To kill a mockingbird summary of all chapters. To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 19 2022-10-11
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To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It is set in the 1930s in the fictional Maycomb County, Alabama, and tells the story of a young girl named Scout Finch and her family.
The novel opens with Scout introducing herself and describing her family and the town in which she lives. Scout's father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer and a moral and ethical man. Scout's brother, Jem, is a few years older than her and her mother died when Scout was very young.
One summer, Scout and Jem meet a new neighbor, a mysterious and reclusive old man named Boo Radley. They become fascinated with Boo and spend the summer trying to get a glimpse of him. In the meantime, Atticus is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been falsely accused of raping a white woman.
As Atticus prepares for the trial, Scout and Jem become increasingly aware of the prejudice and racism that exists in their community. Atticus does his best to teach them about empathy and understanding, but the trial brings out the worst in many of the townspeople. Despite Atticus's best efforts, Tom is found guilty and is later killed while attempting to escape from prison.
The novel ends with Scout reflecting on the events of the summer and the lessons she has learned. She comes to understand that although people can be cruel and unfair, they can also be kind and understanding. She also realizes that Atticus was right in saying that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, as a mockingbird is a creature that only brings joy and beauty to the world.
Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird is a powerful and moving novel that deals with themes of racism, prejudice, and justice. It is a must-read for anyone interested in social issues and the human condition.
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 26
Chapter 5 Jem and Dill have become closer friends, and Scout, being a girl, finds herself often excluded from their play. 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. As Scout rereads the editorial, she suddenly comes to the full understanding that Tom's death sentence was signed as soon as "Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed. They gather themselves and return to the living room. The last sentence of the chapter, "Atticus was right," applies not only to his prediction that Jem will come down from his tree house if left alone, but also to most issues of character judgment. They polish it up over the summer into a little dramatic reenactment of all the gossip they've heard about Boo and his family, including a scene using Calpurnia's scissors as a prop. To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 18: Summary The Mayella Ewell testimony occurs in Chapter 18 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter Summaries Flashcards
Scout points out that nobody is born knowing things and notes that Walter is smart, he just misses school to help on the farm. Scout considers her first day of school to be a dismal failure, and compared to what she was hoping for, it is. Dill makes up a story about playing strip poker to explain Jem's missing pants, and Jem says they were playing with matches rather than cards, which would be considered unforgivable. In this chapter, the gossip is focused mainly on the Radleys, who, thanks in part to their son Boo, have become outcasts, feared for their strange behavior and unpleasant history. The chapter introduces the Ewell family, who will figure heavily into the latter part of the book. The Ewell children only need to come to school for the first day, and then the town will overlook the fact that they are absent, even though schooling is mandatory for all children.
Jem, meanwhile, has become disillusioned, and when Scout tries to talk to him about Miss Gates, he shuts himself off from the painful memory of the trial. 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. Atticus provides clear evidence that the accusers, Mayella Ewell and her father, Bob, are lying: in fact, Mayella propositioned Tom Robinson, was caught by her father, and then accused Tom of rape to cover her shame and guilt. His story is very different to the previous two witnesses. Tom knows that, too. Even Scout, who probably can't yet define the term "prejudice," tells Dill, "'Well, Dill, after all, he's just a Negro. Ironically, Scout thinks of Mayella as facing the same problems that a mixed child deals with: "white people wouldn't have anything to do with her because she lived among pigs; Negroes wouldn't have anything to do with her because she was white.
Miss Maudie points out that the people who believe black people deserve a fair trial are trusting Atticus to do the right thing. Scout understands the importance of doing so, even though she can't explain it. Raymond explains he feels he has to give the population some reason for his odd behavior being friendly toward black people. The Cunninghams must keep the farm running in order to survive, and because the school system does not make any accommodations for farm children, there is a self-perpetuating societal cycle for farm families to remain uneducated and ignorant. 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. The women discuss the plight of the Mruna people, a non-Christian group in Africa who are said to live in squalor and are being converted thanks to the efforts of a missionary named J.
To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 24 Summary & Analysis
Similarly, Scout and Jem will learn the full importance of justice later in the book through the trial of Tom Robinson, where justice is withheld and denied to a black man. The white community excuses his behavior because they believe he is an alcoholic who "can't help himself. Interestingly, Scout sees this new level of tolerance in Jem as a feminine characteristic when she says, "Jem was the one who was getting more like a girl every day, not I. His face is white, and he asks to speak to Aunt Alexandra in the kitchen. 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. Merriweather then goes on to say that she hates when black people sulk, as it ruins her day. The trial takes place in the county courthouse in Maycomb, Alabama, and is in the small town's spotlight, so both the town and the courthouse are packed with spectators.
It sounds like the person behind them is wearing thick cotton pants. Their Uncle Jack Finch comes down from Boston, which is the good part of Christmas. Radley had simply been walking by, and Boo stabbed him. Scout is taken aback and goes to Atticus, who assures her that Jem just needs some time to think about things, and then he'll be himself again. Though Atticus can see that Tom had a chance, he understands that Tom has spent his life at the mercy of white men—and in the last year, found his life turned upside down and put in danger because a white man decided to punish him when he did nothing wrong. Jem believes in the equality of all people, and his choice to protect the roly-poly demonstrates how deeply ingrained this value is.
The sheriff also testifies that her injuries were on her right side. That evening, Scout tells Atticus about her day, hoping that she won't have to go back to school — after all, Burris Ewell doesn't. Atticus could not promise Tom that he would eventually go free, because he did not want to promise anything he couldn't be sure of. Admitting that Tom's arrest, conviction, and death are a travesty would cause a shift in power that whites aren't willing to accept. The courtroom gallery is segregated, with Black observers consigned to the balcony.
The attack occurs all around Scout and the sense of her helplessness makes the account of the violence more intense. Scout tells Atticus that Boo was really nice. Radley, but Jem insists on going. The family is so poor that they use strips of tire rubber as shoes on the rare occasions that the weather is cold enough to require shoes. Analysis In these two chapters, Lee uses Scout to help the reader gain a better understanding of the Maycomb community and how it functions. She also seems unaware that early slaves were unwillingly driven from Africa, and worse, are often excluded from their own communities 90 years since the end of slavery.
