To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird

1. Chapters

   • Chap 1
     • Chapter 1: The story is narrated by Scout and we see things in her perspective. Scout lives in Maycomb, Alabama with her father, Atticus, her brother Jem, and Calpurnia (Nanny, Cook, etc). It is summertime in Maycomb and we meet Dill. Dill is Scout's neighbor, Miss Rachel's nephew. During the summer, the kids play games about Boo Radley. The Radley House is the "scariest" house in the neighborhood and their are many (negative) rumors about the Radley House. While the kids are playing, Jem ends up touching the front door of the house.
   • Chap 2
     • Chapter 2: Summer is over and it's time to go back to school. Scout is going into the 1st grade, Jem 5th grade. Scout's first day wasn't the best. Due to Calpurnia teaching her to read and write, Miss Caroline (Scout's Teacher) is mad. Miss Caroline wants Scout to begin reading with a fresh mind and to forget anything else she has learned to avoid "damage". Scout and Miss Caroline don't get along and Scout blames Calpurnia for her being literate. In the chapter, we meet Walter Cunningham. Walter is also in the 1st grade and we see Scout be prejudice towards him during their dinner but Calpurnia taught her a lesson. Walter is less fortunate and doesn't take anything he can't pay back, his father is one of Atticus' clients.
   • Chap 3
     • Chapter 3: In this chapter, we start with Scout, Walter, and Jem are friends. The three are walking home and share some stories about the Radley's. Walter stays for dinner and is welcomed in the Finch household. Later, Scout arrives to school but hears a shriek coming from Miss Caroline "It's alive!". She had seen a cootie (lice) in Burris Ewell's hair. Burris is also in the first grade, his family the Ewell's live isolated from the town and they're less fortunate. The Ewells are somewhat rebellious and do things on their own terms. Miss Caroline ends up sending Burris home and a conflict rises due to Burris being angry. Scout gets over her hate for Calpurnia and Scout asks Atticus many questions concerning the Ewells.
   • Chap 4
     • Chapter 4: As the school year comes to an end, Scout gets out earlier then Jem. On her way home she found 2 pieces of Wrigley's Double Mint gum inside of a tree outside the Radley's. Scout was hesitant to chew the gum but after licking it and not dying, she enjoyed it. It's summer and summer meant Dill, but before he arrives the kids (Scout and Jem) find Indian Head coins inside the Radley's tree. Dill arrives and for the first few days of his arrival the children are bored of their usual games. But Scout suggets they roll in the tire, she lands in the Radley garden and is spooked. Then Jem had the genius idea to play a game about Boo Radley and as they play Atticus finds out, warns them not to play, but they continue the game. Although, Scout suggests they stop because she had heard a laugh come from inside the Radley House.
   • Chap 5
     • Chapter 5: We are introduced to Miss Maudie, who also lives in the neighborhood. The boys shut out Scout, so she spends time with Miss Maudie and we learn about her. She loves the outdoors and is a very good baker, she bakes the children cakes. Scout asks Miss Maudie questions about Boo, we learn that the things said about Boo aren't true. Miss Maudie said Boo was a nice boy but she also makes good points on why he stays in the house. We also learn that Miss Maudie has known the Finch family for a long time, she grew up next to the landing. Uncle Jack would always joke and tease Miss Maudie. The boys decide that they want to reach out to Boo and give him a note asking him to come outside. Scout knows this isn't a good idea but she stays in on it anyways until Atticus gives the kids a lesson on minding their own business.
   • Chap 6
     • Chapter 6: Summer is coming to an end, it's Dill's last day. Even though Atticus warned the boys to stop, that doesn't stop them from forming a plan to sneak into the Radley's backyard to peak in a window. Scout finds out about the plans and as usual doesn't have a good feeling about the situation. Scout begs Jem and Dill to not go to the house but she ends up sucking it up and tagging along. Jem and Scout lifted Dill to see into the window. While the boys talk about going to another window, Scout sees a shadow in the corner of the porch. Dill saw the shadow, the shadow came closer to Jem and all three made a run for it. Scout tripped on the way out and heard the "roar of a shotgun". They all crawled underneath the back gate and all three ran to the schoolyard with a hurry to get back home. They hurried back to hide the fact they were gone and crowds of people were outside questioning what had happened. Atticus finds the kids and Dill lies about where they were (playing strip poker)
   • Chap 8
     • Chapter 8: It is the coldest winter Maycomb County has seen since 1885 and "Mr. Avery said it was written on the Rosetta Stone that when children disobeyed their parents, smoked cigarettes and mad war on each other, the seasons would change". School has been called off due to the weather, so Scout and Jem make a snowman with all the snow they can find. Since there wasn't that much snow they used mud and covered the outer layer with snow for their Snowman. Later on, Miss Maudie's house is on fire and the whole neighborhood rushes to help. While Scout is freezing outside watching the fire, Boo Radley came out to put a blanket on her. Scout and Jem never noticed him come out. Miss Maudie wasn't bothered by her house catching fire because she wanted to get a smaller house with a bigger garden.
   • Chap 10
     • Chapter 10: This chapter focuses on Atticus. We learn about his life, personality, and his past. Atticus doesn't drink, gamble, or smoke. Miss Maudie tells us many things about him and she refers to the title of the novel when she said "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." Pg.103. Atticus also makes a reference to the title when he said "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you hit em', remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Pg.103. One day, Jem notices a Mad Dog (sick dog) roaming the streets in his neighborhood. He tells Calpurnia about the situation because the dog could be dangerous. Calpurnia warns the neighborhood and Mr. Tate comes along. Mr. Tate hands Atticus a shotgun and tells him to take the shot. After going back and forth on who's shooting the dog, Atticus breaks his glasses and
       • (continued) shoots the dog. Jem and Scout are both shocked because they have never seen this side of their father.
   • Chapter 11
     • Jem and Scout are both growing up (a theme) and it was Jem's birthday. Jem had birthday money he was itching to spend and took Scout into town to buy toys. While on the way, they had to pass Mrs. Dubose's house. Mrs. Dubose is an old lady who is the meanest person you'll ever meet according to the kids. She usually sits in a wheelchair on the porch and always finds a way to provoke the kids. Although this day in particular, she made some comments about Atticus' case and talked about Scout needing to act more like a girl (femininity). These words anger Jem. The two continue into town and Jem buys a steam engine and buys a baton for Scout. On the way home, Jem went "mad" and destroyed Mrs. Dubose's camellia flowers. He also took his anger out on Scout,broke her baton, and kicked her. Mrs. Dubose asks Jem to read to her as his punishment. Jem and Scout go to Mrs. Dubose's house now to read to her and help her keep her mind concentrated on something other than her addiction to Morphine.
       • (continued) After a month of extended reading to Mrs.Dubose, shortly after she passed. She had her caretaker, Jessie, give a box of chocolate to Jem. He ended up throwing the chocolate in the fire.
   • Chap 7
     • Chapter 7: School is back, Jem and Scout finally get released at the same time. According to Scout, 2nd Grade is just as bad as the 1st. Scout and Jem continue to find gifts left in the tree such as gum, yarn, carving of them in soap, medal, a pocket watch, and an aluminum knife. The two want to write a letter to whoever is leaving them gifts and thank them. While on there way to put the letter in the tree hole, they find out that Mr. Radley cemented the tree hole because the tree was "dying". Although as usual, Scout asked Atticus about the tree and he said it was perfectly healthy. The kids did not understand why the tree was cemented.
   • Chapter 9
     • Chapter 9: It is Christmas time, The Finch Family is spending it at the Landing and Uncle Jack is visiting. While at the Landing, Aunt Alexandria talks to Scout about how she should dress, act, and play more like a girl. This hurts Scout and shows the theme of femininity in the novel. Later on, Cousin Francis decides to bother Scout about Atticus' case with Tom Robinson. Francis made some provocative comments, which led to Scout beating him up. Although, Francis lied and made it look like Scout was in the wrong. Uncle Jack punishes her by yelling at her and not hearing her side of the story. Jem and Scout both got air rifles for Christmas. One night, Scout gets up to get water but overhears Atticus and Uncle Jack discussing the case. She listens in until Atticus "notices her" and sends her to bed. Atticus intended for her to listen to the conversation, so later on she looks back on it.

2. Theme

   • Femininity
     • -The main character Scout loves to wear shorts, play outside, and speak as she wishes. Although during this time, the word Feminine wouldn't be used to describe Scout. Scout could care less about wearing dresses and playing with little teacups. In chapters 1-11, we have characters like Aunt Alexandria, Calpurnia, and Mrs. Dubose confront Scout about her femininity. Aunt Alexandria is very harsh when confronting Scout and hurts Scouts feelings (although she doesn't show it). We also see Mrs. Dubose warn Scout about her future if she doesn't start acting more like a lady. As Scout is growing up, the theme of femininity places a strong role in the novel. The novel shows what the "life" of a female would be like back then and we see how Scout will possibly have to start changing to fit the ideal image of femininity.
   • Growing Up
     • -So far in chapters 1-11, the characters have developed and throughout the years, we see characters start to mature. As Jem is growing up we see him become more isolated and mature. He likes to keep to himself, read football magazines, and he is starting to think/act like an adult. Jem starts learning many lessons along with Scout but he begins to understand them more. We also see Jem tell Scout on many occasions being told to grow up. The theme of growing up plays a significant role in the novel and it also is very big when it comes time to Atticus' trial, which is about a serious topic the children are going to need to understand as they grow up.
   • Prejudice
     • -Throughout chapters 1-11 we see theme of prejudice pop up multiple times. Prejudice is spread throughout Maycomb like "nutgrass". You see Scout be prejudice towards Walter in Chapter 2, Burris Ewell, and she makes some rude comments. Many lessons are taught about being prejudice. For example, Atticus says "you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (chapter 3). The quote is very significant to theme and shows that you can't assume or say things about a person you don't know, which is an issue in Maycomb. Calpurnia also teaches Scout a lesson on it during the dinner with Walter. Later on during Atticus taking the Tom Robinson case, many people (Mrs. Dubose, Cecil Jacobs, Cousin Francis, etc) have a lot to say about the case and it's the talk of the town.
   • Education
     • - The theme of Education is brought into the novel in Chapter 2 when Scout goes to the 1st Grade. Scout's teacher Miss Caroline is a terrible teacher and her ways of teachings should be changed. Scout is very bright and shouldn't have to forget what she has learned to undo any damage. Education allows children to expand their mind, think, and gives them helpful information to help them in the real world. The town of Maycomb is very prejudice, I think with Education the children can think to form their own opinions on what is right and wrong. Scout is going to have to learn to let go of her innocence and she will need to learn many lessons about maturing. Atticus also tells Scout that she needs to stay in school because it will help her and he gives her more advice on the importance of her education. As the children grow up, they will be learning more and more things through the novel.

3. Characters

   • Scout
     • Scout is the main character of the novel and narrator. We learn and see things as she does and we are put into her perspective. She begins as a 5 year old girl but by the end of chapter 11, she is 7. Scout likes to play outside with Jem and Dill. She is a curious kid and loves to consult in Atticus about any questions she may have. Scout, like any other kid, is innocent but the events and people in Maycomb cause her to have to grow up. She learns lessons from Calpurnia, Atticus, Jem, etc. She is also found very humorous due to her innocence. For example, in chapter 7 when she calls the snowman a Morphodite and makes Miss Maudie laugh. Scout had misheard a conversation between Atticus and Miss Maudie which led to this happening. Also as Scout is growing up , she is confronted about her femininity by Aunt Alexandria, Mrs. Dubose, and others. Although, Scout prefers to wear short or overalls and play outside with the boys.
   • Jem
     • Jem is Scout's brother and he is a large part of the novel. Jem and Scout have a pretty close relationship. Jem is 4 years older than Scout and he teaches/guides Scout through a lot. Scout also looks up to him a lot. Jem enjoys playing, watching, and reading about Football. He is very protective over his father and Scout. Through Chapters 1-11, Jem is growing up and maturing. He begins to learn many valuable lessons and due to the situations he is involved in, he has to act mature. Jem is like any older brother and messes around with Scout but the two love each other.
   • Atticus
     • Atticus is Scout and Jem's father. He is older around 50 years old and is a Lawyer. He isn't like usual dads, he likes to come home and read his newspaper. Atticus treats everyone equally and is a very wise man. He is a single father and has help raising his kids. Although, many disagree with his parenting style. I believe he is a very good parent. Atticus teaches his children many lessons on prejudice, racism, and encourages his children to not judge people based on rumors. His children respect him and they never have issues with him. Through the chapters, we start to see him change as a parent most likely because of Aunt Alexandria's influence.
   • Boo
     • Boo Radley lives in the Radley House and has many rumors about him (mostly negative). Boo is considered a creep in Maycomb due to stories and rumors said about him. Miss Stephanie Crawford said she woke up with him staring at her through her window. The children of Maycomb are fascinated about Boo and they think about him, letting their imaginations run wild. Jem, Scout, and Jem at one point were all very fascinated in him and wanted him to come out. They tried to peek in the back window of the Radley House, write him a letter, and try to get him out multiple times. In chapter 5, Miss Maudie says "I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how.", this shows that maybe Boo isn't what everyone says he is. To support this, in Chapter 8 he put a blanket on Scout while she was freezing watching Miss Maudie's house on fire. Boo plays a significant role in the novel and he represents the mockingbird.
   • Calpurnia
     • Calpurnia is many things for the Finch Family. Calpurnia is the cook, housekeeper, and helps raise Scout and Jem. She is African American and very strong, inspirational role model in chapters 1-11. Calpurnia teaches Scout and Jem many life lessons and is a mother figure to them. She will care for them as if they are her own and she loves them. Atticus considers her family and he knows without her the Finch Family wouldn't function. She is a big help to the family and later on we get to know more about her life in chapter 12.
   • Miss Maudie
     • Miss Maudie lives in Scout's neighborhood. She is a kind older lady around 50 years old. She enjoys the outdoors very much and loves to bake. Miss Maudie is introduced in Chapter 5 when Scout goes to talk with her after the boys (Jem and Dill) ditched her to go play. Miss Maudie teaches Scout's many lessons and Scout is never afraid to ask Miss Maudie a question. Scout looks upto Miss Maudie and the two enjoy each others company. Miss Maudie keeps to herself and does not engage in any of the town's gossip. She values people's privacy and also shares what she knows about Boo Radley to Scout.
   • Dill
     • Dill is Mrs. Rachel's nephew (she is Scout's neighbor) and he visits every summer to Maycomb. We are introduced to this tiny, 7 year old in Chapter 1. Dill, Jem, and Scout are all very close and play together all summer long. Dill is fascinated with Boo and with the help of Jem, the two try to plot different ways to see him. Scout and Dill are engaged and are going to get married. Dill likes to talk about his extravagant life and all of his adventures. He likes to tell the biggest lies to brag to the kids. Although, Cousin Francis may have told the truth about his background when he said "You mean that little runt Grandma says stays with Miss Rachel every summer?... I know all about him...Grandma says he hasn't got a home--...he just gets passed around from relative to relative, and Miss Rachel keeps him every summer."
   • Mrs. Dubose
     • Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is nasty, racist, elderly woman who lives near the Finch Family. The children do not like her, especially Jem. Mrs. Dubose made Jem very angry when she called Atticus some very rude things for taking the Tom Robinson case. Jem ended up cutting and ruining her Camellia flowers. As a punishment, Mrs. Dubose made Jem read to her. But it is revelaed that she only does this so she can help herself concentrate on something. Mrs. Dubose is a Morphine addict, during her final days she wants to overcome this addiction by getting her mind off of it. Which, Atticus admires her for.
   • Aunt Alexandria
     • Aunt Alexandria is introduced in Chapter 9 during Christmas at the landing. She confronts Scout about her femininity and tries to guide her onto the "right track". She tries to talk to Scout about wearing dressing, playing with teapots, and wearing pearls. Although, she has never had a girl Atticus and Scout think what could she know about raising a girl. She becomes a big part of the story because she moves in with the Finch Family to help Atticus raise the kids the right way because she thinks Atticus' parenting style is bad. Aunt Alexandria is also against having Calpurnia in the house and thinks she should raise the kids. She is most likely jealous of the children's relationship with Cal. Scout doesn't really like Aunt Alexandria and Aunt Alexandria is disappointed with Scout;s ways,
   • Uncle Jack
     • Early in the story (around chapter 5), Miss Maudie mentions Uncle Jack. Miss Maudie tells about how he'd tease her about when they will get married. Later on, Uncle Jack visits the Finch Family during Christmas. Scout loves her uncle and enjoys his company very much. Although, Uncle Jack punishes her due to her beating Cousin Francis up. Scout also tells Uncle Jack that he doesn't know children very well and she finally tells him her side of the story. Uncle Jack also talks with Atticus about the Tom Robinson trial.