To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Revision BookletChapter Summaries;

Themes;Characters;

Motifs

Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1

· Introduction of Scout as narrator. She is recounting a childhood story.

· Jem's broken arm: connects beginning with ending.

· Simon Finch and Finch's Landing.

· Introduction to Calpurnia and Dill.

· Description of Boo Radley legend.

Chapter 2

· Scout's first day at school: September.

· Miss Caroline and Scout argue about reading.

· Miss Caroline humiliates Walter Cunningham.

Chapter 3

· Walter comes to dinner; Scout is rude.

· Miss Caroline meets Burris Ewell.

· Atticus talks to Scout about reading and Miss C.

What important lesson does Calpurnia teach Scout that day?

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What do we learn about the Cunninghams?

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What do we learn about the Ewells?

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Chapter 4

· Jem and Scout find presents in the tree stump from Boo.

· Dill arrives for the summer: children enact Radley story.

Chapter 5

· Children talk to Miss Maudie.

· Children try to put note through Radley's letter-box but Atticus stops it.

Chapter 6

· Children look into the Radley house on Dill’s last night.

· They see a man’s shadow and hear a shotgun.

· Jem's pants get caught on the fence.

· Jem goes back for his pants in the night.

How is this chapter made funny?

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And tense?

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Chapter 7

· Scout is now in 2nd Grade.

· Truth about Jem's trousers.

· More presents from Boo.

· Tree stump is cemented up by Mr Radley.

Chapter 8

· First snow.

· Fire at Miss Maudie's house.

Chapter 9

· Scout tries to hit Cecil Jacobs for calling Atticus a ‘nigger lover’.

· Scout talks to Atticus about racism.

· Christmas at Finch's Landing- Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jack.

· Atticus explains to Uncle Jack why he is taking the Tom Robinson case.

Chaper 10

· We learn about Atticus as a father.

· The mad dog incident.

Chapter 11

· Jem is 12 years old.

· Mrs Henry Lafayette Dubose is described.

· Jem cuts off her flower heads; Atticus makes him read to Mrs Dubose.

· Mrs Dubose dies.

Function of this chapter: It is another example of learning to understand others. The

chapter shows that sometimes these lessons have to be learned the hard way. Jem has to

learn that courage has nothing to do with guns. Mrs Dubose is opinionated and even

cruel: ‘your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for’, yet Atticus is

courteous towards her.

Chapter 12

· Scout explains how Jem is going through adolescence.

· Jem and Scout go to Calpurnia's church- racial incident.

· Calpurnia describes her own family and community.

Chapter 13

· Aunt Alexandra comes to stay.

· Maycomb is described.

· Atticus is instructed to glorify his family to the children.

Chapter 14

· Atticus defines rape for Scout.

· Aunt Alex wants to get rid of Calpurnia.

· Jem and Scout argue.

· Dill is found under the bed.

Chapter 15

· Sheriff Heck Tate comes to Atticus' door with Maycomb men.

· Atticus guards Tom Robinson at the jail.

· Confrontation with Maycomb men, children unwittingly diffuse the

situation.

Chapter 16

· Atticus explains racial tension and the reasons for the confrontation over

breakfast.

Build-up to the trial: children describe Mr Dolphus Raymond. Trial

begins.

Chapter 17

· Mr Heck Tate is the first witness.

· Mr Robert Ewell is the rude witness.

Chapter 18

· Miss Mayella Ewell is questioned as the plaintiff.

Chapter 19

· Mr Tom Robinson is questioned as the accused.

Chapter 20

· During recess, the children talk to Mr Dolphus Raymond.

· Atticus makes his summarising speech to the jury.

Chapter 21

· Calpurnia approaches the Judge with information for Atticus regarding the

children being in court.

· They plead with Atticus to stay to hear the verdict.

· Verdict of "guilty" is given: black people stand as Atticus leaves the court.

Chapter 22

· Jem, filled with anger and bitterness, cries.

· Food from the black community.

· Atticus is moved to tears.

· Miss Maudie talks to the children about Atticus' role.

Chapter 23

· Ewell spits at Atticus in the street and threatens his life.

· Atticus and Jem have a discussion about the trial.

· Aunt Alexandra forbids Scout to have Walter Cunningham home because

he is ‘trash’.

· This doesn’t fit with Atticus’ definition – they change their stance slightly

on Tom.

· Scout and Jem discuss ‘folks’.

· Atticus’s dry humour shows his courage. When Ewell challenges him to

fight, he says he’s ‘too old’ to the gibe ‘Too proud to fight, you nigger-

lovin bastard?’.

This is one of the main lessons in the book –fighting with your head not your fists, and

the different kind of courage that is not resorting to violence.

Chapter 24

· Aunt Alex and her missionary circle meet.

· Tom Robinson's death is announced by Atticus who needs Calpurnia.

Chapter 25

· Dill and Jem recount what happens when they go to Helen Robinson's.

· Mr B.B. Underwood writes a poetic article about Tom's senseless death.

Chapter 26

· Scout in the 3rd grade- his reflection on Boo Radley no longer seems

frightening.

· Miss Gates teaches Scout's class about Hitler - contradiction as she is

racist after trial.

Chapter 27

· Ewell gets and loses a job: blames Atticus.

· Judge Taylor has a secret visitor.

· Helen R is harassed by Ewell on the way to work.

Chapter 28

· Halloween pageant organised by the missionary ladies: Scout in her

costume.

· Scout forgets her shoes.

· Jem and Scout are attacked on the way home.

Chapter 29

· Bob Ewell is dead at the scene of the attack.

Chapter 30

· Boo Radley is introduced to Scout as Jem's saviour.

· Heck Tate orders Atticus to accept that Ewell fell on his knife.

Chapter 31

· Scout stays with Boo and then walks him home. She imagines their story

from Boo's viewpoint.

· Scout and Jem sleep: Atticus watches over them.

Themes and Setting

Education

In chapter four, a year has passed since the opening chapter. Scout has been at school for

a year. Has she learned much there?

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What other sources of education does she have? Does she learn more from them?

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Attitudes towards and the roles of women

· Discussion of women not being allowed to serve on a jury makes Jem

question discrimination and the fairness of the judgement.

· The reader questions it too as we see Miss Maudie and Scout; both

examples of intelligent and wise females who would make a difference if

they could.

· However, there are also negative portrayals of women like Miss Stephanie

and Aunt Alexandra.

· Calpurnia is an example of a black woman who is wise but discounted on

both race and gender.

· Chapter 24 makes fun of (satirises) the hypocrisy of the ladies’ missionary

meeting. It also illustrates what was expected of women at the time in a

deliberately negative way.

· As you read chapter 24, look for examples of this and highlight them.

Prejudice against:

· Women

· Black people

· Society’s outsiders

Law and Justice

· Scout asks her father for the legal definition of rape. She doesn’t really

understand, and is unable to ask for an explanation.

· The severity of the alleged crime links to the topic of racial discrimination

- a perverted, violent and brutal crime is chosen in order to form the most

negative and sickening judgment possible.

Characters

What mistakes does Miss Caroline make on her first day?

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Why is Scout’s first day so disappointing?

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What do we learn about Scout (Jean-Louise) from her first day at school?

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Are Dill’s stories true? How do we know?

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Notice how Jem and Scout’s play about Boo is more intense when Dill is there. Why

might Dill be so fascinated with his story?

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· Miss Maudie is sympathetic towards Arthur Radley because he is a victim

of his father’s religious bigotry. Harper Lee uses this character to voice

her ideas about people who look down on others and use religion as an

excuse. Lee criticises hypocrisy and intolerance.

What are the differences in attitudes between Scout and Jem?

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How does Scout try to understand Jem?

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Blanket from Boo - how do the children react to this?

· Look at the difference in how they react:

· Jem now knows Boo is kind and thoughtful and wants to be their friend.

Does Scout realise this yet?

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Atticus tells Scout not to fight and explains why he is defending Tom.

Why is he defending Tom when he knows he can’t win?

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What can you infer about the position of Negroes in society in 1930s America?

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Do you think Scout will find it easy to walk away from a fight? Find evidence for your

views.

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Atticus as a father:

1) ‘he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke’..

2) Plays checkers well (he lets them win); play the jew’s harp.

3) The children realise their father can shoot with deadly accuracy but they learn that

he is only prepared to use his gift for good and that he will not boast about it. They

also learn why it is a sin to kill a mockingbird.

Mrs Dubose

· ‘She is repulsive: Her face was the colour of a dirty pillowcase,

and the corners of her mouth glistened with wet.’ (p118).

· She is a morphine addict and is dying, but she wants to wean herself

off the painkiller before she dies, this shows she is ultimately very

brave.

· Our views of Mrs Dubose change when we understand this – when we

‘walk around in her skin’.

Atticus’s view of death threat:

‘I destroyed his credibility at that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man

had to have some kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my

face and threatening to kill me saved Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s

something I’ll gladly take.’ (p241)

However, his children are afraid for him. Are they right?

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In chapter 23, Jem and Scout discuss ‘folks’.

Jem has worked out that there are 4 kind of people: Ordinary (like them), the

Cunninghams, the Ewells and the Negroes. Scout is wiser: ‘Naw, Jem, I think

there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.’ Jem is more cynical – he used to think what

Scout thought until he saw them all hating each other. (p 249 – 251)

Atticus’s definition of trash:

The one place where a man ought to get s square deal is in the courtroom, be he any

colour of the rainbow, but men have a way of taking their resentments right into the

jury box…whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter how rich he is,

or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. (p 243)

Motifs and Plot

What is the significance of the gifts in the tree?

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How is this incident made exciting?

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Why is it included?

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How does Scout feel when she sees the snow?

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How does Jem manage to build a snowman?

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How does he make it look like Mr Avery and what is the effect of this incident?

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The Mockingbird

‘Shoot all the bluejays you want … but remember, it’s a sin to kill a

mockingbird’. (Atticus)

Miss Maudie explains:

‘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’.

Two parts to the novel

· Part one is more humorous and is more about childhood and growing

up.

· Part two focuses on the trial. It is much darker in tone as Harper Lee

allows the children to discover that adults are not always right or fair

and that justice is not always done.

OTHER TECHNIQUES USED BY HARPER LEE

Examples of Satire

· Using capitals for ‘What Is Best For The Family’.

· ‘When Aunt Alexandra went to school, self-doubt could not be

found in any textbook’.

· ‘She never let a chance escape to point out the short-comings of

other tribal groups to the greater glory of our own’.

Smallness of Maycomb Illustrated

· Only one fire engine.

· One telephone operator.

· People doubling jobs.

· Close community.

· AA’s ‘caste system’. (p145)

· Jean Louise scratching for a redbug while Atticus is trying to explain

family status.