Mockingbird Notes

 

Ch. 19

204: “ . . . in the cynical confidence that you gentlmen would go alongwith them on the assumption—the evil assumption—that all Negroes lie, . . .” The problem is that Mayella and Bob told a lie that could not be believed, a story that was impossible. Because Tom only has one good arm, he could not have beaten Mayella the way that she claimed it happened

 

Everyone in the audience and in jury knew Tom Robinson was innocent—the jury decides against him merely because of racism

 

Racism is more powerful than the truth

 

Ch 21

  • Verdict of guilty
  • Children allowed to watch: the adult topic of the trial is outweighed by what the kids could learn about racism and their community through the trial
  • Entire black community stands up for Atticus when he leaves

 

Ch 22

  • Judge Taylor chose Atticus to defend Robinson so he would have a chance at a fair trial
  • 216 Miss Maudie: “Atticus Finch won’t win, he can’t win, but he’s the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. . . we’re making a step—it’s just a baby step, but it’s a step”

 

Ch 23

  • Bob Ewell spits in Atticus’s face  (his shame because his lies are revealed)
  • Atticus’ understanding: he can stand in Ewell’s shoes, even though he has no respect for the man
  • 224 Aunt Alexandra: “you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines . . .” Aunt A thinks Jem is better than Walter because he’s higher class, he comes from a wealthy family
  • Atticus wouldn’t agree: he says respect people who have made the most with what they have. Back to the central theme of judging people. Aunt A. has different values than Atticus
  • 227 folks quote
  • Jem realizes that Boo stays inside all the time because he wants to stay inside. Jem has realized that the world isn’t the happy, good place he’d always thought. A loss of innocence – Jem has realized that people are evil and cruel

 

Ch. 24

  • Aunt A’s missionary circle
    • Gossip
    • Talk about these poor Africans in Africa and donating money and time to help them
    • Hypocrites
      • Only critical of Helen Robinson
      • She needs to be a good Christian and then her life will be okay
      • They’re hypocrites because Helen is a good Christian already. Mayella could use help or these women could use help
      • Willing to donate to have schools in Africa, but what do they do to help Black children in their own community: nothing
  • Tom Robinson shot and killed by a security guard
    • Shot 17 times in the back as he runs towards the fence
    • He runs because he knows he’s innocent and is sure he will be found guilty again so this seems like his only option
    • Not one or two shots to stop him, they meant to kill and didn’t care if he was innocent until proven guilty
    • Tom is killed by the faults, the racism, in the justice system
  • 237 good quote. Scout realizes for the first time that being a “lady” has some value

 

Ch. 25

  • central theme from the title of the book
    • To Kill a Mockingbird
    • Theme: harming innocent things or people is morally wrong
  • Roly poly scene 238
  • 240: Helen Robinson collapses when she hears of Tom’s death “Like a giant stepped on her”
  • symbolic mockingbird: an innocent person who is greatly harmed: Tom Robinson, Helen Robinson, rolly polly (almost), Boo Radley (by the end of the book)
  • 241: “He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by children . . .” written by Mr. Underwood who is fairly racist

 

Ch. 26

  • Atticus is reelected

247: “Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad and then be ugly about folks right at home?” 

  • talking about her teacher being a hypocrite, not Jem
  • her teacher criticizes Hitler for discriminating against the Jews, but her teacher is also prejudiced
  • after Tom Robinson’s trial, Scout heard Miss Gates say to Stephanie Crawford “It’s time somebody taught them a lesson, they were getting way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us”
    • She’s saying that Tom Robinson deserves to die, not because he’s guilty, but because he told the truth even though it contradicted a white man. She wanted him to just die and not explain his side of the story—just accept his fate
    • So incredibly racist! Many white would have been shocked by her statement
  • What does this reveal about Scout? Scout is starting to realize the truth about racism and who terrible prejudice is

 

Ch. 27

The Halloween Pageant

 

Ch. 28

The attack

  • Jem and Scout are walking home from the pageant and they hear someone behind them
  • Bob Ewell is drunk and attacks them—intending to kill them
    • He has a knife
    • Multiple stabs in Scout’s costume—the costume save her life
  • Ewell breaks Jem’s arm, tries to stab Scout and
  • Boo Radley hears the confrontation, comes out and takes the knife and kills Ewell.
  • Boo carries Jem (who is unconscious) back to the Finch’s
  • Scout gets out of her costume and walks home
  • Sheriff comes to investigate

 

Ch. 29

  • Scout tells her dad and the sheriff what she thought happened
  • First real description of Boo Radley 270
    • A little scary looking because he’s so pale and eyes are so light
    • But mostly he seems old, worn, thin, sickly, timid and shy
    • Shaking in fear, he has a little spasm when everyone looks at himčshows his incredible shyness
    • But then he timidly smiles at Scout
      • He likes Scout, he’s a nice guy, he’s just shy and he’s not used to people
    • He’s dirty and his clothes are torn from the fight
    • Most of the rumors couldn’t be true—he is no monster, he’s just a shy, nice, recluse who doesn’t spend any time outside or with other people
  • When Scout first sees him, she cries and says “Hey Boo” 270
    • First sense that Scout is starting to see the real Boo
    • Cries because she’s starting to feel empathy for Boo
      • She feels sorry for the Boo Radley game
      • She’s grateful for her life and her brother’s
      • She’s so overwhelmed

 

Ch. 30

  • Atticus and Sheriff Tate argue about who killed Bob Ewell
    • Atticus thinks it’s Jem and assumes that the Sheriff is trying to protect Jem by saying Bob fell on his knife
    • The sheriff is lying but to protect Boo Radley 276
    • Even though he probably would not go to trial for his actions, they would have to go through the initial process and everyone in the town would get involved and it would be too much for Boo and his shy ways because he can barely stand to be in a dark room with three other people
    • He did a good thing, he is innocent, so why should be punished?
  • Atticus asks Scout if she understands why they must lie about Boo Radley and she says yes because “it would be sorta like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”
    • Reveals that Scout truly understand the mockingbird rule now. She didn’t understand it with Tom Robinson, but now she does
    • Boo is symbolic mockingbird—he’s one that is protected,
      • Tom can’t be fully protected, but they succeed with Boo

 

Ch. 31

  • Scout treats Boo with such kindness (lets him sit on the porch where there aren’t many people, walks him home)
    • Reveals that Scout is growing up and learning
    • She realizes how she was wrong to fear Boo
    • Now she acts as his friend
  • Full transformation of Scout
  • 278: feels sad about treatment of Boo “Neighbors bring food . . . we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.”
  • Scout learns what it’s like to stand in someone else’s shoes
    • Atticus has been trying to teach her all along
    • Don’t judge a book by its cover theme: have to stand in someone elses shoes to understand him—this is what Scout does
  • 279: Scout sees from Boo’s point of view on his porch
    • how he has watched her and Jem grow up and sees them as his own kids that he wants to protect. He didn’t mind the Boo Radley game. He never had his own life after 17, but now lives through them
  • Doesn’t end here, even though it may seem like it should
  • Instead ends with the story of the “Gray Ghost” 281
    • The Gray Ghost is kind of like Boo because they both were misjudged and hated by many, but neither had done anything. Both were “real nice”
    • Reinforces one of the central themes of the novel: you need to stand in someone else’s shoes before you judge them (don’t judge a book by its cover)
    • Theme is developed through Mrs. Dubose, Boo Radley, (Miss Gates), Mr. Dolphus Raymond, (Miss Caroline) and the story of the Gray Ghost pulls them all together and makes the theme clearly central to the novel as a whole
    • Racism exists because people are judged by their outsides, not who they are and that is wrong
    • Prejudice is the ultimate problem
    • Many wrongs could be avoided if more people could feel empathy: learn to stand in the shoes of others p. 279 "you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them."
    • The Gray Ghost solidifies the theme that prejudice, in all its forms, is wrong

 

Two central themes of the novel:

  • Prejudice is wrong (don’t judge a book by its cover) , you cannot understand someone until you stand in his shoes.
    • See above
  • Harming innocent things is wrong (mockingbird theme)
    • Symbolic mockingbirds: Tom Robinson, Boo Radley, Helen Robinson  (ch. 25), roly poly scene
    • Atticus first explains the rule
    • The kids don’t understand it
    • Jem learns the rule with Tom Robinson
    • Mr. Underwood quotation comparing Robinson to a songbird
    • Roly poly scene to show Jem’s understanding and Scout’s lack of understanding
    • Helen Robinson scene
    • Boo Radley scene when Scout explains why she knows they should lie about Boo because to tell the truth and expose him to public scrutiny would be like shooting a mockingbird

 

 

Third essay option:

Character Analysis of Scout: analyze how and why she changes

 

Beginning

End

Young and immature, naive

Lost her innocence, has seen hatred in the world (Hitler quotations)

Likes to fight to solve problems

Tries to stop fighting for her dad

Clueless about racism

Understands the horror of racism

Likes her brother

Likes her brother

Doesn’t understand the mockingbird rule

Truly understands the mockingbird rule (it would sorta be like shooting a mockingbird quote – about Boo)

Thinks Boo Radley is a crazy monster

Realizes that Boo is a nice guy and is grateful to him

Sounds racist

Doesn’t

Thinks about herself more than others

Learns empathy

Tom boy

Realizes being a lady isn’t all bad

* good topics for essay