To Kill A Mockingbird - Questions and Answers
You will find the following post very useful for each and every chapter of the classic book To Kill a Mockingbird.
The reason I posted all of my answers is because I want you to compare your answers with my answers. If you feel that you have a better answer or a different answer then me please post your answer in my comment section or email me directly so I can compare your answer with my answer.
I truly enjoyed this great book and shared my answers with you so you would share your answer with me.
You will find a complete list of questions along with my personal answers for each and every chapter for the book review of:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Chapter 1
1. What did you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family?
I learned about Maycomb is that it’s an old tired and dirty town with a lot of rundown houses and buildings. The people were old and moved slowly and it was very hot. Atticus Finch lived on the main residential street, he's Jem and Jean Louise's (scout) father and a successful lawyer. His family is rundown and old. An old black lady named Calpurnia helps raise the kids, Atticus’s wife died
2. What did you learn about Dillis character?
Dillis is the neighbor and friend of Jem and Scout, his confident with an active imagination and he’s fascinated with Boo Radley.
3. What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint in the novel?
I’ve noticed that the narrative voice and the viewpoint of the story is from Scout Finch. The story is told in first person from Scout’s view. She is the protagonist of the story and the whole story is seen and told from her point of view.
Chapter 2
1. Why is Scout so looking forward to starting school?
The looked forward to starting school so that she could go in the tree house and look over at the schoolyard and spy on multitudes of children trough a two-power telescope, learning their games, following Jem’s red jacket through wriggling circles of blind man’s buff, secretly sharing their misfortunes and minor victories.
2. Why does Jem not want anything to do with Scout at school? Is this behavior typical of an older child?
Jem doesn’t want anything to do with Scout at school because he doesn’t want his little sister embarrassing him at school in front of all of his friends. This behavior is typical of an older child because all older kids never want to be embarrassed or seen with their younger brother or sister.
3. What do you think about Miss Caroline Fisher? Can you find qualities which would make her good at her job?
I think that Miss Caroline Fisher is a very mean and bad teacher because of all the bad things she does to the children. She doesn’t like the fact that Scout is so smart and that Walter Cunningham is very poor and can’t afford lunch. And the fact that Scout was trying to explain how the Cunningham’s live and Miss Fisher takes Scout and whips her a half dozen times. I think that there isn’t anything good qualities which would make Miss Fisher good at her job.
Chapter 3
1. Who was Calpurnia? What is her place in the Finch household?
Calpurnia is the cook, babysitter, helps out with work. She does pretty much anything a mother would do. Her place in the Finch household is kind of like replacing the mother of the Finch’s.
2. What is Walter Cunningham like? What does his behavior suggest about his home life?
Walter Cunningham is a poor boy; he’s not very smart and has very bad vocabulary. He doesn’t accept any offers because he knows that he can’t pay them back. The fact he was mean about not taking the offering from Miss Caroline, it says that he isn’t very disciplined or not very nice at home because he wasn’t very nice at school.
3. What do you think of the way Atticus treats Walter?
I think that Atticus treats Walter very nicely and he treats him like a grown man because he talks to him about all the things at his farm and how it works. He talked to him like a civilized man and that was very nice of him.
4. Atticus says that you never really understand a person “until you climb into his skin and walk around in it?” What does this mean? Is it an easy thing to learn for Scout?
The sentence means that you’ll never know how a person acts or thinks unless you can get in their skin and see what it’s really like. Yes it’s an easy thing to learn for Scout because when her dad said that to her she compared that sentence to the fact the Miss Caroline didn’t what Walter was like and Scout didn’t know how Miss. Caroline would react when Scout tried to explain it to her. So yes it was easy for Scout to learn.
5. What do you learn about the Ewells?
You learn that the Ewell’s break the law all the time, the children only go to school for the first day and never go again, they’re very poor, the dad hunts for food all year around, they’re very dirty and they are very mean.
Chapter 4
1. What superstitions do the children have in connections with the Radley house?
The superstitions that the children have with the Radley house is that Boo Radley never steps foot out of his house, no one has every gone into or on the property of the Radley’s, they say that if you go on the property they will eventually kill you.
2. Why do the children make Boo’s story into a game? Do you think the game is an accurate of what happens in the Radley’s house?
The children make Boo’s story into a game because one day they were playing outside by rolling each other down the side walk in a tire and on Scout’s turn she rolled right in front of the front steps of the Radley’s house. They decide that they need a new game and they make a game about Boo’s story. I don’t think their game is accurate to what happens in the Radley’s house because they don’t have enough information and they don’t know enough of what happen in the Radley’s house to make a game about Boo’s story.
3. What might be the cause of the laughter inside the house?
I think the cause of the laughter is Boo laughing with or about something or someone. Maybe Boo has another sibling that he plays with or talks to every day and that’s what keeps him entertained because he doesn’t go outside at all. So I think that there’s more then one person in the house and that’s the cause of the laughter.
Chapter 5
1. Describe Miss Maudie Atkinson? How typical is she of Maycomb’s woman? What do the children think of her?
Miss Maudie is a very nice neighbor, she let’s the children play on her grass, she bakes cookies for the children all the time and she loves everything on the earth. She is very typical of a Maycomb woman because that’s the way they are, nice, friendly, like kids. The children think that she is very nice and that she treats them very nicely and that she is a little odd because she likes everything on the earth, even weeds.
2. What does Miss Maudie tell Scout about Boo? How does this compare with what Scout already believes?
Miss Maudie tells Scout that Boo’s name is actually Arthur; she thinks that he’s still alive because they didn’t carry him out, he just wants to stay inside and that he must of gone crazy for all the time he has spent inside. This is very different to what Scout already believes because she believes that he’s dead, he’s stuffed up the chimney of the house and that she doesn’t know why he won’t come out. Scout believes in pretty much opposite of what Miss Maudie believes.
3. Scout claims that “Dill could tell the biggest ones.”(Lies) she ever heard. Why might Dill have told such lies?
I think that Dill tells lies because he doesn’t want anyone to know that he’s a bad kid and that he behaves very badly, so he makes up lies to get him self out of the situation, but sometimes he screw’s up and Scout figures out that he’s lying.
4. What reasons does Atticus give for the children not to play the boo Radley game? Do you think he is right? Why?
The reasons that Atticus gives for the children not to play the game is that it’s bad to make fun of his life because he never comes out and it’s bad to put his life on display like that. I think that it’s the right thing to do because he didn’t want his kids growing making fun of other kids just because they do different things to the way they do it.
Chapter 6
1. Why does Scout disapprove of Jem’s and Dill’s plan of looking in at one of the Radley’s windows?
Scout disapproves of Jem's and Dill’s plan because she doesn’t want to get caught by Atticus or by any of the neighbors.
2. What does Mr. Nathan Radley know about the intruders in his garden? Why does Miss Stephanie refer to a “negro” over whose head Mr. Nathan has fired?
Mr. Radley knows that someone had gone through his garden and that someone was on his porch, he also knew that the intruders were in his collard patch. She refers to a negro over who he fired at because he thought that it was a dog of some sort in his garden.
3. Why does Dill’s explanation of Jem's state of dress almost land him in trouble?
It almost lands him in trouble because he tried to explain that he lost his pants playing strip poker to get them out of trouble, but they shouldn’t be playing strip poker anyways so they almost got in trouble for playing poker.
Chapter 7
1. When Jem tells Scout about getting his trousers back, he tells her something strange. What is this?
Jem tells Scout that his trousers were on the fence folded up and sowed together.
2. Does Jem still fear the gifts in the tree? Give reasons for you answer.
No Jem doesn’t fear the gifts in the tree because he has realized that someone is leaving them for him to find and ever time that he takes it nothing bad has happened to him so it’s alright to take the gifts.
3. When the children plan to send a letter to the person who leaves the gifts, they are prevented. How does this happen? Who does it, and why might he do so?
When they went to put the letter in the tree the whole was filled with cement. Mr. Radley had filled the whole because it says that it will save the tree from dieing but the tree wasn’t dieing, so I think he filled the whole because he saw the kids getting things from the whole every day and he wanted to stop them.
Chapter 8
1. Why does Scout quiz Atticus about his visit to the Radley house? How much does Atticus tell her?
I think Scout quiz’s Atticus about his visit because he wants to know if Boo Radley had killed Mrs. Radley. Atticus tells her that is was a natural cause of her death.
2. What is the “near libel” which Jem puts in the front yard? How does Miss Maudie and Atticus react to it?
The “near libel” is the snowman Jem and Scout had built. Miss Maudie and Atticus say that they are impressed with there accomplishment.
3. Why does Atticus save Miss Maudie’s oak rocking chair?
Atticus saves Miss Maudie’s oak chair because she values it the most.
4. When Atticus asks Scout about the blanket around her shoulders, what does Jem realize?
Jem realizes that Boo Radley had come out of his house and put the blanket on Scout and he had his chance to see Boo and he didn’t.
5. Explain what Atticus means by telling Jem not to let his discovery “inspire” him to “further glory”? Is there any reason why Jem might now do as his father says?
Atticus is saying that he shouldn’t go and tell everyone about his discovery and get glory out of it. I think that Jem might now do as his father says because he knows that he’s right and he also wants to keep his discovery a secret so not everyone knows about it.
Chapter 9
1. How well does Atticus feel he should defend Tom Robinson? Is it usual for (white) lawyers to do heir best for black clients in Alabama at this time?
Atticus feels that he should defend Tom Robinson enough so that he can hold his up in town without being hated and enough so that the blacks respect him. It isn’t usual for white lawyers to de their best for black clients in Alabama because black people were really racist against and it was wrong for a white person to help them.
2. Scout and Jem have “mixed feelings” about Christmas? What are these feelings and why?
Scout likes Christmas because he’s able to decorate the tree with Uncle Jack and she’s also able to spend time with him. Jem doesn’t like Christmas because he doesn’t like being nagged at from Aunt Alexandra and Uncle Jimmy.
3. Uncle Jack Finch tells Scout that she is growing out of her pants. What does this mean and why might he say it?
This means that she is finally growing and growing up. The reason why he said is because he wanted to bring up the topic that she swears a lot.
4. Read the final sentence of this chapter. Explain in your own words what it means and why it might be important in the story.
The last sentence in the story means that Atticus wanted Scout to be listening because he new that she would encounter these things later on in her life. This is important in the story because every word he said came true a few years later and that’s why it’s important to the story because now you can kind of guess what’s going to happen.
Chapter 10
1. Scout says that “Atticus was feeble”. Do you think that this is her view as she tells the story or her view when she was younger? Does she still think this after the events recorded in this chapter?
I think that this is her view as she tells the story because that’s the way she has thought of Atticus throughout the course of the story until this chapter her point of view changes. No she doesn’t think of him after this chapter because she has learned that he can do lots of things.
2. In this chapter Atticus tells his children that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird’. What reason does he give for saying this?
The reason he gives for saying that is that it he’d rather that they’d shoot cans but they would probably shoot blue jays anyways and it’s a sin to a kill a mockingbird.
3. Why does Heck Tate not want to shoot Tim Johnson?
Heck Tate doesn’t want to shoot Tim Johnson because he’s a bad shot and that Radley house is right behind the dog so he doesn’t want the bullet to hit the house.
4. Near the end of this chapter Atticus cuts off Heck Tate as he is speaking to Jem. What might Heck have been about to say and why would Atticus want to stop him from saying it?
I think that Heck was about to say that Atticus has the best shot in town. I think that Atticus stopped him because he didn’t want his kids to know that he can shoot very well.
Chapter 11
1. How does Atticus advise Jem to react to Mrs. Dubose taunts?
Atticus advises Jem keep his head high and act like a gentleman towards Mrs. Dubose’s taunts.
2. What does Mrs. Dubose say about the children’s mother? How does Jem feel about this?
She said that it’s a pity that Atticus didn’t remarry after his wife’s death, also there’s not a lovelier lady that never lived. Jem went livid when she said that about their mother.
3. What request does Mrs. Dubose make of Jem? Is this fair punishment for his “crime”?
Mrs. Dubose requests that he re-grows all of her plants and that he reads to her for 2 hours every day for one month. I think the request that he re-grows all of the plants is fair, but the fact that he reads to her every day for 2 hours for one month isn’t fair and isn’t necessary.
4. Explain in your own words what Atticus thinks of insults like “nigger-lover”. How far do you agree with him?
Atticus thinks that a nigger-lover is an insult which means that you are favoring Negroes like there superior to you and that it’s just and ugly term to label someone. I agree with him a lot because that’s the way it was back in the 1930’s but it would never be thought of that way now in 2007.
5. Why in Atticus’s view, was Mrs. Dubose “a great lady”?
Atticus’s view that Mrs. Dubose was a great lady meant that she had her own views about things, that she has real courage and she is very brave.
6. Chapters ten and eleven are the last two chapters in the first part of the book. Explain why Harper Lee chooses to end the first part here.
I think Harper Lee ends the first part of the book this way because the way he writes the last 2 chapters especially the eleventh chapter it feels like the book is done and like it ends that way. It feels like the book is over, that’s why he ends part 1 this way of the book.
Chapter 12
1. Comment on Jem's and Scout’s visit to First Purchase church.
For there visit they were well dressed, one lady Lula didn’t want them there because they were white, but no one else minded, the church was similar to the one they go to and they did the same kind of things there as they did at their church.
2. What new things does Scout learn here about how the black people live?
Scout learns that they are very poor, only some of them can read and they sing instead of reading in the church.
3. What does Scout learn from Calpurnia’s account of Zeebo’s education?
Scout learns that he was taught how to read by Calpurnia, he was taught out of the bible and a book called Blackstone’s Commentaries.
4. Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household and among her neighbors at church.
She talks differently at church because she doesn’t want the folks to feel bad because they can’t speak as well as her so then they won’t fell bad, so she talks to them in the way they talk. Also it would be rude and weird to talk that way at the Finch household so she talks in her better vocabulary.
Chapter 13
1. Why does Aunt Alexandra come to stay with Atticus and his family? What is she like?
Aunt Alexandra is staying with Atticus and his family because she wants to set them straight and she wants the family to live up to the family name. She is very bossy to the family and she takes control and comments on every action the family does.
2. Read the first two things Alexandra says when she comes to the Finch house. Are these typical of her or not?
I think that the two things she said are typical of her because she is known to be bossy and mean so that’s the way she acts and I’m not surprised by it.
3. Alexandra thinks Scout is “dull” (not clever). Why does she think this and is she right? Are all adults good at knowing how clever young people are?
Aunt Alexandra thinks that Scout is dull because she doesn’t dress like a girl and she doesn’t act like a girl. I think she’s right but she should just let be and let her dress and act the way she wants to dress and act. I think that all adults are good at knowing how clever young people are but most adults know that everyone’s different and they respect the fact that they are different.
4. How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Maycomb’s social life?
Aunt Alexandra gets involved in many groups in Maycomb and it’s like she was made for the town. Everyone loves her and gives her gifts and nice comments. Scout says that she fits in Maycomb like a hand in a glove.
5. Comment on Aunt Alexandra’s ideas about breeding and family. Why does Atticus tell them to forget it? Who is right, do you think?
I think that what Aunt Alexandra said about breeding was wrong and it wasn’t her right to say what she said because if they want to live like that they will live like that, it’s not her responsibility to try and put them in place. I think that Atticus tells them to forget it because he realizes that she is wrong and it’s the wrong thing to do to the family. I think that Atticus is right because she has no right to try and change the way they live and dress and act.
Chapter 14
1. Comment on Atticus’s explanation of rape. How suitable is this as an answer to Scout?
I think that Atticus’s explanation of rape was to general and he didn’t say what really happened so Scout didn’t get the full message. For Scout the answer was suitable and she said “well if that’s it why did Calpurnia dry me up when I asked her what it was?” So the message she got was that it wasn’t bad at all.
2. Why does Alexandra think Atticus should dismiss Calpurnia? How does Atticus respond to the suggestion?
Alexandra thinks that Atticus should dismiss Calpurnia because Atticus has a daughter to think of and now Calpurnia is no use to him anymore. Atticus’s response was that it she will leave when she wants to leave and that she has been a great help to the family, she’s better then most mothers and the children love her.
3. Why is Scout pleased when Jem fights her back? Why is she less pleased when he tells Atticus about Dill?
Scout is pleased when Jem fights her back because she knows that they are equals and they can take each other in a fight. When Jem tells Atticus about Dill she feels sick because she doesn’t know what was going to happen next and she didn’t know how Atticus would react.
4. What do we learn from Dill’s account of his running away?
We learn about Dill’s running away that he left because his parents always avoided him, his new father chained him up in his basement, and he was sick of them and thought they would be better off without him so he ran away. He took enough money for a train ride to Maycomb’s junction and walked 11 miles out of the 14 and caught a ride with a truck for the rest of the way, and then he snuck into the house and was under the bed for about 2 hours waiting for them to go to bed.
Chapter 15
1. What is the “nightmare” that now descends upon the children?
The nightmare that descended upon the children was the events that led up to Atticus's confrontation with the townsmen and for the first time, Scout and Jem witness the hatred of the mob and of racism, and see their father in a bad situation which could be dangerous for him.
2. What was (and is) the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus's comment about it?
The Ku Klux Klan is a group of white people who are racist to all colours that aren’t white, but it was a political organization more than anything. He said that it’s gone and it’ll never come back, I think that he shouldn’t have said that because he doesn’t know if they’ll ever come back again, maybe they will maybe they won’t.
3. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why?
When Jem tells him to go home he doesn’t move and he shakes his head saying that he isn’t going to go home. I think he didn’t go because he wants to make sure that his dad’s ok and the only way he thinks he can do that is by staying there so he refuses to go.
4. What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life?
They were sick of waiting for the Jem to go home and so that he would stop asking questions to Mr. Cunningham so they just gave up and went home and thought that they would just settle this another time.
Chapter 16
1. What “subtle change” does Scout notice in her father?
Scout notices that her father had a quiet digging in him, and outright irritation and she noticed it when he was talking to Aunt Alexandra and he said to her something in a faint starchiness voice.
2. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond?
He was drunk at 8 o’clock in the morning, sits with the coloured people because he liked them more then whites, he lived by himself by the county line, he’s got a coloured woman as a wife, has many mixed colored children and he’s white.
3. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he right to do?
He takes the children up to the top balcony so they can see and hear the trial. Yes I think it’s the right thing to do because the children should see and hear the trial and they are now going too, so yes it was the right thing to do.
4. Comment on Judge Taylor's attitude to his job. Does he take the trial seriously or not?
I think that Judge Taylor’s attitude towards his job isn’t very good because he’s very disrespectful to everyone in the court and he doesn’t really take any of the cases seriously (ex. He sleep’s during some of the trials). No I don’t think he takes his job seriously.
Chapter 17
1. What are the main points in Heck Tate's evidence? What does Atticus show in his cross-examination of Sheriff Tate?
The main points were that it happened November 21, said a nigger raped his girl, went into the house and she was on the floor with broses all over her and had a black eye on her right eye. Atticus shows that he is putting Heck on the spot trying to make him screw up and he is also pressuring him a lot.
2. What do we learn indirectly of the home life of the Ewell family in this chapter?
The Ewell’s lived behind the town’s dump, in a cabin, the walls were made out of iron plates, the roof was shingled with pop cans, and there are 4 tiny rooms with a shotgun hallway, uncovered windows, so they’re just spaces/wholes in the walls, they have a fence around their house made out of broomsticks and there yard is very dirty with a lot of junk all over the place. They are really poor and they live in a very bad house.
3. What do you learn from Bob Ewell's evidence?
We learn from Bob Ewell’s evidence that her eye it was her right eye that was bruised and that he right’s with his left hand so Atticus thinks that he held her with his right hand and beat her with his left hand because he’s left handed so it’s his good hand.
4. Why does Atticus ask Bob Ewell to write out his name? What does the jury see when he does this?
Atticus asks Bob to write his name because he wants to know which hand he rights with, he writes with his left hand. So Atticus thinks that he held her down with his left hand and punched her in the face with his left hand and because he’s left handed his punch would hit her on the right side of her face and that’s why her left eye is bruised and not her right, that’s why Atticus tells him to write his name and the jury sees that he is left handed.
.Chapter 18
1. Is Mayella like her father or different from him? In what ways?
No Mayella is not like her father because she always tries to keep herself clean and her father doesn’t
2. What might be the reason for Mayella's crying in the court?
I think that the reason that Mayella’s crying in the court was that she was worried that she would mess up or get convicted or that her father might get convicted.
3. How does Mayella react to Atticus's politeness? Is she used to people being polite?
She takes it very offensively and thinks that he’s mocking her politeness. No she isn’t used to people being nice to her she’s used to people being very mean to her.
4. How well does Mr. Gilmer prove Tom's guilt in the eyes of the reader (you) and in the eyes of the jury? Can you suggest why these might be different?
I don’t think that Mr. Gilmer did a good job proving the guilt of Tom because he asked questions that were already answered and that made no impact or effect on proving that he’s guilty. But I think that in the eyes of the jury he proved that Tom is guilty because he proved enough and asked enough of the right questions to convince the jury. I think that these might be different because the laws and the hatred and the thoughts are much different between the 1930’s and now in 2007. So I think that my thinking is different from there’s giving a different answer and point of view.
Chapter 19
1. What made Tom visit the Ewell's house in the first place?
Tom visited the Ewell’s place because Mayella had asked him to come inside the house because she had something for him to do inside the house.
2. Why does Scout think that Mayella Ewell was “the loneliest person in the world”?
Scout thinks that Mayella was the loneliest person in the world because she didn’t have any friends and didn’t even know what it meant and that she was a mixed child and Negroes wouldn’t have anything to do with her in her life.
3. In your own words explain Mayella's relationship with her father.
I think that Mayella’s relationship with her father is very bad and that they don’t like each other. They can’t get a long with each other and I think that she does all the work around the house and he doesn’t do anything and that’s why she doesn’t like him. I think that he doesn’t like her because she always talks and asks for Tom Robinson to do things for her and he is black.
4. How does Dill react to this part of the trial? Why is this, in your opinion?
Dill feels sick that Mr. Gilmer is treating Tom so badly and talking so hatefully to him so he started to fell sick about that part of the trial. I think he reacts this way because he is used to the fact that Atticus treats the people in the court room very nicely even if they are on the other side, so Dill feels sick that Mr. Gilmer isn’t doing the same thing.
Chapter 20
1. Scout says that “Mr. Dolphus Raymond was an evil man”. Is she right?
Scout is wrong because all the bad things Mr. Raymond is known for isn’t true, well most of them aren’t true. (Ex. Everyone thinks he’s a drunk because he wobbles when he walks and he drinks out of a paper bag meaning that it’s booze but it’s actually coke in the bag.
2. In most states of the USA people who drink alcohol in public places are required to hide their bottle in a paper bag. Why does Dolphus Raymond hide Coca-Cola in a bag?
Mr. Raymond hides the coke in his bag so that everyone thinks that he’s a drunk, so the people can have an excuse to the way he was and the way he lived even though that’s just the way he wants to live.
3. What, according to Atticus, is the thing that Mayella has done wrong?
According to Atticus Mayella the thing that Mayella had done wrong was that she tried to cover up her guilt and that was her motivation to go against and say that Tom Robinson did it because she felt guilty for kissing a black man.
4. Explain, in your own words, Atticus's views on people's being equal.
Atticus’s views on being equal is that the people are equally treated in the court room and that means that it doesn’t matter if your stupid and the others are smart, or your black and the others are white, everyone that’s in the court room is treated equally and are respected as if everyone is equal to one another.
Chapter 21
1. What does Jem expect the verdict to be? Does Atticus think the same?
Jem expects that the verdict will go their way and they will win the case but Atticus says that he has no idea what the verdict will be.
2. What is unusual about how long it takes the jury to reach a verdict? Is the verdict predictable or not?
It was unusual how long the jury took to reach a verdict because is usually takes only about 5 minutes until they come back out, but they didn’t come out for over half an hour. I don’t think that the verdict is predictable because Mr. Finch had a good case and he did a great job proving his point, but in that court room they had never convicted a white person over a black person, so the verdict could go either way.
3. As Scout waits for the verdict, she thinks of earlier events. What are these and how do they remind us of the novel's central themes?
The earlier events that Scout was thinking of were that it wasn’t rape, and it’s not rape if the person lets you do it, she had to be at least 18 or older to be taken to trial in Alabama that is and Mayella was 19. Also to be taking to court and have a trial you must have been hollering and kicking, you had to be stomped on and had to be taken advantage of to be taken to court. These events remind us of the central theme of the novel because it reminds us that it was in the 1930’s and you needed a lot of motivation and reason to have taken a case to trial and in our days you can take the smallest little thing to trial.
Chapter 22
1. Although Atticus did not want his children in court, he defends Jem's right to know what has happened. Explain, in your own words, Atticus's reasons for this. (Look at the speech beginning, “This is their home, sister”.
I think that Atticus’s reason for defending Jem’s right was that they are apart of the family and the home and they have the right to know what happens in the town and what goes on in Atticus’s life and job. When he says “this is their home, sister,” this means that it’s their home too and it’s their right and their choice to participate in what they want to participate in if she likes it or not.
2. Miss Maudie tells Jem that “things are never as bad as they seem”. What reasons does she give for this view?
The reason’s that Miss Maudie tells Jem were that some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us and their father is one of them and they don’t really see or know how bad their father really has it.
3. This story is set in the 1930s but was published in 1960. Have attitudes to racism remained the same or have there been any changes (for the better or worse) since then, in your view?
I think that between the 1930’s and the 1960’s that racism had changed a lot for the better and that there wasn’t as much racism towards coloured people, so I think that it had changed for the better.
4. Why does Bob Ewell feel so angry with Atticus? Do you think his threat is a real one, and how might he try to “get” Atticus?
Bob Ewell is so angry at Atticus because he is mad that he went against him in court and that he almost got Bob convicted. I think that yes his threat is a real one because he doesn’t to take any chance of getting in trouble or getting convicted so he threats Atticus. I think that he might get at Atticus is by hurting him or his family and kids or put them in any sort of danger to scare them so that they know not to mess with Bob again.
Chapter 23
1. What do you think of Atticus's reaction to Bob Ewell's challenge? Should he have ignored Bob, retaliated or done something else?
I think that Atticus’s reaction to Bob Ewell’s challenge was the right thing to do and that he had handled the situation correctly by just walking away. I think that he did the right thing by ignoring him and that he shouldn’t of retaliated or of done something else to get back at him because it would only make the situation worse and put him and his family in more danger.
2. What is “circumstantial evidence”? What has it got to do with Tom's conviction?
Circumstantial evidence is when you take unrelated facts; put all them together to come to a conclusion. This has to do with Tom’s conviction is that Mr. Ewell wrote with his left hand and they put his writing with his left hand to the black eye on Mayella’s right eye and concluded that he hit her with his left hand. But that didn’t change the jury’s thoughts and conclusion at all towards Tom’s conviction.
3. What does Atticus tell Scout about why the jury took so long to convict Tom?
Atticus tells Scout that the reason the jury took so long to convict Tom because Mr. Cunningham was on the jury and couldn’t make up his mind to which side to take, also the jury was wearing down since the start of the trial.
4. Why does Aunt Alexandra accept that the Cunningham’s may be good but are not “our kind of folks”? Do you think that people should mix only with others of the same social class? Are class-divisions good or bad for societies?
Aunt Alexandra said that she accepts that the Cunningham's may be good but are not our kind of folks because she wanted to let Scout and Jem know that they shouldn’t invite him over to their house because they’re yappy, which means that they always fiddle with things and that they could never be like Jem even if you scrubbed them until they shined, gave them new shoes with a new suit and they still wouldn’t be like Jem. I don’t think that you should only mix with others of the same social class because if you mix with other social classes you will enhance your knowledge and understanding towards others and there classes. I think that class-divisions are bad for societies because it creates too much racism between all the classes and all the races. (Ex. The white people were the higher class and the black people were known as dirty and low lives because they’re in the lower class and this isn’t fair for all the races and the classes.) Everyone should be treated equally and with the same respect, there shouldn’t be any class-division it only makes our society worse and more racist.
5. At the end of this chapter, Jem forms a new theory about why Boo Radley has never left his house in years. What is this? How likely is it to be true, in your opinion?
Jem’s new theory on why Boo Radley has never left his house in years is that it’s because he wants to stay inside. I don’t think that it’s a good theory and that it’s probably not likely to be true. There must be a better reason then that to have stayed in his house for all those years.
Chapter 24
1. Do you think the missionary ladies are sincere in worrying about the “Mrunas” (a tribe in Africa)? Give reasons for your answer.
Yes I think the missionary ladies are sincere because they talk all about the way they live and the way they are. They talked about the fact that they had no sense of family; they are subjected children to terrible ordeals when they were 13, they crawled with yaws and earworms, they chewed up and spat out the bark part of a tree into a communal pot and then got drunk on it. They talked about all the negatives of Mrunas and the fact that they are so fortunate and that’s what made them sincere about Mrunas.
2. Compare the reactions of Miss Maudie and the other ladies when Scout says she is wearing her “britches” under her dress.
When Scout said that she is wearing her britches under her dress the ladies laughed about it and Miss Maudie looked gravely down at her.
3. What is your opinion of the Maycomb ladies, as depicted in this chapter?
I think that the Maycomb ladies are well dressed, they are caring and thoughtful towards suffering countries and people, very nice, very talkative, they treat each other and other people nicely, they’re very polite, they wear a lot of make-up and they have a lot to talk about.
4. Explain briefly how Tom was killed. What is Atticus's explanation for Tom's attempted escape? Do you think agree with Atticus?
Tom was killed during the exercise period at the prison when he started running for the prison fence to climb over it and the guards shot him just before he got over. Atticus’s explanation for Tom’s attempted escape was that Tom was tired of all the chances white man made, so he decided to take a chance of his own and try to escape from the prison. Yes I agree with Atticus because Tom was probably sick and tired of not trying to do anything for himself and finally he decided to do something and he ended up paying for it.
Chapter 25
1. How does Maycomb react to the news of Tom's death?
The news of Tom’s death only took 2 days for the whole town of Maycomb to know about it. The people of Maycomb were interested in the news about Tom.
2. Comment on the idea that Tom's death was “typical”?
I think that the idea the Tom’s death was typical and that it’s typical of a black man to just cut and run instead of having a plan is really racist and that the people of Maycomb have no right say something like that because if he was white or any other colour, he would of done the same thing if he was in that situation. Also the people of Maycomb think that it’s typical of a black man to do that is also the fact that in that day they were so racist to black and there weren’t many white men in prison so they only saw the coloured people do those kinds of things so it’s not fair for black people.
3. Explain the contrast Scout draws between the court where Tom was tried and “the secret courts of men's hearts”. In what way are hearts like courts?
The contrast Scout draws is that the hearts are like the courts because the hearts of the people and their reactions and feelings and emotions are compared to the court and the trial and what going on in the court at that time.
4. Why did Jem not want Scout to tell Atticus about Bob Ewell's comment? Was this a wise thing to ask her to do?
Jem didn’t want Scout to tell Atticus about Bob Ewell’s comment because he didn’t want Atticus to know that he’s going after more people and that he’s going to threaten more people and he doesn’t want Atticus to know about it because it would worry him to much. I don’t think it was the wise thing to do because now only little kids know about the fact that Bob Ewell is threatening all these people and if they did tell Atticus about it he could of maybe done something about it to stop him from doing it.
Chapter 26
1. In her lesson on Hitler, Miss Gates says that “we (American people) don't believe in persecuting anyone”. What seems odd to the reader about this claim?
The thing that seems odd about this claim is that Miss Gates says that they don’t believe in persecuting anyone and they persecute, kill, and are racist to blacks every day.
2. Why is Scout puzzled by Miss Gates' disapproval of Hitler?
She reason why Scout is puzzled because she doesn’t know the whole story of Hitler so she isn’t sure if she should agree with him or disagree with him.
3. Why does Scout's question upset Jem? Is there a simple answer, or any answer, to the question (“How can you hate Hitler an’ then turn around an be ugly about folks right at home?”
The reason why Scout’s question upsets Jem is because Jem wants to forget all about the courthouse and what happened in the court house so when Scout brought it up he was mad that he brought it back up when he was trying to forget about it. I think that the simple answer to this is that the people of Maycomb don’t realize that they are hypocrites and they say that it’s bad that Hitler kills all these Jew’s and then they go and kill black people every day. So the people don’t realize that they’re doing the same thing to blacks as Hitler does to Jew’s.
Chapter 27
1. What three things does Bob Ewell do that alarm Aunt Alexandra?
The three things that Bob Ewell does to alarm Aunt Alexandra were that he lost his job, he tried to steel from Judge Taylor’s house and every time Helen walked by his house on the way to work he chunked at her.
2. Why, according to Atticus, does Bob Ewell bear a grudge? Which people does Ewell see as his enemies, and why?
According to Atticus Bob Ewell bears a grudge because he knows that in his heart that very people in Maycomb really believed his and Mayella’s yarn/case. Bob Ewell holds a grudge to everyone connected with the case because he wants to be a hero and those people connected to the case are trying to stop him and trying to prove him guilty.
3. What was the purpose of the Halloween pageant? What practical joke had persuaded the grown ups to have an organized event?
The purpose of the Halloween pageant was to show Maycomb all of their agricultural products. The practical joke that persuaded the grown ups to have an organized event was that last Halloween some kids waited till Mrs. Barber was asleep, then they snuck into her house and put all of her furniture in her cellar.
Chapter 28
1. Comment on the way this chapter reminds the reader of earlier events in the novel.
This chapter reminds me of the description of the setting and everything that’s in their neighborhood. This chapter really recaps and re-describes all the settings and objects that are by their house and that they know about and that they described earlier on in the novel.
2. Why does Jem say that Boo Radley must not be at home? What is ironic about this? (Is it true? Does he really mean it? Why might it be important for him and Scout that Boo should not be at home?)
Jem says that Boo Radley must not be at home because he doesn’t hear anything from the house.
3. Scout decides to keep her costume on while walking home. How does this affect her understanding of what happens on the way?
Her costume effects her understanding of what happened on the way because she couldn’t really see out of it so she didn’t really know what was happening and she also couldn’t run because she didn’t have shoes and the costume was very tight and hard to move in, so she couldn’t catch up to Jem and find out what was happening.
4. Why had Atticus not brought a chair for the man in the corner? Who might this stranger be?
Atticus didn’t bring a chair for the man in the corner because the man is a country man and he knows that country men sit underneath chinaberry trees, so their buts would get very dirty so he didn’t want the man dirtying one of his chairs. I think that the stranger might be Boo Radley because everything that happened that night happened in front of his house so he probably heard everything happening and went to help.
Chapter 29
1. What causes the “shiny clean line” on the otherwise “dull wire” of Scout's costume?
The cause of the shiny clean line was that the dull wire punctured Mr. Ewell’s arm a couple times and that’s why it’s shiny.
2. What explanation does Atticus give for Bob Ewell's attack?
Atticus’s explanation for Bob Ewell’s attack was that he’s out of his mind.
3. What does Heck Tate give as the reason for the attack?
Heck Tate’s reason was the he’s just mean as hell, low-down skunk with enough liquor in him to make him brave enough to kill children.
4. Do you think the sheriff's explanation or Atticus's is the more likely to be true?
I think that the sheriff’s explanation is more likely to be true because the liquor and that hatred for the Finch family would give him enough drive to do something to them, not just because he’s out of his mind; Atticus’s explanation isn’t good enough.
Chapter 30
1. Who does Atticus think caused Bob Ewell's death?
Atticus thinks that Jem killed Bob Ewell.
2. Why does Heck Tate insist that Bob Ewell's death was self-inflicted? In what way is this partly true?
Heck Tate insists that Bob Ewell’s death was self-inflicted because he doesn’t think any boy Jem’s size with a busted arm had enough fight left in him to tackle and kill a grown man in the pitch dark. This is partly true because Jem wasn’t trying to kill the man or take him down. All he did was he pulled him off of Scout so that he could take them both home. Also, I don’t think that many kids if any kid could kill a man in the pitch dark with a broken arm, it’s too difficult to do in those conditions.
3. Is Heck Tate right to spare Boo then publicity of an inquest? Give reasons for your answer.
I don’t think it was right to spare Boo the publicity of an inquest because this was his chance to let Maycomb know that he’s just not a crazy who has been stuck in his house all these years, but that he actually did something good for Maycomb and the people. So I think it’s a good chance to change his reputation and make it better.
4. How does the writer handle the appearance, at the end of the story, of Boo Radley?
The way the writer handles the appearance of Boo Radley at the end of the story is that he kind of made him a hero for saving Atticus’s kids because he says “thank you for my children, Arthur.” He changed the way the Finch family thinks of him and they also started to call him Arthur instead of Boo, so they now start to respect him.
Chapter 31
1. How do the events of the final chapters explain the first sentence in the whole novel?
The events of the final chapter explains the first sentence in the whole novel because it recaps that Jem was scared that he could never play football again and that night he was scared of what was happening when he got hurt and at the beginning of the story he had just recovered from a broken elbow and he had a broken are at the end of the story.
2. Comment on the way the writer summarizes earlier events to show their significance.
I think that the way the writer summarized the earlier events was brilliant because he put Scout in Boo’s shoes so that Scout could re-cap and rethink of all the things that happened from Boo’s point of view which recapped the all the events in the story.
3. How does Scout make sense of an earlier remark of Atticus's as she stands on the Radley porch?
Scout makes sense of when Atticus said that you never know a man until you get in their shoes and walk around in them because he stood on the Radley’s porch and he saw Maycomb in Boo’s point of view which put him in his shoes and Scout understood how Boo felt.
4. How much of a surprise is it to find what Boo Radley is really like? Has the story before this point prepared the reader for this discovery?
I didn’t think it was much of a surprise because I kind of expected something better from him from all of the bad things that were put in my mind from the story, so I kind of hoped that he was a better kid and that’s what happened in the end, he was a good kid. I don’t think that the story prepared me for this discovery because the writer put all of these bad things in my mind so that when the end cam you would be surprised about it.
5. At the end of the novel, Atticus reads to Scout. Comment on his choice of story. Does it have any connection with themes earlier in the novel and in its ending?
I think that the choice of the story was perfect for the end of the book because it was pretty much a little summary about what happened throughout the book with them and Arthur Boo Radley. The book has lots of connections with the themes earlier on because the kids in the book were chasing the boy but could never find him because they didn’t know his face and Scout and Jem always tried to figure out Boo because they never saw who he really was and they wanted to know. The ending to the book is perfect because it’s exactly that same to the story. The kids in the book find out that the boy was really nice and in the story, Scout finds out that Boo is a really nice guy.
Character Sketch To Kill A Mockinbird
Atticus-he’s white, Maycomb lawyer, father of Scout and Jem, wife died, very confident, he’s committed to races being equal, his sister Alexandra came to live with him.
Arthur Boo Radley-never comes out of his house till the end of the book, can’t read or write, he’s white, he’s known of being the town freak, has a cruel father, sends gifts to Scout and Jem, pale, doesn’t talk much.
Mayella Ewell-abused by her father, lonely, unhappy, part of the poorest family in Maycomb.
Bob Ewell-abuses his daughter, hunts all year around, a drunk, one of the poorest families in Maycomb, bad person, represents the bad side of the south.
Scout-smart, violent, mature for his age, curious, has bangs, and wears overalls, tom-boy, Jem’s sister, Atticus’s daughter, narrator, mature for her age.
Calpurnia-has a very good education, has good vocabulary, the Finch’s cook, but also helps out in the house, very nice, disciplined, typical southern lady.
Dill-friends with Scout and Jem, he has a good imagination, became very interested in Boo Radley, represents childhood innocence.
Mrs. Dubose-2 doors up the street from the Finch’s, old, mean, lonely, very ill, has lot’s of courage, racist.
Tom Robinson-black man sentenced for raping a white woman, he didn’t do it but was sentenced guilty because he’s black, died trying to escape from prison.
Walter Cunningham-a poor farmer, classmate of Scout, gets Scout in trouble.
Aunt Alexandra-came to live in the Finch household, Atticus’s sister, wants the Finch name to have a good reputation, she’s a perfect southern lady, well dressed, well mannered.
Jem-Scout’s brother, dream about being a football player, smart, Atticus’s son, curious about Boo Radley, 4 years older then Scout, slowly separates from Scout’s and his little games they used to play, typical Southern American boy, matures throughout the novel.
Labels: book review, grade 9 help, school help, To Kill a Mockingbird
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