches' house. Scout gets him some cornbread to eat and notes mentally that he is now "home." Jem says that Dill should let his mother know where he is. Jem¹s next action causes Scout to remark that he "broke the remaining code of our childhood" by calling for Atticus. Atticus is lenient, however, and calls Miss Rachel to ask if Dill can stay the night while Scout gets him more food. Miss Rachel appears on the scene and reprimands Dill but allows him to stay. Dill and Jem sleep in Jem's room, which adjoins Scout's room.
Late at night, Dill wakes Scout up and asks if he can sleep with her. He explains that his new father and his mother don't seem interested in him - they are kind to him but they don't need him around, they'd rather spend time alone together. Scout realizes how lucky she is to have a family that needs her. Then Dill suggests that they have a baby together, and even though he knows the real way that babies occur, he makes up a long dreamy story about a magic island where babies are collected like flowers. Scout wonders why Boo Radley doesn't run away, and Dill thinks maybe Boo doesn't have anywhere to run to.
Analysis
Jem's behavior seems to betray Dill, and shows his movement into the adult sphere. He suggests that Scout be less defiant toward their aunt, putting himself onto the adult side of the argument, to Scout's annoyance. The interaction between the two suggests that children (like Scout) are more immune to the attitudes and mindsets of the society around them, but as they grow older (like Jem), they unwittingly find themselves replicating and reinforcing society's traditional views.
Dill's story about his experiences with his parents show Scout how much she has to be grateful for. Even her aunt's constant pestering is a sign of her care for Scout, which is much better than the ambivalence that Dill experiences. Dill enjoys fantasy, as evidenced by his fanciful story about how babies are made. Even though he knows the real truth, he prefers the story he makes up. Dill's flights of fancy are an escape, like his physical escape from Meridian, into a world where he feels more at "home." When everyday life does not satisfy him, he can find solace again in his made-up world.
Scout and Dill's relationship, though close, is still childish and innocent, as shown in the end of the chapter. Their discussion about babies also suggests that Scout knows less about the facts of life than she claims in later chapters, and that it is possible that the idea of rape is still a little foggy in her mind.
Chapter 15 Summary
Dill is allowed to stay for the summer. Just a week later, events surrounding the trial begin to come to a head. First, a group of men pay a call on Atticus at his home. Jem and Scout watch from inside. The men make allusions to the fact that Tom will be moved to the Maycomb jail tomorrow (Sunday), because the trial will occur on Monday. They are concerned that the "Sarum bunch" will get up to some trouble, though Atticus thinks they won't do anything (such as a lynching) on a Sunday night. Mr. Link Deas says that Atticus has everything to lose from the trial, but Atticus says that he wants the truth to come out. Jem gets concerned that the men outside mean Atticus some harm, but Atticus assures him later that those men are his friends - they're not part of a gang or the Ku Klux Klan, whom Atticus claims is gone and will never come back. Jem overhears Aunt Alexandra warning Atticus that he is bringing disgrace to the family name. Jem is still concerned for Atticus's safety.
On Sunday there are more people at church than ever in Scout's memory - even Mr. Underwood from the town newspaper is there, and he almost never attends church. Later that afternoon, Atticus leaves the house in his car, carrying an electrical extension cord with a lightbulb at the end. He refuses to allow Jem and Scout to come. But at around 10:00, Jem starts changing his clothes and tells Scout that he's going downtown. Scout insists on coming, and they also pick up Dill on the way. They look for Atticus in his office, but finally find him sitting outside the county jail, with the lightbulb providing light for him to read his book. Jem feels reassured knowing where his father is, but as they're about to go home, four old cars come into town. A group of men emerge, shadowy. Atticus informs them that the sheriff is nearby, but they counter that they called him into the woods on false pretenses. Atticus still seems unperturbed. Suddenly Scout runs out into the circle, but is taken aback when she realizes that these men are strangers to her. Atticus orders the children to go home, but Jem refuses. One man picks up Jem by the collar, and Scout kicks the man in the groin. Jem still won't go.
Scout becomes interested in the men, who smell of "whiskey and pigpen" and are dressed in heavy dark clothes despite the summer night. She recognizes Mr. Cunningham, the father of Walter from her class at school. She innocently begins to talk about how Walter is a good boy, and recounts how they invited him home for dinner one day, and asks Mr. Cunningham to say hello to his son for her. Then she tries to engage him on the topic of his entailment, but notices that every one is staring at her. Mr. Cunningham bends down and says, "I'll tell him you say hey, little lady." Then the men decide to disperse, and go home in their cars. Mr. Underwood reveals himself in a nearby window with a gun, pointing out that he had them covered the whole time. The Finches and Dill go home.
Analysis
As in his earlier pose with the gun against the rabid dog, Atticus's stance at the door of the jail is symbolic of his role throughout the book. The night is dark, like the culture of bigotry and ignorance in Maycomb. Atticus's light illuminates the night, as Atticus strives to teach his community the truth and expose their unfairness. The light is an unusual addition to the scene: it would not occur outside the jail unless Atticus brought it there himself. Likewise, without people like Atticus going out of their way to help others, the darkness of prejudice could perpetuate itself indefinitely. Atticus doesn't hold a gun or other weapon, only a book. He will guard the basic human rights of Tom and all people using his knowledge and his experience in law. With his high morals, he will not lower himself to the violent measures used by others, even for his own self-defense.
Atticus also reveals his fatal flaw: he tends to be overly optimistic or unrealistically hopeful at times. His prediction that the Ku Klux Klan will never return has of course been proved untrue in the course of time. He doesn't believe there will be a lynching on a Sunday night, but luckily he shows up at the jail regardless. However, it's somewhat unclear whether he knew of the presence of Mr. Underwood until after the mob disperses - if he did not know, then he could have put himself in considerable danger because he did not get good backing up from the sheriff and his men.
Scout's conversation with Mr. Cunningham emphasizes her knowledge of young Walter Cunningham and reminds Mr. Cunningham of the human bonds that connect everyone in the town. From the indistinguishable group of men, she singles him out and restores his individuality out of anonymity by addressing him by his name and recalling his son and his entailment. When people join together in a mob, they lose a feeling of responsibility for their actions, because they act as a group rather than as separate individuals. Scout's ability to take Mr. Cunningham out of his group comes about purely from the sheer innocence of her statements. Her innocence shows how inconceivable the idea of their violent act is in her eyes, and forces them to consider the horror of their act from her perspective. Mr. Cunningham, confronted with the shame of the group's plans and having been restored a sense of his own responsibility in them, decides to remove himself from the scene.
Chapter 16 Summary
Scout cries that night and Jem consoles her. Atticus says that Mr. Underwood despises black people even though he was willing to defend Atticus. Aunt Alexandra urges Atticus not to speak like that in front of Calpurnia, but Atticus protests as usual for fairness. Scout wonders out loud why Mr. Cunningham wanted to hurt Atticus when he usually is Atticus's friend. Atticus explains that some people can forget that they are human beings when they become part of a mob. He says that it took an eight-year-old girl to bring them to their senses.
Tom Robinson's trial begins, and Scout, Jem, and Dill go to the courthouse where the locals are all out picnicking in the park. They notice Mr. Dolphus Raymond drinking liquor from a paper bag and sitting with the black people. Jem explains that he married a black woman and that he has "mixed" children. Jem says that these children are "sad" because they don't feel accepted by black people or by white people - though they can be accepted in the North. They see one of the mixed children and Scout thinks he looks black. She asks Jem how to determine whether someone is "mixed" or not and Jem says that you can't tell by looking, you have to know their history. The Finch family is all white, but Jem considers that during Biblical times, it's possible some of their ancestors were from Africa - however, that probably doesn't count because it was so long ago. If anyone has a drop of black blood, they are considered all black by Maycomb society.
In the packed courthouse, the children have trouble getting seats until Reverend Sykes helps them find seats upstairs in the balcony where black people sit. Scout observes Judge Taylor, whom she considers to be a rather good, sensible judge.
Analysis
Scout and Jem's discussion of "mixed" children demonstrates the irrationality of prejudice. A "mixed" child could look completely black or completely white, but would still be considered "black" either way. Yet family history is a poor determinant of race as well, because as Jem points out, the human race probably originated in Africa or the Middle East, and a drop of black blood makes a person "black." Therefore, neither image nor family history is infallible; discrimination is shown to be even more arbitrary and senseless.
The Finch children again find themselves welcomed and even honored among blacks when Reverend Sykes invites them to the balcony, and chairs are vacated in the front row on their behalf.
Chapter 17 Summary
The trial begins with the testimony of the sheriff, Heck Tate. The prosecution's attorney, Mr. Gilmer, asks him about the events surrounding Tom Robinson and Mr. Ewell's daughter, whose name is Mayella. Mr. Tate says that on November 21st, Mr. Ewell came to get him because "some nigger'd raped his girl." He says that he found Mayella on the floor, very beaten up, and that she said that Tom Robinson had taken advantage of her and beaten her. Atticus questions him next, asking whether anyone called a doctor. Mr. Tate says no. He asked where Mayella had been beaten, and Mr. Tate says, with some hesitation, that her right eye and entire right side of her face were bruised, and she had scratches all around her neck.
Mr. Ewell is the next witness. Scout recollects mentally the way that the Ewells live, in a tiny hut made of planks and corrugated iron and flattened tin cans, surrounded by junk salvaged from the nearby dump. In the corner of the yard there are some geraniums planted in slop jars by Mayella. Scout concludes that the only thing separating Mr. Ewell from the black people around him, in terms of social standing, is that his skin is white.
Mr. Ewell is surly and crass in the witness's chair, but the judge manages to keep everything orderly. Mr. Gilmer asks Mr. Ewell for his version of the events. Mr. Ewell claims that he heard Mayella screaming when he was coming in from the woods with kindling, and he ran to the house to find Tom Robinson having sexual intercourse with her. He uses the highly offensive term "ruttin," which sets the court in a fervor. Mr. Ewell says that he ran to get the sheriff. He implores the judge to "clean up" the "nigger-nest" that are his neighbors, claiming that his neighborhood is getting dangerous.
Atticus questions Mr. Ewell, asking whether a doctor was called, and Mr. Ewell again says that no doctor was called, saying that he has never called a doctor in his life and never thought of doing so. Atticus asks if Mr. Ewell remembers Mayella's injuries as being the same as described by the sheriff. Mr. Ewell says that he does. Atticus asks if Mr. Ewell can write, and he says he can, so Atticus asks him to write his name on an envelope. In so doing, it is revealed that Mr. Ewell is left-handed. He also claims to be able to use both of his hands equally well.
Analysis
The Ewells belong to the bottom set of Maycomb's whites. He shows himself to be arrogant and crude. Maycomb reluctantly has bent the laws for the Ewells, and Mr. Ewell's manner is of one who is beyond the law. He is described as a "bantam cock" who struts around arrogantly yet ridiculously, and he tries to invoke the good humor of the audience, whines to the judge about being asked to prove his ability to write, and offends everyone with his language, putting the court into five minutes of uproar. The chapter depicts him as brutish, insensitive, and confident of his ability to get away with his perjury.
Chapter 18 Summary
It's now Mayella's turn to be a witness. She is very distraught and cries in the witness stand, saying that she is afraid of Atticus. She finally tells Mr. Gilmer that her father asked her to chop up an old chiffarobe (chest of drawers) for kindling, but she didn't feel strong enough. When Tom Robinson came along, she asked him to do it in return for a nickel. As she went inside for the money, he followed her, got her to the floor, and took advantage of her while she screamed and tried to fight back. Then her father arrived and Tom ran away.
Atticus has his turn to question Mayella, but first he asks her some background questions to show the jury what kind of family she comes from. She is nineteen and her family receives relief checks, but there isn't enough food to go around; her father seems to be a drunkard; Mayella went to school for a few years but none of her eight siblings go; their mother is dead; Mayella doesn't seem to have any friends. Atticus asks if Mr. Ewell is a loving father, and with hesitation, Mayella says that he is "tolerable" except when he is drinking. However, she insists that he never lays a hand on her or beats her. Atticus asks if this was the first time Tom Robinson has been invited into her house, and she jumps a little before she says that it was the first time. He asks Mayella if she remembers being beaten in the face, and Mayella first says no, but then yes. Atticus asks her to identify the man who raped her, and Mayella points to Tom, who is asked to stand up by Atticus. Everyone notices that Tom's left arm is twelve inches shorter than his right, due to an accident in a cotton gin. Atticus asks for more details about the struggle, then he asks many questions which Mayella doesn't answer: Why didn't the other children hear her screaming? Where were they? Why didn't they come running? Did she start screaming when she saw her father in the window? Did she get beaten up by her father, not Tom Robinson?
Mayella just says that she was taken advantage of, and if the upper class gentlemen won't prosecute Tom, they are cowards. Atticus seems to find something involving his interview with her distasteful. The court rests for ten minutes but no one leaves the courthouse
Analysis
Mayella's life is one of miserable poverty and deprivation, and she shows that she is accustomed to being treated without respect when she thinks Atticus is deliberately mocking her by calling her "Miss." She seems hopelessly immature for nineteen years old and her whiney or tearful attitude suggests a subtle sly manipulation of her audience, as if on some level she wants to capitalize off of whatever pity she can invoke for her social state and extend it toward her fictionalized state as a supposed rape victim. There is good in Mayella (her flowers are the only beautiful thing at the Ewell residence, and Scout thinks that Mayella seems to make an effort to keep herself clean) but her actions seem motivated by cowardice: her initial reluctance to say Tom's name when asked to tell the court who her rapist was points toward her hesitancy to accuse him when he is innocent. However, she does surrender to fear and accuse him, thus putting her fear over the value of his life.
Chapter 19 Summary
Tom goes to the witness stand to present his testimony. As he tries futilely to put his hand upon the Bible, it becomes evident that his left arm is entirely non-functional, and slips off lifelessly. Atticus questions him, first asking whether Tom had ever been convicted of a crime before. Tom explains that he was once convicted for fighting because he could not pay the fine that would have released him. Tom gives his account of the incident with the Ewells. He says that he passes by the Ewells' house every day in order to get to work at Mr. Link Deas's farm, where Tom picks cotton and does other farm work. One day last spring, Mayella did ask him to chop up an old chiffarobe with a hatchet, but that was long before the November day in question. After that, Mayella often asked him to help her with odd jobs around the house as he passed by. She offered him a nickel for doing it the first time, but he refused, knowing that the family had no money. He said he helped her out because she didn't seem to have anyone else to help her, and he never went onto the Ewell property without being invited. Scout thinks about how lonely Mayella is - she's so poor that white people won't befriend her, but black people will avoid her because she's white.
Atticus asks about the events on November 21st. Tom says that he passed the Ewells' house as usual, and everything seemed very quiet. Mayella asked him to come inside and fix a broken door, but he came inside and said that the door didn't look broken. Then Mayella shut the door behind him and said that she has sent the children away to get ice cream, having saved enough for each child to have a nickel. Tom starts to leave, but she asks him to take a box down for her on top of another chiffarobe. As he reached, she grabbed him around his legs. Tom was so startled he overturned a chair. Next she hugged him round the waist and kissed his cheek, saying that "she never kissed a grown man before an' she might as well kiss a nigger. She says what her pap do to her don't count." Mayella asks him to kiss her back, and Tom asks her to let him out of the house. However, her back is to the door, and he doesn't want to force her to move - as a black man, if he lays a hand on her he could later be killed. Then Mr. Ewell arrives, calling his daughter a "goddamn whore," and telling her he will kill him. Tom runs away in fear.
It's now Mr. Gilmer's turn to question Tom, which he does somewhat aggressively, using the term "boy" to address him. He tries to get at Tom's motivations for helping Mayella, insinuating that he must have had ulterior motives for helping her. Tom finally says he just tried to help because he felt sorry for her, which stirs up the audience considerably. Mr. Gilmer asks whether Tom thinks Mayella was lying about asking him to chop up the chiffarobe in November - Tom avoids a potential trap by saying he thinks Mayella must be "mistaken in her mind" about this and everything else. Mr. Gilmer asks why he ran if he had a clear conscience, and Tom said he was afraid of being tried in court, not for what he did, but for what he didn't do.
At this point, Dill starts to cry, and Scout takes him outside the courthouse. He says he can't bear to watch Mr. Gilmer behaving so disrespectfully toward Tom. Scout says that all lawyers do that and Mr. Gilmer didn't even seem to be trying as usual today. Dill points out that Atticus isn't like that. A sympathetic voice behind them agrees that it makes him sick too - they turn to see Mr. Dolphus Raymond.
Analysis
Tom's crippled state is more than just a plot device, but also serves as an emblem for his disadvantage in life as a black man. His arm was injured in a cotton gin, a machine used primarily by slaves, and later, poor black workers in the cotton fields. The legacy of slavery cripples Tom today in court and in his everyday life, just as his actual injury is a constant burden for him.
Mayella's sad situation comes out more fully in Tom's testimony. Her short comment about "what her pap do to her don't count" shows that she is probably abused in some way by her father, and the sexual connotation may connote sexual abuse or even incest. She is as lonely as the "mixed" children, belonging to neither black nor white circles.
The idea that a black person could feel sorry for a white person refutes all of Maycomb's social assumptions, making Tom's comment extremely provocative in the courthouse. Black life is thought to be, by nature, inferior to white life, and the idea of a black man seeing something more wanting in a white person's life than his own subverts everything that the town's social fabric is based upon. As Jem explains in chapter 23, every class looks down upon the class below it - so black people should not feel pity for anyone.
Dill's feeling of illness during Mr. Gilmer's cross-examination shows his extreme sensitivity, as a young child, to the ugliness of society's prejudices and evil. Scout tries to see Mr. Gilmer's actions as part of the method of the job he is trying to do, following Atticus's advice to try to "get into a person's mind" in order to understand them better. For Dill, escape is the best solution to most negative experiences in the real world; his exit from the courthouse mirrors his running away from home and his general tendency toward escapism.
Chapter 20 Summary
Mr. Dolphus Raymond offers Dill his drink, and they discover that he is only drinking Coca-Cola. Mr. Raymond explains that he feels he has to give the population some reason for his odd behavior (being friendly toward black people). He says that it's easier for people to handle strangeness when they have a reason to explain it - thus he pretends to be a drunkard. He says he thinks that children like Dill haven't lost the instinct that tells them that it's wrong for white people to "give hell" to black people without consideration for their basic humanity.
Scout and Dill return to the courtroom, where Atticus is beginning his speech to the jury. Atticus explains that the case is very simple, because there is no medical evidence and very questionable testimony to prove Tom's guilt. Atticus explains that Mayella has "broken a rigid and time-honored code of our society" by attempting to seduce a black man. He acknowledges her poverty and ignorance, but says "I cannot pity her: she is white." He explains that Mayella followed her desires even though she was aware of the social taboos against her actions. Having broken one of society's strictest codes, she chose to "put the evidence of her offense" - Tom Robinson - away from her by testifying against him. Atticus accuses Mayella of trying to rid herself of the source of her own guilt.
Atticus suggests that Mr. Ewell beat his own daughter, as shown by Mayella's bruising on her right side: Mr. Ewell leads predominately with his left, while Tom can't punch with his left hand at all. Atticus points out that the case comes down to the word of a black man against the word of the white people, and that the Ewells' case depends upon the jury's assumption that "all black men lie." Atticus reminds everyone that there are honest and dishonest black people just as there are honest and dishonest white people. He tells the jury that in a court of law, "all men are created equal." A court is, however, no better than the members of its jury, and he urges the jury to do their duty. His speech is over, and suddenly Calpurnia is seen moving toward the front of the court.
Analysis
Atticus appeals to the jury's sense of dignity, and in putting together the facts of the case, he stresses the simplicity of the evidence and shows that the facts point toward Tom's innocence. As later becomes apparent, Atticus doesn't really believe that the jury will set Tom free, even though he does hope that they will, as evidenced by the way he says "In the name of God, believe him," under his breath at the end of his speech. All he can hope for is to leave an impression upon the town by exposing the truth for all to see.
Atticus's treatment of Mayella reveals that though a victim of many cruelties, she has chosen to in turn bring cruelty upon Tom, and she must not be excused for this. As he points out, Mayella wants to protect herself by placing her guilt onto Tom, knowing that her actions will bring about his death because the jury will believe her and not him. Thus she manipulates the unfairness of her society toward her own ends.
Mr. Raymond, as Scout notes elsewhere, is a person of high enough social standing that he can act is very unorthodox ways and have his behavior condoned not only because, as he says, he gives the people a "reason" with which to interpret his behavior, but also with the usual expression, "it's just his way." The ability to be pardoned for certain eccentricities isn't allowed to people of all levels of society - for instance if one of the Ewells displayed similar behavior, they couldn't be excused as just having "a way." Mr. Raymond's social prominence is a cushion which allows him to behave oddly and mingle with black people in utter defiance of social codes.
Chapter 21 Summary
Calpurnia arrives with a note for Atticus from Aunt Alexandra, who is concerned that the children have been gone all day. Atticus allows the children to return to hear the jury's verdict after dinner. They return home, where Aunt Alexandra is saddened to hear that the three of them, particularly Scout, were at the courthouse, and they eat, then go back to the court, where the jury is still discussing. The courtroom is packed but everyone is silent and still, and Scout feels the sensation of chilliness in the room. Finally the jury returns and Judge Taylor polls the jury. Every jury member declares Tom guilty. Atticus whispers something to Tom, then exits the courtroom. All the black people in the balcony rise to their feet to honor him.
Analysis
Jem was sure that the trial would go in Tom's favor after the evidence came out about his left arm. The pronouncement of guilt therefore comes as a complete surprise to his naïve mind, and he feels each jury-member's "guilty" verdict like a physical feeling of pain. He is in fact psychologically wounded by the results of the trial, feeling that his previously good opinion of the people of Maycomb (and people in general) has been seriously marred. His trust in the rationality of the people has been beset by the knowledge that people can act in irrationally evil ways. He will find himself struggling to conceive of how otherwise good people can behave in such ugly ways for the rest of the book and beyond.
Despite the unfavorable verdict, the tribute which the black community pays to Atticus shows that he has achieved, through the way he handled the trial, a worthwhile lesson for the townspeople by exposing the unfairness of their collective opinions. Just as he fathers Jem and Scout in good moral virtues, he seems to be trying to teach the town a lesson and infuse them with more virtuous ideas.
Chapter 22 Summary
Jem is crying and angry - he thought that the case was clearly in Tom's favor. Atticus is exhausted and when Jem asks him how the jury could have done it he responds, "I don't know, but they did it. They've done it before and they did it tonight and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems like only children weep." The next morning, however, he explains that there's a good possibility for the case to be appealed in a higher court. Calpurnia reveals that the black community has left Atticus all sorts of appreciative gifts -chickens and bread and produce. Atticus's eyes fill with tears; he says he's very grateful but tells Calpurnia that they shouldn't do more when times are so hard. Dill comes by for breakfast and tells them that Miss Rachel thinks that "if a man like Atticus Finch wants to butt his head against a stone wall it's his head." The children go outside and Miss Maudie saves them from Miss Stephanie's nosy gossip by inviting them over for cake. Miss Maudie says that Atticus is someone who does other people's unpleasant jobs for them. Jem is discouraged and disappointed with the people of Maycomb, who he formerly thought were "the best people in the world." He thinks that no one but Atticus worked on Tom's behalf, but Miss Maudie points out that many people helped, including Mr. Tate the sheriff, the black community, and especially Mr. Taylor the judge, who offered Atticus the case in the first place. Miss Maudie says that even though she knew Atticus couldn't win, he did manage to keep the jury out in discussion for longer than anyone else could. She says "we're making a step - it's just a baby step, but it's a step."
As they leave, Dill says he wants to be a clown when he grows up, because "there's ain't one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I'm gonna join the circus and laugh my head off." They see Mr. Avery, Miss Stephanie, and Miss Rachel discussing something with animation in the street: Mr. Ewell saw Atticus by the post office, spat in his face, and told him that "he'd get him if it took the rest of his life."
Analysis
Atticus reaches a point of frustration immediately after the trial, but his usual optimism returns the next day when he begins talking about the chance for an appeal.
Though he acknowledges that "they'll do it again," and understands the reality that evil will always persist in some form, he seems to need to believe that there is hope for the future in order to keep himself going. Exhausted and pessimistic the night after the trial, he seems restored the next morning, as if his ability to exist and his hope are closely intertwined.
Miss Maudie makes Jem aware of an entire network of people who were quietly working in Tom's favor. Her use of the word "we" to represent them not only creates the sense that there is a cohesive group with a communal vision, but also makes the children feel like they are now included as a part of it. The trial has affected their lives in many ways, and now they are aware that they are by default going to part of the ongoing aim of taking "steps" toward fairness and equality.
Dill's comment about being a clown follows his tendency for escapism. He finds reality so incomprehensible that it becomes necessary for him to define himself in another, separate reality where he can be safe from the trauma that Jem feels and the confusion that Scout feels as a result of existing so closely to events. Dill also seems to typify a certain idea of the work of the artist in his efforts to create a separate reality for himself that serves as a vantage point from which to see the events going on in the world. He can perceive them but will not become caught up in them, and will treat them all as a performance that is ultimately meaningful only in that it is a reaction against the real.
Chapter 23 Summary
Atticus is unconcerned about Mr. Ewell's threat, and tells his worried children that Mr. Ewell, who has been publicly discredited by the trial, just needs to feel like he is retaliating against someone, and better to have it be Atticus than the Ewell children.
Tom is being held on a prison farm, and cannot be visited by his wife and children. Atticus thinks there's a good chance he'll be spared execution by having his sentence commuted by the governor. Atticus comments that too many people are sent to death based upon purely circumstantial evidence. Jem thinks that juries should be done away with, because they can't make reasonable decisions. Atticus responds that men don't behave rationally in some situations, and will always take a white man's word over a black man's. Atticus tells Jem that any white man who cheats a black man is trash.
Jem and Atticus talk about what keeps people off of juries. Women can't serve on juries in Alabama, and many people don't want to get involved in court cases because their livelihood depends in some way upon maintaining good favor with both parties involved in a case. Jem thinks that the jury decided quickly, but Atticus reminds him that it took a few hours, which is much longer than usual - typically a case like Tom's would be settled in a matter of minutes. Atticus sees this as a sign of the beginnings of change for the better. Also, the one jury member who wanted to defend Tom's innocence was a Cunningham. Atticus thinks that all Cunninghams will stand solidly behind anyone who wins their respect, without fail - and the incident at the jailhouse won the Finches great respect.
Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham over for lunch more often, but Aunt Alexandra puts her foot down, saying that the Cunninghams aren't the right sort of people for Scout to spend time with. Scout can be gracious to Walter and polite, but can't invite him over because "he is trash." Scout is upset about this and Jem tries to comfort her by explaining that Aunt Alexandra is just trying to make her into "a lady." He says that there are four different kinds of people in Maycomb county: "ordinary" people like themselves, people like the Cunninghams in the woods, people like the Ewells by the dump, and black people. Each class looks down upon and despises the class below it. The two try to resolve exactly what separates and distinguishes the categories of white people. Background doesn't seem to matter, because all the families are equally old. Jem thinks it has to do with how long the family has been literate. Scout thinks "there's just one kind of folks. Folks." Jem says he used to think so as well, but he doesn't understand why they despise one another if that's the case. He adds that maybe Boo Radley stays inside because he wants to.
Analysis
Again Atticus is overly hopeful: his opinion of Mr. Ewell shows a lack of understanding for the ultimate possibility for evil inherent in some people.
Jem is unsure whether people can be trusted to serve on juries, based on the jury that served in Tom's case, and Atticus points out some of the factors that make juries less than ideal. Some people are not willing to do right by serving on a jury because they fear public opinion - for instance a shopowner would not want to lose business by sitting on a jury in a dispute between two customers. Fear seems to be the main motivating factor that makes individuals shirk the task of upholding what they know to be right. Also, as Atticus points out, the state itself is unfair by not allowing women (or for that matter blacks) to serve on juries.
Even after all the events of the trial, Scout continues to believe that all people are the same, all people are "folks," they are neither all good nor all bad, and sometimes they act out of weakness. She can't determine what makes her family "better" than the Cunninghams. Jem seems to still want a reason to explain why some people act the way they do; he feels that he has outgrown Scout's viewpoint and needs a new one that is calibrated to his more mature mind. His comment about Boo shows that he is on the whole feeling mistrustful toward humanity.
Chapter 24 Summary
Aunt Alexandra has ladies over for a meeting of the Missionary Society of Maycomb. Scout is in attendance in order for her to learn to be a lady. The women discuss the plight of the Mruna people, a non-Christian group who are said to live in squalor and are being converted thanks to the efforts of a missionary named J. Grimes Everett. Scout doesn't enjoy being around women but does her best to take part. The discussion moves toward the topic of Tom's wife, Helen - apparently the black cooks and field hands in town were discontented during the week after the trial. One of the ladies comments on how much she dislikes a "sulky darky," and says that when her black female servant complains about something, she reminds her that Jesus never complained. Another lady says that no amount of education will ever make "Christians" out of black people, and says that "there's no lady safe in her bed these nights." Miss Maudie tersely shows her differing opinion on this topic. Aunt Alexandra magically smoothes everything over in the discussion. Another lady says that Northerners are hypocrites who claim to give blacks equal standing but actually don't mix socially with them, whereas in the South people are very up-front about their lack of desire to share the same lifestyle.
Scout remembers that Calpurnia told Atticus that the day Tom went to prison he lost hope. Atticus couldn't promise Tom an acquittal so he didn't try to reassure Tom by giving him potentially false hope. Suddenly Atticus comes inside and requests Aunt Alexandra's presence in the kitchen: he gives her the news that Tom tried to escape from the prison and was shot to death by the prison guards. They tried to tell him to stop and fired warning shots, but he would not listen and kept running. Atticus needs Calpurnia to go with him to Tom's wife to give the news. The two of them go, leaving Aunt Alexandra to tell Miss Maudie in the kitchen that she's concerned about Atticus. The trial has taken a lot out of him and it seems to be unending. Miss Maudie thinks that the town has paid Atticus a high tribute by trusting him to do right and uphold justice. These people are the small handful who know that blacks should be given justice, and who have "background." The two women then join the other women effortlessly, and for the first time Scout feels inclined to be ladylike, thinking that "if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I."
Analysis
Just as Chapter 12 gives insight into black society in Maycomb, this chapter gives insight into women's society. Scout's experience with the Missionary Society women is somewhat mixed. She observes the hypocrisy with which the women try to do good for a remote culture like the Mrunas, but neglect the needs and sufferings of the black community. Particularly disconcerting is the way the women discriminate freely against the blacks, complaining about "sulkie darkies" and making ridiculous insinuations that black men, spurred on by the trial, will start coming into their beds. The women's provincialism comes out when they speak of the Mruna people - it is evident that they have no understanding of how another way of worship could be just as spiritually meaningful as the religion they have always known. They also refuse to believe that the blacks of Maycomb are Christians, although as shown in Chapter 12, they are clearly worshipping the same God. Miss Maudie is the only woman who seems to show any appreciation for conscience, but when she speaks up, Aunt Alexandra is required by civil code to move the conversation into pleasant topics again - thus the ladies never seem to discuss anything meaningful.
Throughout the book, women are often described in relation to sweet things: for instance in Chapter 1 they are described as "soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum," Miss Caroline is described as looking like a peppermint drop, and the ladies gathered at the Finch household are said to smell heavenly and make many remarks about Aunt Alexandra's dainty tarts. Even Miss Maudie is best-known, outside of her gardening, for her pound cake, and Aunt Alexandra is famous for her Christmas dinner. Women seem, in these descriptions, somewhat superficial and transient. The delicate desserts they seem to epitomize are hardly fortifying or necessary - they mainly look pretty and behave pleasantly - but lack real substance.
When meaningful news does come in, the women are spared from hearing it when Atticus takes Aunt Alexandra into the kitchen. The news of Tom's attempt at escape, and his loss of hope after his sentence, occurs in the middle of the women's meeting about doing good in the world, which both points to their hypocrisy and their wasted "moral" zeal, and gives context to Tom's feelings of hopelessness. However, Scout does note that there is an element of challenge involved in being a lady; this appeals to her when she watches Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie put themselves together and rejoin the group. The ability to maintain an appearance of tact and civility above all other events strikes her as an appealing skill, and for the first time she seems to see it as a necessary way of conducting interactions.
Chapter 25 Summary
Jem and Dill were out swimming on the day that Atticus and Calpurnia went to see Tom's wife, and they got a ride with them. Dill said that when Tom's wife saw the two of them, she seemed to faint, falling to the ground in a heap. Scout is remembering this weeks later, after Dill has gone home to Meridian. Tom's death was only news in Maycomb for two days - it was regarded as "typical" in the sense that black men are thought to typically run away without having any plan, as if it reflects badly upon his character.
Scout reflects that "in the secret courts of men's hearts" nothing Atticus could have said could have freed Tom. Upon hearing the news, Mr. Ewell is rumored to have said "one down and about two more to go," but Jem tells Scout that Mr. Ewell won't really take action on his threats.
Analysis
Maycomb's reaction to the news of Tom's death demonstrates how willingly they will interpret the actions of one black person negatively in order for it to feed into their existing negative feelings for all black people. Scout realizes that the decision to see the world fairly can only occur within each individual's heart, and that there is no way to reach a person who has not become personally convinced in the virtue of following a moral course of action.
For the black community, however, the news of Tom's death is devastating, as exemplified by Helen's collapse. Atticus could not promise Tom that all would go well for him, because he did not want to promise anything that he couldn't be sure of. Tom lost the courage and determination to keep living long enough to be potentially released: possibly, like Jem, his hopes that people would listen to the voice of reason were dashed completely, and given all the injustices he has experienced in his life, he did not think it possible that his case would be appealed.
Chapter 26 Summary
School is in session again, and Scout has lost her fear of the Radley place - every now and then she thinks about what it would be like to see Boo one day sitting on the porch, and greet him as if they spoke to each other every day. School is hard for the Finch children: their peers are generally somewhat cold toward them, as if their parents had instructed them to be civil but not outwardly friendly. One day Scout's class gets into a discussion about Hitler and the persecution of the Jews. Her teacher, Miss Gates, speaks at length about how the German dictatorship allows for the Jews to be persecuted by a prejudiced leader, but she claims that in America, "we don't believe in persecuting anybody." Scout tells Jem that she is confused because on the day of the trial, she heard Miss Gates say that she thought it was "time somebody taught them a lesson, they thought they was getting' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us." Jem is furious and doesn't want to discuss the events surrounding Tom's trial at all. Atticus assures Scout that Jem just needs some time to think about things, and then he'll be himself again.
Analysis
The coldness of the schoolchildren shows that when children grow up in racist households, they act with racist attitudes, just as Jem and Scout grew up in a household which valued fairness and learned this vale instead. Again this shows how people are influenced by their societies: their identity becomes shaped by the society and family life they grow up in.
Boo has gone from being a monster to a sad recluse to a potential friend - the events of the trial have made the children consider that maybe Boo needs a good home to run to (Dill's theory) or maybe he prefers to stay out of contact with people (Jem's theory). Scout's dream of finally getting to talk to Boo shows her disposition to make him feel at home, and to show him that people might not be so bad.
Miss Gates's statement that the persecuted Jews have contributed to every society they've been a part of implies that blacks are not contributing in any way to American society. She hypocritically believes that the Jews deserve sympathy because they are white, whereas the persecuted group of the blacks still deserves second-class citizenship. She also insinuates that because the United States is a democracy, fairness is available for all, when blacks are suffering from the same kinds of discrimination and segregation that Jews experience in Hitler's dictatorial regime. The "democracy" she speaks of is not an all-inclusive one that offers the same rights to all.
Jem is still distraught by the trial, and needs time to allow his still adolescent mind to understand events in a more adult way.
Chapter 27 Summary
Scout relates a few events. Mr. Ewell holds down a job for a few days - he is fired from the WPA (Work Projects Administration) for laziness. One night Judge Taylor finds the strange shadow of a prowler in his house. Helen Robinson has been working on the property of Mr. Link Deas, but walks nearly a mile out of her way in order to avoid walking past the Ewell's house, because they "chunk" at her when she passes by. When Mr. Link Deas finds out, he approaches the Ewell house and yells to them, warning them not to bother Helen, or else he'll have them put in jail. The next day, Mr. Ewell follows Helen to work, "crooning foul words" the entire way, but Mr. Link Deas again threatens him with jail and he stops this behavior. Aunt Alexandra thinks that these events bode poorly.
It's nearly Halloween, and Mrs. Grace Merriweather writes a pageant for Maycomb people to perform in a pageant about the history of the county. She wants children to play the parts of Maycomb's agricultural products. Scout is going to play the part of the pork. She will wear a large costume made of chicken wire and wrapped around with brown cloth, which she puts over her head so it comes to just above her knees. She can't put it on or take it off without someone else's help, as it pins her arms down, and she can't see well through the eyeholes. Jem takes her to the play because everyone else is tying to avoid having to go to it.
Analysis
Mr. Link Deas is revealed to be another member of the forces working for fairness in Maycomb by his defense of Helen against the menace of Mr. Ewell. Mr. Ewell is shown again to be cowardly and evil, threatening those who can defend themselves least. Otherwise this chapter provides the background for a tale of building suspense, in which a completely ordinary and harmless event, the Halloween pageant, becomes one fraught with horror.
Chapter 28 Summary
Jem and Scout walk past the Radley house on the way to the school, where the pageant will be held, along with a country fair. It's very dark, and they can barely see anything. They are scared by the sudden appearance of the boy Cecil Jacobs, who runs out to scare them. Cecil and Scout entertain themselves at the fair until the pageant begins. Scout misses her cue during the pageant because she falls asleep listening to Mrs. Merriweather's dull history. However, she comes on for the last song. She is very embarrassed, and wants to keep her costume on for the walk home.
The walk back will be very dark, and near the school, Scout remember that she forgot her shoes inside. She is thinking of returning to get them, when Jem thinks that he hears something which seems to make a noise when they walk and stop when they stop. Scout hears it too, but thinks maybe it's just Cecil again. They call out taunts to Cecil in order to get a response, but there is only silence. Jem thinks maybe Scout should take off her costume, but she doesn't have any clothes underneath, and can't get her dress on in the dark. They are almost home, near the dark shadow of the tree by the Radleys' house, and are trying to walk faster. It sounds like the person behind them is wearing thick cotton pants. The next time they stop walking, the footsteps behind them suddenly quicken into a run. Jem yells to Scout to run, but her costume throws her off balance. Something is crushed against her and she hears metal ripping. Jem's hand tries to pull her, but she is tangled up in her costume. There is a crunching sound and Jem screams. The man whom they are struggling with grabs Scout and begins to strangle her, when suddenly he is jerked backwards and thrown to the ground. Scout thinks Jem must have saved her, but she still can't see anything. She hears the sound of someone breathing heavily and, walking toward the tree to lean on, reaches out with her toes to find a person on the ground with stubble and the smell of stale whiskey. She makes her way in the direction of the road, and in the street light she sees a man carrying Jem, whose arm is hanging down oddly.
Scout arrives home and the doctor and sheriff are summoned. Jem is unconscious and has a broken arm. Scout checks on him, noting the man who carried him sitting quietly in the corner. She assumes he is a countryman she doesn't recognize who happened to hear the fight and come running. The sheriff investigates outside and comes back to report that Mr. Ewell is lying outside dead with a kitchen knife in his ribs.
Analysis
The attack occurs all around Scout and the sense of her helplessness makes the account of the violence more intense. Though the book began with a fear for the monstrous, phantom-like figure of Boo Radley, this chapter solidifies a reversal: Boo becomes the children's savior against the real evil, a human man. One reason that Dill dwells in fantasy rather real life is that nothing can be as frightening in fantasy as it can be in reality. Now that the children have grown older, they come to know vividly that the real source of evil to be concerned about comes from their fellowman, not from imaginary ghosts.
Chapter 29 Summary
Scout tells the story of what happened outside to Atticus, the sheriff, and everyone else assembled. Mr. Tate notes the mark that Mr. Ewell's knife made in Scout's costume, and points out that Mr. Ewell meant to seriously harm or kill the children. When Scout points out the man who carried Jem, she finally takes a good look at him. He is very, very pale, with thin cheeks and feathery hair, and seems somewhat tense and nervous. She suddenly recognizes him as Boo Radley and says hello to him.
Analysis
With the description of his hair as "feathery," Boo is immediately identified with the "mockingbird" idea, especially with his slight appearance and fluttery hand movements. He has finally become a real person, completing the progression from monster to human; meanwhile, Mr. Ewell's evilness has turned him into a human monster, whose bristling facial stubble felt by Scout suggests an animal-like appearance.
Chapter 30 Summary
The doctor returns and everyone moves to the back porch, where Scout finds herself assisting Boo into a rocking chair, feeling her odd fantasy about finding him sitting on the porch one day to be coming true. The others are discussing who killed Mr. Ewell. Atticus thinks that Jem must have done it, and he doesn't want it to be hushed up. However, the sheriff insists continually that Mr. Ewell fell onto his knife and killed himself, which irritates Atticus, who wants Jem to be treated as fairly as anyone else and not have exceptions made. After much arguing, finally the sheriff yells out that he's not trying to protect Jem (he is trying to protect Boo). The sheriff urges Atticus, this once, to accept the situation even if it's not perfectly just according to law: Mr. Ewell was responsible for Tom's death, and the sheriff urges Atticus to "let the dead bury the dead." He says that it would be a sin to drag shy Boo Radley out into the limelight, and declares officially that Mr. Ewell fell on his own knife. Atticus asks Scout if she understands, and she says that she does, and that having it another way would be like shooting a mockingbird. Atticus thanks Boo for the lives of the children.
Analysis
Atticus is trying to uphold the law by demanding that Jem be brought to trial for the crime of murdering Mr. Ewell, not realizing that the sheriff is really trying to protect Boo. As seen before in the case of the Ewell's, who are allowed to hunt in season, the law must be bent in order to protect Boo. When Atticus sees what the sheriff is trying to do, he relents, realizing that it is in everyone's best interests to allow Boo to unofficially punish the Ewell's for the crime of trying to send Tom to his death. By this point, the "mockingbird" theme has already been made clear, but this chapter rehashes the idea that the innocent should not suffer in the hands of the powerful.
Chapter 31 Summary
Scout asks Boo if he'd like to say good night to Jem. Boo doesn't say a word, just nods when she asks if he'd like to do so. Scout shows Boo how to gently stroke Jem's hair. Then she perceives that he wants to leave, and she leads him to the porch, where he asks her in a near-whisper, "Will you take me home?" She leads him home and he goes inside his house and shuts the door. The narrator, speaking as an older Scout, says she never saw him again.
Scout imagines the years that went by and how Boo watched over "his" children.
Back home, Scout sits with Atticus, who begins to read her one of the scary children's stories he has picked up to read. Scout says she wasn't scared by the events tonight, saying that "nothing's really scary Œcept in books." She is talking about a book character who was chased and caught and then found to be innocent and "real nice." Atticus says that "most people are, when you finally see them."
Analysis
Scout finally acts the part of the hospitable Southern lady in assisting Boo around the house and seeing him home; she interacts with him in a serious and grown-up fashion. Though she runs to tell Jem when she first discovers Boo is in their house, she reacts against this childish reflex and gives Boo his privacy very tactfully. She has learned how to be a guide for others, as shown by her symbolic act of leading Boo to safety. She can visualize things from his perspective now, as Atticus once advised her to do, and she observes the years go by from his perspective, seeing herself and Jem and Dill through new eyes; also neatly summarizing the events of the book.
Scout shows that even though she has discovered that people can be evil in unfathomable ways, she still upholds her faith in humankind and can face anything with courage. Unlike Dill, she finds that the real world does follow patterns, and once one knows them, the world of fantasy and books is the only place where real fear can exist.