To Kill a Mockingbird Post 8: Chapters 22-26

Chapter 22

The next segment in the book focuses on Jem. He is painfully realizing the injustice in the world. Jem's perspective of the town of Maycomb is now completely revamped. What Jem thought as reasonable, sensible, people are now (in his mind) racist, despicable monsters. As far as I'm concerned, the world isn't fair. But we just need to trust that God will serve justice. He said He would, and that's good enough for me. I have had many unjust things happen to me so far in live, even though I'm only fifteen years old. Sometimes, justice was served to those who wronged me. In cases where justice wasn't served, I know that God will serve it eventually, whenever He sees fit. To come back to the story and away from my rabbit trail, I'll tell you about the Finch's story and what happened to them after the trial.

Obviously, the blacks in Maycomb are happy with Atticus because he stood up for Tom, even though Atticus knew he was going to lose. This key point in the story reveals the most about Atticus's character. He stands up for what he believes in, even when nearly everyone around him disagrees with his beliefs. This story reminds me of Noah's story in the book of Genesis. Noah still build that ark even when everyone laughed at him. The black community in Maycomb blesses the Finches by bringing them a plethora of food.

Near the end of the chapter, Scout and Jem learn that Mr. Ewell confronted Atticus, spat on him, and said "I'll get you my pretty! And your little dog, too!"*

*That last part was a lie. But Mr. Ewell did swear that he'd get revenge. Besides, Atticus doesn't have a dog.

Chapter 23

Atticus is convinced that Mr. Ewell won't cause anymore harm. Scout asks her father what is going to happen to Mr. Robinson. Atticus regretfully tells her that rape is a capital offense, and that Tom will be executed.

Jem and his father have a long discussion about the morality of the death penalty. Jem mentions that he doesn't think someone should be killed for committing a crime that didn't kill anyone. I agree with Jem. Personally, I don't think anyone should be killed, no matter what crime they committed. But what about Hitler? Or the man who killed 12 movie goers in Aurora? Or Jessica Ridgeway's kidnapper? Of course, such criminals should be punished severely (put in jail for life with no humane treatment), but never killed. Killing even the worst of criminals doesn't make us any more ethical than them.

Atticus tells Jem that only one man in the jury was on Tom's side: A member of the Cunningham family. Scout instantly says that they should invite Walter over for dinner. Explicitly, Aunt Alexandra tells Scout that a Finch is not to associate with trash. Obviously, Scout is upset at her aunt's impertinent comment. Jem takes Scout aside before she becomes feral. The two talk about Alexandra's despicable attitude toward their friends, class warfare, and more. Jem proudly shows Scout his one chest hair. Scout lies and tells her brother that she can see it and that it looks very nice. This titbit of the story shows us how Jem (although only 12) is slowly becoming a man.

Chapter 24

The beginning of this chapter is very boring. Scout visits the Missionary Society (A group of crazy ladies who are apparently trying to "uplift people" but are trying to do so in such a way that does anything but.). Scout is pulled aside from tea, and is informed that Tom Robinson was shot 17 times after a failed attempt to escape. After hearing of Robinson's death, Scout returns to tea furtively sporting a poker face.

Chapter 25

Surprisingly, the main event I would like to highlight in this chapter is when Scout tried to squash a bug. She sees a roly-poly, and right before trying to kill it, Jem intervenes. He claims that the defenseless insect did nothing to harm Scout, and that she shouldn't kill an innocent creature. Any other day, Jem probably wouldn't have cared one bit what Scout did to the bug. My guess is that he was sensitive about Tom's wrongful death. This incidence ties right into the book's strange title: To Kill A Mockingbird. Earlier in the book, Atticus mentions that it's a sin to kill a mockingbird because mockingbirds don't do anything to harm anyone. All they do is sing. Kind of like a roly-poly. Not that roly-polies sing, but it would be cool if they did. What I meant is that roly-polies don't do anything to harm anyone. You understood what I meant? Oh...

Chapter 26

Time for school! Also, time to start walking by the Radley Place again. The kids aren't scared about the Place anymore. But Scout still wants to get a glimpse of Boo. Scout's third grade teacher begins teaching about World War II, which began recently. She talks about the injustice of Hitler's reign. Scout questions Jem about how her teacher can be so two-faced (Thinking it's a good idea to convict Robinson because he's black, and thinking that Hitler is bad.). Jem just gets mad, and Scout goes to her dad to ease her grief.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 7: Chapters 17-21

Chapter 17

Throughout the next five chapters, we only see the trial from Scout's point of view, just like the rest of the book. Luckily, Scout is in the courtroom for most of the time.

We start with Mr. Gilmer (the prosecutor) asking questions to Mr. Heck Tate. He says that Mayella Ewell's father encouraged him to come to his house. Once Gilmer got there, he says that Mr. Ewell said that Tom Robinson raped his daughter. Gilmer talks about the bruises he saw on Miss Ewell. The only thing Atticus asks in rebuttal is: "Why the Heck (no pun intended) didn't you call the cops?" They claimed that it would have cost too much, and it would have been useless. The jury also learns for the first time that Mr. Robinson only has one functioning hand: his left one. Miss Mayella had bruises on the left side of her face. If they were facing each other when the kerfuffle happened, wouldn't her bruises be on the right side, if Tom really was the one to hurt her? Hmm...

Chapter 18

Next up is Miss Mayella's side of the story. She says that she saw Tom Robinson near her house and invited him onto her property to do a favor. Tom Robinson is a nice man, so he tried his best to help her out. She then claims that Tom raped her. According to Mayella, to describe what Mr. Robinson did as browbeating would be an understatement. Atticus asks the girl why she didn't scream louder, and why none of her family came to help. Atticus also asks her to just admit that it was her father who beat her. The plot thickens!

Chapter 19

Finally, it's Tom's turn to tell his side. He explains that he didn't do anything brash. He also says that he frequently passes the Ewell's house and did favors for Miss Mayella. He says that on the day Miss Mayella accused him of raping her, that she invited him into her home to fix a door. There was nothing wrong with the door. Tom says that she then asked him to pick up something from a high shelf and scared him half top death when she wrapped her arms around his waist. With a dogged attitude, Tom says that she begged him to kiss her, and might as well have invited him into bed. Tom says that he fought back, but didn't want to hurt her. He eventually got out of there when Mr. Ewell witnessed the events and called his own daughter a w****. After seemingly everyone disagrees with Tom's story, Dill starts crying, and Scout takes him out of the courtroom. The two run into Dolphus Raymond, the man with half-black children.

Chapter 20

Raymond gives Dill some of his booze to comfort him. Scout warns him not to drink too much. Dill quickly learns that the liquid in the bottle in the paper bag is just Coke! Raymond explains that he pretends to be a drunk so he's not judged for preferring blacks over whites. When the kids get back into the courtroom, the hear Atticus giving a schpeel about the truth about Tom Robinson. Personally, I'm on Atticus's side. He says that Miss Mayella was lonely, and she tried to have sex with anyone she could to fulfill herself. Atticus says that her father beat her because Tom was black. Atticus begs the court to simply believe the fact that just because a person is black, doesn't mean that they're automatically a criminal. And the party don't start 'till Calpurnia walks in. She walked in.

Chapter 21

Calpurnia explains that it's nothing to do with the case. The judge allows it. Cal tells Atticus that the kids are in the courtroom. After some discussion with his kids, Atticus and Jem compromise. The kids get to go home for supper, eat slowly, then come back to finish watching the case. After supper, the kids return to the courtroom. Jem is eager for his dad to win. Dill just falls asleep. Tom Robinson is convicted guilty! 

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 6: Chapters 15-16

Chapter 15

The events in this chapter are anything but placid. Scout notices that her dad left the house for no apparent reason. She explains that no one "just went for a walk" in Maycomb. She knew something was up. She grabbed Jem and Dill and began to investigate. They found Atticus sitting in front of the jail reading the paper. Four cars drive up to the jail, and Scout approaches Atticus. Reluctantly, Jem and Dill follow. Scout is naive. She has no idea what's going on. She recognizes one of the men from the four cars to be Walter Cunningham's father. Scout casually asks him to say hi to his son. The men depart, leaving nothing but footprints. Scout managed to save the day!

Chapter 16

Trial time! One look at Maycomb, and you may think they were hosting the Stark Expo.  It seems that the only person in all of Maycomb who didn't attempt to attend the trial was Miss Maudie. She comments that's it's comparable to watching a Roman Carnival. Scout and Jem sneak in after everyone else so Atticus doesn't notice them. They are forced to sit in the "colored" section. Tom Robinson must be feeling quite futile right now! The Judge's name is Taylor, and he's famous for being involved in connivances.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 5: Chapters 12-14

Chapter 12

Scout isn't getting along very well with Jem. Obviously, she looks forward to Dill coming for the summer. But, Dill writes saying that he has a new dad, and won't becoming to Maycomb for the summer. Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to church with her. Calpurnia's church is a "black church", and all the people there welcome the kids, except for a woman named Lula. When the kids get home, they see their Aunt sitting on the porch.

Chapter 13

Aunt Alexandra is austere. She knows what's right, and that's the end of it. She moves in to give the kids a female figure to look up to. The people of Maycomb welcomed the newcomer; Scout did not. Scout and Jem are very disappointed at their Aunt's arrival, probably because they don't want to be told what to do. Scout, especially, is very curt towards her Aunt.

Chapter 14

When Scout first heard that Tom Robinson was accused of rape, she didn't know what "rape" meant. She didn't remember to ask Atticus until chapter 14. Atticus explains it as "carnal knowledge of a female by force and without consent." Scout is so myopic that she doesn't see it as too big an issue. Scout isn't too fond of her Aunt, and Jem tells her to stop antagonizing her. Scout has a fit, and goes after Jem. Finally, Atticus breaks it up. When Scout goes to bed, she thinks there's a snake under her bed. She later finds out that it was Dill! Dill ran away from his parents because they were neglecting him. The kids tell Miss Rachel (Dill's Aunt) of his location.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 4: Chapters 8-11

Chapter 8

Where I live (Monument, CO), schools rarely close for snow. Rarely. Like, almost never. Maycomb, Alabama has a different story, however. After its first snowfall in years, Maycomb's schools close. Here in Colorado, we wouldn't even call what happened snowing. It was merely sleet; less than in inch of slushy "snow". So, Jem and Scout go at it. Jem makes a snowman out of dirt, to which Scout says that she's never seen a "n***** snowman". Jem than places some snow on the outside of the dirt mounds, and Scout understands. Their "snowman" looks so much like Mr. Avery (a distasteful neighbor) that Atticus demands they make it look different. So Jem "borrows" a hat from Miss Maudie. She finds out and calls him a "little devil".

To make a long story short, Miss Maudie's house burst into flames and sent the whole town into a kerfuffle. In the midst of all this, Boo Radley drops a blanket over Scout's shoulders! But she doesn't realize it until afterward. Jem tells Atticus everything about Boo and the knothole in the tree. Even after losing her house, Miss Maudie is cheerful the next day. She even says she was about to light up the old place herself before too long.

Chapter 9

Tom Robinson was a black man accused of taking advantage of a white woman. Atticus takes on the case. The kids at school say tease Scout by saying that her daddy "defends n*****s". Scout almost throws a punch. At Christmastime, Scout begins cursing in the hopes that Atticus will take her out of school, because that's where she learned the words to add to her colorful vocabulary. It didn't work, and she just got in trouble with Uncle Jack, who came into town.

The Finches traveled for the Holidays, and ended up at their Aunt and Uncle's house. Scout gets in a fight with Francis, Scout's second cousin. Francis told Scout that her dad is a "n***** lover". That's where things took turn for the worse. Uncle Jack only listens to Francis' side of the story, and spanks Scout.

Chapter 10

So why is this book called "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Here's a quote from chapter 10:

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

That's why.

A rabid dog appears out of nowhere in Maycomb. The sherif tells Aticus to shoot it. He does, and everyone is shocked. Atticus isn't one to have a good shot. This guy likes to sit by the fire and read. He just doesn't shoot things. Scout now has bragging rights, but Atticus tells her to keep quiet.

Chapter 11

On the way to the business district, there is a house with an angry, old, sick woman living in it. She insults Jem and Scout every time they pass by. Some of her insults are about their father. Jem eventually loses it and cuts down some of her shrubbery. As a punishment, Jem has to read to Mrs. Dubose for two hours a day for a month. Soon after Jem finished his punishment, Mrs. Dubose died. He learns from Atticus that Mrs. Dubose was addicted to morphine, and that the reading was the therapy. Atticus says he would have sent Jem over there anyway.

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 3: Chapters 4-7

Chapter 4

Wrigley's Doublemint Gum (ad from the 70s)

Scout trudges through the rest of the awful school year. On the way home one day, she sees a piece of tin foil in a knothole in a tree in front of the Radley's house. She sees that it's two pieces of Wrigley's Doublemint gum and equivocates putting it in her mouth. She does so, and runs home and tells Jem about it. Jem freaks out and demands she spit it out. Scout obeys, reluctantly, telling us that the flavor has diluted anyway. When Jem and Scout revisit the tree on the last day of school, they find two Indian Head coins inside a wedding ring box. Following the code, "Finders keepers", the duo decide to claim the pennies as their own, but discuss trying to find their owner.

"School's out!"

Summer. Finally! Dill returns, school work ends, and playtime begins. Naturally, Scout asks to be stuffed into a tire and rolled down the hill. Unfortunately she rolls right into the Radley's front yard! Luckily, she makes it out alive and unharmed, but the fear probably took off an hour or two of her life. Jem leads up the next game and suggests that the three of them pretend that they're the Radleys. What started off as a simple activity evolved into a complex, almost theatrical performance from the trio. Once Atticus catches them and asks if they're interpreting the Radleys, Jem lies and denies everything. Atticus the proceeded to get on with his business. Jem's logic was that "he didn't say we couldn't, so we can [play our game]."

Chapter 5

Jem and Dill's relationship grew stronger every day. My brother and my cousin are both six years older that I am. When I was little, I sometimes felt like Scout did in this chapter. Left out. Scout then began to spend time with a neighbor: Miss Maudie Atkinson. Scout asked her about Boo Radley and the first thing she told her is that his real name is Arthur, and he is still alive. They have long conversations, and Scout is told that most of the rumors about the boy are false. But one of the top rules for reading any story is to never take a character's word for anything. Persistant as a ringing cell phone during church, Jem decides that he is going to give a note to Boo (or Arthur?) Radley. Dill came along with him. Atticus busted them after their failed attempt.

Chapter 6

Curiosity killed the cat, and it almost killed Jem because he snuck out that night with Scout and Dill. His goal this time was just to peer through the shutters and get a good look at Boo/Arthur. After seeing a silhouette of a man wearing a hat, Jem dashes away and hears the fire of a shotgun. His pants get caught on the fence and he wiggles out of them to escape. The kids run away and notice that a group of people from the neighborhood have gathered around the Radley Place. They go up to them so as to not seem strange. They are informed that Mr. Radley shot after a Negro in his yard. Forgetting he isn't wearing any pants, Jem is quickly reminded when his father asks him where they are. Dill says that they were playing Strip Poker.

Chapter 7

Back to school. These are Scout's three least favorite words. This year wasn't any more auspicious than the first grade. On the way home, Jim tells Scout that he found his pants at the Radley's house and that they were folded neatly as if they were expecting him. Scout her brother find another item in the tree in front of the Radley's house. A ball of twine. The two leave it there for a couple days, and then claim it as their own. The following days they find two soap figures that look like Jem and Scout, chewing gum, a spelling bee medal, and an old pocket watch. The next day, the knothole in the tree was filled with cement. When the kids ask Mr. Radley why, he tells them that the tree was dying. Jem notices that the tree was very much alive, and didn't look at all like it was dying. 

To Kill a Mockingbird Post 2: Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1

Jean Louise Finch. That's the full name of the protagonist of this story. She almost always goes by Scout, though. The story is told through a first-person narrative from Scout's perspective. She's all grown up now, but she tells us her story starting from when she was young. She begins the novel by explaining to us that her brother, Jem, broke his arm right before he turned thirteen. Scout and Jem don't seem to agree on the preceding events leading up to the accident. Their father, Atticus, says that they're both correct. This is where the story begins.

The family lives in Maycomb, Alabama. Maycomb is a small, quaint little town that was suffering from the detrimental effects of The Great Depression in 1933, when the story begins.

The family consists of four people: Atticus (father), Jem and Scout (children), and Calpurnia (the cook, a black woman). The mother died when Scout was two. Scout is now five; Jem is nine.

A boy named Dill moved into town in the summer of '33. Dill quickly became good friends with Jem and Scout. Scout tells us that there is a strange house in the neighborhood. I instantly thought of a haunted house. The inhabitants are rarely seen. It's very mysterious. A boy named Boo Radley lives inside, but no one has seen him for fifteen years! At prima facie, this seems pretty creepy, but I'm a rational thinker so I just think the kids are overreacting and making up stories to entertain themselves. Dill dared Jem to simply go up and touch the house. He took the dare, and nothing happened.

Chapter 2

"First day of school! Wake up! Come on. First day of school!"

Scout has been looking forward to her first day of school for a long time. That time has finally come. She quickly learns that it wasn't quite what she was expecting. Her teacher doesn't know how to deal with kids. She's only 21 years old. When she finds out that Scout's father has been teaching her how to read, she told Scout that that was bad, and to stop having her father educate her. After recess, the teacher announces that it is lunch time. When she learns that one of the boys doesn't have any lunch money, she is very confused. Scout says that the boy is a Cunningham, in an attempt to explain things to Miss Caroline Fisher. The kids live in a small town, and everyone knows that the Cunninghams are poor. Miss Fisher just moved to Maycomb, and didn't understand. She offers the boy a quarter saying that he can pay her back the next day, but Scout explains that he won't be able to pay her back. Miss Fisher became very agitated and stuck Scout's hand with a ruler.

Her teacher didn't look quite like this, but you get
the idea.

Chapter 3

Naturally, Scout was pretty mad at Walter Cunningham. Scout then proceeds to rub Walter's face in the dirt. Luckily, Jem was around to stop it. Jem invites Walter over for lunch. Scout is astonished when Walter soaks all his food with molasses. She exclaims a rude comment and is taken into the kitchen by Calpurnia and is punished. Scout finishes her food in the kitchen. The next day at school, a new kid comes into play. His name is Burris. Burris is a filthy bad boy who looks as if he doesn't know the meaning of the word "bathe." Burris only comes to one day of school a year to stay out of trouble with the law. The teacher screams when she sees a "cootie" (a small insect) crawl out of his hair. She demands he goes home and take a bath. He goes home alright, with a bang. His exclamations are so offensive that Miss Fisher begins to cry. Scout tells her father that she doesn't want to go to school anymore. Atticus disagrees. The duo compromises. Atticus will continue to read to Scout at home, and Scout will go to school and keep the home-education a secret.