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Plausible Questions:
“Maycomb has recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.”
What do you think this “fear” refers to? Discuss.
In To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout has many role models. Who are they? Explain how
they have shaped her.
Compare and contrast the relationship between Scout and Jem, and the
relationship between Atticus and Aunt Alexandra.
“I want to be a lawyer just like Atticus”. In what ways have Jem mature?
Lee chooses to tell the story of “To Kill A Mockingbird” from the perspective of
Scout. What effects does this bring about? Use two instances from the novel to
justify your agreement.
Themes:
Prejudice
• “Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a
sin to kill a mockingbird.”
• Social
The Cunninghams
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• Honest- “They took nothing they can’t pay back”, “No script
stamps, church baskets…”
• Shy- does not directly return the deed, but does it in secret
• “he-is-trash”
The Ewells
• Looked down upon because of their father’s (Bob Ewell) actions and
considered as outcasts
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• Bob Ewell (Rude, uncouth, drunk) seen from his use of language-
likens Mayella to a “stuck hog” refer to Bob’s testimony, pg176-184
• Mayella Ewell. Although she tries to be different, she fails at it. Not
because she cannot, but because she is a Ewell.
• No friends, lonely- When Atticus asked her whether she had any
friends she said “You makin’ fun of me agin, Mr Finch”
• Scout commented that Mayella “was even lonelier than Boo Radley”
and that she was sad as a “mixed child” pg198
Dolphus Raymond
• Folks think that “he won’t change his ways”, “He can’t help himself”
The Finches
• Had to Keep their head about certain things like how Atticus was a
disgrace
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• “He (Mr Braxton Underwood) gave a snort and looked away” when
he found Scout sitting in the coloured balcony
“The Other”
♦ The classed did not even speak to her. For example, they kept
quiet about Walter Cunningham’s situation and urged Scout to
tell Miss Caroline.
Social Classes
• “There was indeed a caste system in Maycomb”, White folks like the
Finches followed by the white farmer like the Cunninghams and the
“trash of the society” like the Ewells and the Blacks
• During the trial, the jury was afraid of vindicating Tom Robinson as
they were afraid of being ostracised by the white people in
Maycomb.
• Racial
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Blacks
♦ Blacks were not given titles like “Miss” or “Mr” instead they are
called by their name or “nigger” or “boy”. This shows the lack of
respect the whites have for the black community in Maycomb.
♦ Even the blacks try not to associate themselves with the whites,
unless they were close to them like Atticus. As Lula said, “You
ain’t got no business bringin’ white chillum here”
♦ The jail was only “full of niggers”, also it was covered to make it
look less like a jail for blacks.
♦ Aunt Alexandra thinks that one should not say things demeaning
to a black in front of one-“you said Braxton Underwood despises
Negroes right in front of her.”
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♦ Mrs Merriweather says that “the cooks and field hands are just
dissatisfied, but they’re settling down now – they grumbled all
next day after that trial.”(Black are unhappy about the verdict)
but feels that their grumbling is uncalled for as she thinks that
Tom Robinson is guilty just because he is black.
• Tom Robinson
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♦ Wrong to say that “I felt right sorry for her” as Blacks are
considered to be worse off then the whites. Therefore, it is taboo
for a Black to feel sorry for a white.
♦ “Mr Finch if you was a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too.”
♦ Still lost even though it was evident that Tom was in the right as
the Ewell’s claims were incoherent
• Mixed Children
♦ “Around here once you have a drop of Negroes blood that makes
you all black.”
♦ Jem comments that “you just hafta know who they are”. This
implies that one is not born prejudiced against another, but one
chooses to be. (Can be applied towards all forms)
• Gender
Scout suffers acutely from the stereotypes imposed upon her because
of the rigid sexism and gender rules that govern the southern life.
Scout hates to wear dresses and finds the accusation that she “acts
like a girl” highly offensive. Although the characters do not explicitly
deal with gender issues. Lee does offer several characters, Miss Maudie
and Miss Stephanie and Aunt Alexandra to illustrate the broad
spectrum of the southern womanhood that lies beneath the simplistic
southern belle stereotype.
Scout gets insulted for being a girl. For example, when Scout refuses to
peek into the Radley place with Jem and Dill, they called her angel
may, a term associated with girls (the fairer sex).
Atticus was considered unmanly because of his age and the fact that
heretofore never participated in activities that were considered manly.
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Aunt Alexandra insist that Scout should dress up like a girl, much to
Scout’s disapproval
Girls are not allowed to listen to the rape trial- “Mr Jem you better take
Miss Jean Louise home.”
• Influences
Atticus
Calpurnia
Miss Maudie
Aunt Alexandra
Uncle Jack
• Characteristics at start, contrast with it at the end (Also can be used for
their characterisation)
Jem
♦ More mature than any other child in the book. He shows this
when the tales care of his sister, Scout, and when he tells her
about life. The only time that Jem was childish was when he, Dill
Copyright © 2009-2010 Theodore Lam Xin Rong
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and Scout made up games about Boo Radley and poking fun at
him. One instance when Jem took Scout to aside to help her
understand was when he told her about people like Walter
Cunningham and how they were poor and had no money. Jem is
highly protective of Scout, especially when her ordered Scout to
spot out the chewing gum she found from the Radley knot-hole.
♦ Respects Atticus. The night the children visited the Radley Place
and tried to see Boo, Jem left his pants behind in a wired fence
as he had trouble getting through.Before this event, Jem
promised Atticus that he would not bother Boo Radley. Atticus
had considerable respect for Jem, and he had no intention of
losing his trust. Hence this depicts the difference in maturity
between him and Scout as Scout thought that when Jem might
be “licked” by Atticus, she took it as a physical pain and told Jem
that “it would not last”, which she knew was indeed better than
getting shot by Mr Nathan. On the other hand, Jem was more
concerned over the trust Atticus had for him and he valued it so
much that he was willing to risk his life to maintain that trust.
Thus this shoes the growth in his maturity when he makes the
discussion to get his pants back.
♦ However, his acts of blind courage (e.g. the Radley game, touch
their house, trying to sneak into their house) is considered to be
immature as he fails to realise what true courage is.
♦ Jem learns the truth about Boo Radley when he realises Boo had
put the blanket around Scout, while Scout has no idea what was
going on. “Jem seemed to have losing his mind...Toward me…
Thank who… ‘Boo Radley’.” This is where Jem shows signs of
growing up. He begins to understand that Boo Radley is not
harmful at all. Here, it begins to show that Jem’s maturity is
faster than Scout’s, because she cannot understand and still
thinks that Boo is dangerous. This is where Jem and Scout begin
to “part company”.
♦ Understands why Atticus does not show off his skills in front of
anyone. This shows that Atticus is a gentleman and humble even
though he is a person with great skill. This is evident as Miss
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Maudie explains that “people in the right mind” do not show off
their skills purposely and only do if it is needed. This is observed
when Atticus shot Old Tim Robinson. Initially, Jem was ashamed
of his father for not being like all the other fathers in Maycomb
County, including the fact that Atticus did not play Jem’s
favourite sport—football. However, his understanding of Atticus’
humility comes to life when he sees that his father is recognised
as the “one-shot Finch” for his superior marksmanship but did
not tell his children or boast about it. It is also evident that Jem
matures as Jem thought differently as compared to Scout, who
was ever ready to tell everyone about their dad’s capabilities
that Jem knew if “Atticus wanted them to know, he would tell
them”. Jem is proud of his father’s humility.
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♦ Strong sense of justice. Feels that Atticus have done a good job
defending Tom Robinson and that he will probably win the trail.
However, he fails to realise that racism exists in this world which
will destroy the life of an innocent black man. Furthermore, “his
hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his
shoulders jerked as if each ‘guilty’ was a separate stab between
them. Even after the trail, he feels that Tom Robinson is
innocent and asks Atticus whether there would be an appeal.
Also, Jem starts to debate with Atticus about justice and even
feels that “He didn’t kill anybody even if he was guilty, He didn’t
take anybody’s life.”.
♦ After the trial, Jem becomes more pessimistic and thinks that
very little people in Maycomb actually wanted to help Atticus.
This can be seen during his conversation with Miss Maudie when
he told her “Who in this town did one thing to help Tom
Robinson, just who?”. Furthermore, he is unable to see the
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♦ Jem’s impression of the world has changed. “If there’s just one
type of folks, why can’t they get along with each other? If they’re
all alike, why do they go out of their way to despise each other?
Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s
stayed shut up in the house all this time… it’s because he wants
to stay inside.”
♦ When Scout asked why she could not kill the insect, Jem replied
that “Because they don’t bother you,”. This is because Jem feels
that this action would be similar to the conviction of Tom
Robinson. (Destruction of the innocent)
Scout
• As immature
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♦ Promises Atticus not to tell Miss Caroline that they were reading
illicitly and to go to school if Atticus would continue reading with
her.
♦ She eats things she finds on the floor and takes stuff without
permission.
♦ Gets upset when Jem and Dill insults her for being “girly” even
though she is a girl
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♦ Wanted to tell her school mates that Atticus has a flair for
shooting, as she wants to be normal and have a father that has
something that could arouse the interest of someone. However,
she was stopped by Jem who understood why Atticus did not
take pride in it and told Scout not to tell anyone in school.
♦ Unable to fit into the society of ladies- Scout is not used to things
related to being a lady. “Ladies in bunches always filled me with
vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere, but this
feeling was what Aunt Alexandra called being ‘spoiled’.”
♦ She also struggles to act like a lady. During the tea party,
“I(Scout) sat quietly, having conquered my hands by tightly
gripping the arms of the chair, and waited for someone to speak
to me.”. This also shows her desire to become a lady as she
would even go to the extent go resisting her urge to be
physically active to learn to be a lady.
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♦ Scout still torments and tries to ‘kill’ the innocent. This can be
seen by the roly-poly incident.
“A roly-poly had found its way inside the house; I reasoned that
the tiny varmint had crawled up the steps and under the door. I
was putting my book on the floor beside my cot when I saw him.
The creatures are no more than an inch long, and when you
touch them they roll themselves into a tight grey ball. I lay on
my stomach, reached down and poked him. He rolled up. Then,
feeling sad, I suppose, he slowly unrolled. He travelled a few
inches on his hundred legs and I touched him again. He rolled
up. Feeling sleepy, I decided to end things. My hand was going
down on him when Jem spoke.”
♦ In chapter 25, Scout feels that “Jem was the one who was
getting more like a girl every day,” and becoming soft as he
prevented her from killing an insect.
♦ Scout does not feel comfortable with Jem’s maturity and the new
ways people are treating him. When the adults were discussing
something important, she thought, ”Oh foot, he’s old enough to
listen,”
♦ The relationship with Calpurnia changes for the better. This can
be seen in Chapter 24 when she “was wearing my pink Sunday
dress, shoes, and a petticoat, and reflected that if I spilled
anything Calpurnia would have to ash my dress again for
tomorrow. This had been a busy day for her. I decided to stay
out.” This shows that she empathises with Calpurnia’s situation
and tries to avoid giving her any additional tasks.
♦ Taught to fight with her head for a change. “try fighting with
your head for a change… it’s a good one, even if it does resist
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♦ “Promise you won’t tell Atticus about this. He –he asked me one
time not to let anything I heard about him make me mad, an’ I’d
ruther him think we were fightin’ about somethin’ else instead.
Please promise…”
♦ “when I was well into the second grade at school and tormenting
Boo Radley became passé” Accepts Boo and knows who he
really is – a nice person.
♦ When Atticus asked her whether she would like Aunt Alexandra
to stay with them, she agrees as she now believes that “one
must like under certain circumstances and at all times when one
can’t do anything about them.”
♦ “Dill asked if I’d like to have a poke at Boo Radley. I said I didn’t
think it’d be nice to bother him.”
♦ Lies to Jem about being able to see his chest hair to make Jem
feel better. She said it “looked lovely, but I didn’t see anything”.
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♦ Scout loses track of time. “I hushed then and there. At the same
time I marvelled at Atticus, This was the first he lad let us know
he knew a lot more about something than we thought he knew.
And it had happened years ago. No, only last summer –no,
summer before last, when … time was playing tricks on me. I
must remember to ask Jem.”
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♦ “I had never seen our neighbourhood from this angle.” She sees
the world from Boo’s point of view (literally). This also indicates
that she now sees the world from a different angle, figuratively.
♦ Scout is conscious of the fact that her education on life and how
to cope with it is completed and all that’s left to learn is
academics. “there wasn’t much else left for us to learn, except
possibly algebra.”
Courage
• Physical Courage
• Jem touched the Radley place when Dill dared him too. Initially, Jem
was terrified by the idea. However, since “he loved honour more
than his head” he eventually accepted it.
• When old Tim Johnson, the mad dog, was approaching the Radley
place, Atticus, also known as “one-shot Finch”, was pressured by Mr
Heck Tate into shooting the dog because of his adept shooting skills
• Moral Courage
Atticus
• Atticus tells Scout to “try fighting with your head for a change… it’s
a good one, even if it does resist learning.”
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• When Atticus greets Miss Dubose, Scout comments“It was times like
these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never
been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”
• “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin
anyway and you see it through”
Mrs Dubose
• Atticus even said that “she was the bravest person I ever knew”
Jem
• REASON: Does not want to get a “lickin’” as this will affect the
relationship Jem has with Atticus, making Atticus distrust him.
• This shows that Jem cares for his father and refuses to go home to
protect his father. Hence, this indirectly shows the courage within
Jem.
Scout
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• This incident revealed that Scout had showed courage as she was
the only one who dared to stand up for Walter by telling Miss
Caroline the reason.
• Scout “walked away from a fight” when Cecil Jacobs taunted her
• This is because she took Atticus’ advice to “try fighting with your
head”.
• Hence she showed courage by trying to help his brother and father
diffuse this matter.
When Francis and Scout has a dispute, Francis accused Scout of using
the term “whore-lady” on him
This made Scout feel a sense of injustice as she said “I’ll never speak
to you again as long as I live! I hate you an’ despise you an’ hope you
die tomorrow!”
Scout then tells Uncle Jack when she calmed down that “When Jem and
I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine
too”
This shows the theme of justice and fairness as Scout was punished
without a proper “trail” and also shows that Atticus is just and fair to
his children.
• The Trial
Atticus tries to fight for Tom Robinson- “Simply because we were licked
a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win”
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Atticus managed to prove that the Ewells were lying by tricking them
e.g. making Bob Ewell write to discover that he was left-handed,
Mayella’s inconsistent testimony.
And believes that the court is a leveller- “courts are the great levellers,
and in our courts all men are created equal.”
However even with all the evidence against the Ewells, Tom Robinson
was still deemed guilty, simply because “In our courts, when it’s a
white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.
They’re ugly, but those are the facts of life.”
Jem starts to debate with Atticus about justice- “It ain’t right. He didn’t
kill anybody even if he was guilty. He didn’t take anybody’s life.” (Jem
has developed a great sense of justice and injustice)
Learns that people are comfortable with the law right now and
adamant to change it. When Jem asks Atticus to change the law he
replied, “You’d be surprised how hard that’d be. I won’t live to see the
law changed, and if you live to see it you’ll be an old man.”
“There’s something in our world that makes men lose their heads—
they couldn’t be fair if they tried. In our courts when it’s a white man’s
word against a black man’s. The white man always wins. They are ugly,
but those are the facts of life.”
“in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case.” Reveals that
deep down inside these men feel that Tom Robinson is guilty just
because it is wrong to favour a black man over a white man.
Education
• Jem believes that social classes are related to “how long your family’s
been readin’ and writin’” as it raises a family’s social and economic status.
When Scout first went to school, she disliked it because of its rigidness
When Miss Caroline Fisher, the new teacher from North Alabama who
tries to impose the “Dewey Decimal System” on the children, found out
that Scout could read and write she was displeased with her and told
her to tell her father not to teach her. This gave Scout a patronising
feeling about schooling.
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Scout real education-“As for me, I knew nothing except what I gathered
from ‘Time’ magazine and reading everything I could lay hands on at
home, but as I inched sluggishly along the treadmill if the Maycomb
County school system, I could not help receiving the impression that I
was being cheated out of something.”
Jem tries to comfort Scout and tells her that “the older I got the better
school would be” –“The sixth grade seemed to please him from the
beginning: he went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me - he
tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one
in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared
Egyptians walked that way; I said if they did I didn't see how they got
anything done, but Jem said they accomplished more than the
Americans ever did, they invented toilet paper and perpetual
embalming, and asked where would we be today if they hadn't? Atticus
told me to delete the adjectives and I'd have the facts.”
Scout remains critical of the education system as she feels that it is not
useful. She emphasises that she was “forced to one day in school”.
The system, does not consider the wealth and background of the
children and their access to the media. “in Maycomb it didn’t work very
well. In the first place, few rural children had access to newspaper, so
the burden of Current Events was borne by the town children,
convincing the bus children more deeply that the town children got all
the attention anyway.”
During one lesson, she learns about democracy, her teacher, Mrs
Gates, said, “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody.
Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced.”. This is ironic as
Mrs Gates also practices inequality and persecutes the Blacks, in
particular, Tom Robinson, as she does not see them as her equal. This
contradicts what she had preached during her lesson.
Atticus
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• Atticus tells Scout to “try fighting with your head for a change… it’s
a good one, even if it does resist learning.” To help her cope with
the impending trauma.
• Tries to inculcate his values into Scout by telling her more stuff that
is related to the trail- “The case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something
that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience “
• “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin
anyway and you see it through” This moral that Atticus teaches
them helps the children truly define what is courage –the
overcoming of fear, even those you know that you are going to get
“licked”.
• Atticus teaches the children that one does not only consist of
goodness and evilness, but a mixture of both -“So it took an eight-
year-old child to bring 'em to their senses.... That proves something
- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because
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• Urges children to have empathy- “Jem, see if you can stand in Bob
Ewell’s shoes a minute. I destroyed his last shred of credibility at
that trial, if he had any to begin with. The man had to have some
kind of comeback, his kind always does. So if spitting in my face
and threatening me save Mayella Ewell one extra beating, that’s
something I’ll gladly take. He had to take it out on somebody and
I’d rather it be me than that houseful of children out there.”
Miss Maudie
• Role model for Scout to follow that women do not have to wear
dress and camisole like a female to treated like one
• Teaches Scout respect by correcting her when she said “do you
think Boo Radley’s still alive?” She replied by saying that “his
name’s Arthur and he’s alive,”
• She also teaches the children life lessons like how “sometimes the
Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the
hand of- oh your father.” This means that some men like Atticus
when drunk may not be as bad as one man at his best.
• She reveals more about Atticus to the children as she said “you
father’s anything, he’s civilised in his heart.” And tells them to be
humble like their father by revealing to them that “People in their
right minds never take pride in their talents.”
Aunt Alexandra
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• Also tries to teach the children about family pride by asking them to
read ‘meditation of Joshua S. St Clair’ written by the children’s
cousin’ and gets Atticus to teach the children about the Finch
family.
• During the tea party (chapter 24), Aunt Alexandra teaches Scout
how to be a true lady and controls her feelings even in the worse of
situations.
Mr Dolphus Raymond
Calpurnia
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nothing you can do but keep your mouth shut or talk their
language.”
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Major Characters:
Atticus
“he was his impassive self again.” As he expected that he would lose
the case. Pg218
Pg223. “ Atticus didn’t bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and
wiped his face and stood there and let Mr Ewell call him names wild
horses could not bring her to repeat. Mr Ewell was a veteran of am
obscure war; that plus Atticus’s peaceful reaction probably prompted
him to inquire. ‘Too proud to fight, you nigger-lovin’ bastard?’ Miss
Stephanie said Atticus said, ‘No, too old,’”
Pg 280. “I can’t live one way in town and another way in my home.”
• Tranquil- Tells Scout to put on her shoes and socks in the midst of a fire.
• Fair- “When Jem and I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of
it, he hears mine too”
• Polite- “Good evening, Mrs Dubose! You look like a picture this evening.”
• Humble- Does not take pride in his ability to shoot, feels that it is a natural
advantage over the rest.
• Patient- Sat down in the swing and crossed his legs and waited in amiable
silence while waiting for Scout to reply him about her problem with school.
• Man of integrity-
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Pg 279. “I don’t want him growing up with a whisper about him, I don’t
want anybody saying, “Jem Finch … his daddy paid a mint to get him
out of that.”” This reinforces the fact that Atticus is a man of integrity
as he does not want to create any unnecessary trouble for Jem.
“If thing’s hushed up it’ll be a simple denial to Jem of the way I’ve tried
to raise him.” Trying to “hush” things up would go against Atticus’’
teaching to Jem and Scout.
• Imparts values to his children e.g. “…climb into his skin and walk in it”,
“try fighting with your head for a change”, “The one thing that doesn’t
abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
• Respected by many- e.g. Miss Maudie who thinks that Atticus with a bottle
of whisky in his hand is not as dangerous as a other man with a
Bible.”(feels that Atticus is just and even though he might neat his worse,
he is still better than many others), “Atticus Finch’s a deep reader, a
mighty deep reader” (reveals that Atticus is respected for his strong sense
of justice and his determination to exonerate Tom Robinson), “He spends
his time doin’ things that wouldn’t get done if nobody did ‘em.”(said by
Jem when they saw a cartoon about Atticus in the newspapers)
After the verdict, “the Negroes were getting to their feet” to shows
their respect for Atticus as they appreciated the fact that Atticus, a
white man, defended a black man although he lost. Furthermore,
through this Atticus has revealed the truth: Tom Robinson is innocent
and the Ewells were guilty.
“people were content to re-elect him to the state legislature that year”
• Non-conformist- Takes up the case and plans to “defend him” despite the
public’s disapproval.
• Close to his children- Scout is able to share her first day of school
experience to him. He is also able to sense the feelings of his children. E.g.
After dinner (on Scout’s first day of school) he is able to sense that
something is wrong about Scout when she refuses to read. He said,
“Something wrong, Scout?”
• Has an independent teaching style- feel that “they might as well learn to
cope with it” after learning the extent of racial prejudice in the society of
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Maycomb, as they will eventually learn the truth about the world, they
might as well realise it sooner.
When the trial has ended, the grateful Negroes gave the Finches lots of
food. This touched Atticus and even made him say, “Tell them – tell
them they must never do this again. Times are too hard….”
• A man with principles- when Jem asked his father to carry a gun around
just in case Bob Ewell tried to assault him, he replied, “Nonsense.” As he
refuses to carry a gun as it goes against his principles.
• Frank, Atticus does not want to lie to people to give them false hope. For
example, Calpurnia said, “Because you ain’t familiar with the law, First
thing you learn when you’re in a lawin’ family is that there ain’t any
definite answers to anything. Mr Finch couldn’t say somethin’s so when he
doesn’t know for sure it’s so.”
• Kind. Offers help to others. - When a girl was “too small to navigate the
steps. Dill said Atticus went to her, took off his hat and offered her his
finger.” This shows that he is polite as he took off his hat to greet her
before getting the girl to hold his finger as the girl’s hands were probably
too small.
• In chapter 29, Atticus is getting older as it is stated that there were “grey
patches growing at his temples.”
• FLAWS
Believes that he is not a good father- (refer to pages 139-140) The fact
that Atticus changes the way he talks to the children shows that he is
unconfident about his teaching style as he is easily persuaded by Aunt
Alexandra to teach his children how to act like fine Finches.
• Pg224-225 “We don’t have anything to fear from Bob Ewell, he got
it all out of his system that morning,” Atticus misjudged Bob’s
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• Pg256 “He’ll (Bob Ewell) settle down when the weather changes.”
Atticus underestimates Bob Ewell and thinks that he is incapable of
fighting back.
• Bob
Lazy- Does not bother to clean up his place ,“none of them had done
an honest day’s work”
Drunk – spends his relief cheques on whisky, “their relief cheque was
far from enough to feed the family, and there was a strong suspicion
that Papa drank it up anyway”
Cowardly- does not dare to harm Atticus directly after the trail and
decides to harass Mrs Robinson and his children instead.
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Irresponsible- does not bother to clean up his house, “The varmints had
a lean time of it. For the Ewells gave the dump a thorough gleaning
every day. And the fruits of their industry (those that were not eaten)
made the plot of ground around the cabin look like the playhouse of an
insane child”
Wants to improve his family’s status- but the fact that "he was the only
man [Scout] ever heard of who was fired from the WPA for laziness"
proves that he isn't willing to earn it. Tries to accuse Tom Robinson of
raping Mayella as he sees what he believes it is the way to improve his
social standing. In his mind, the town should think him a hero for
saving Maycomb's white women from a "dangerous" black man.
Defending his daughter by going to court should raise his family's
stature. If they don't gain more respect from the community, at least
Bob won't have to live with talk in the black community about a white
woman making a play for a married black man.
Cruel and heartless- when he heard that Tom Robinson had died, he
said it “made one down and about two more to go.”
He holds a grudge against Atticus and blames him for everything bad
that happened. -“Mr Ewell openly accused Atticus of getting his job.”
• Mayella
Although she tries to be different, she fails at it. Not because she
cannot, but because she is a Ewell.
No friends, lonely- When Atticus asked her whether she had any friends
she said “You makin’ fun of me agin, Mr Finch”
“she took offence into routine courtesy” (The irony, she wanted to be
respected by people, but become offended when treated with respect)
Scout commented that Mayella “was even lonelier than Boo Radley”
and that she was sad as a “mixed child” pg198
“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.”
Abused- hints of sexually abuse “She says what her papa do to her
don’t count.” And agrees with Atticus that Bob Ewell abuses her when
he’s drunk.
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Yearns for love- “she (Mayella) says she never kissed a grown man
before an’ she might as well kiss a nigger” as the statement reveals,
Mayella was neglected by her father to the extent that she would even
kiss Tom Robinson, which was considered taboo during the 1930s.
• Burris
Dirty- Miss Caroline had to ask him to bathe before he came back
tomorrow
Rude- Laughed at Miss Caroline when she asked him to bathe before
returning back to school the next day
Scout
Jem
Boo
• Perceived by others
A “malevolent phantom”
“about six-and-a-half feet tall, judging from his tracks; he dined on raw
squirrels and any cats he could catch. That’s why his hands were
blood-stained- if you ate an animal raw, you could never wash the
blood off. There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what
teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled
most of the time.”
• In reality…
Shy
Copyright © 2009-2010 Theodore Lam Xin Rong
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Wants to get to know the children- interacts with the children by giving
them things like chewing gum and other stuff. He also observes them
from his house when they were playing games, so when Scout went
close to the house and heard “someone inside the house was
laughing”, it was probably Boo watching them.
Cares for the children- when Jem went to retrieve his pants from the
Radley place, he noticed that his pants was “Not like a Lady sewed
‘em”. This means that Boo might have sewed it for him. This shows his
care for the children. Furthermore, at the end of the novel, Boo rescues
the children from a drunk Mr Ewell and even kills him.
After saving Scout and Jem from Mr Bob Ewell, he was said to be
“standing in a corner, leaning against the wall” as he does not like to
be in the light (not attention seeking).
Happy to see the children- when Scout finally recognises Boo “his lips
parted into a timid smile”.
Tom Robinson
• Honest- told Atticus the truth when Atticus asked him to do so “What did
he(Bob Ewell) say, Tom? You must tell the jury what he said.” Tom
Robinson shut his eyes tight. “He says you goddamn whore, I’ll kill ya.”
And “Tom denied it three times in one breath, but quietly, with no hint of
whining in his voice, and I found myself believing him in spite of his
protesting too much. He seemed to be a respectable Negro.”
• Sympathetic- persecuted and convicted for a crime that he did not commit
just because he is a black man.
Minor Characters:
Calpurnia
Copyright © 2009-2010 Theodore Lam Xin Rong
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• Cares for Scout- She disciplines Scout and takes care of her e.g. food.
• Trusts Jem- scolds Jem when he brings Scout to the courtroom to listen to
the trial as she thinks that Jem is old enough to understand what is
happening bur does not bother to protect his sister.
Dill
• “was a curiosity”
• Close to Jem (Plausible reason: As Scout matures, Jem sees that his
influence on Scout is diminishing. This leads Jem to grow closer to the less
mature Dill. Furthermore, Jem and Dill are both boys, this means that they
probably have the same interests. Hence catalysing their close
relationship.) – “I(Scout) beat him up twice but it did no good, he only
grew closer to Jem.”
• Childish and yearns for parental love- “Scout, let’s get us a baby.”
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• Passionate- “bright auburn hair, pink cheeks,, and wore crimson finger-nail
polish” (Red symbolises passion)
• Going to bring something new into the county (the Dewey Decimal
System)- “looked and smelled like a peppermint drop.”
• Attractive- “when Miss Maudie introduced us (Scout and Jem) to her, Jem
was in a haze for days.”
• Does not like Scout- “looked at me (Scout) with more than faint distaste”
• Rigid- “we don’t write in the first grade we print. You won’t learn until
you’re in the third grade.”
• Does not understand Maycomb’s ways- She told Scout to hold out her
hand when she thought that Scout was shaming Walter. This made Scout
think that she was going to “spit in it, which was the only reason anybody
in Maycomb held out his hand”
• Caring- she asks Burris to go home and wash his hair as she does not want
the other children to catch the cooties.
Ms Maudie
• “magisterial beauty”
• Love gardening- “loved everything that grew in God’s earth, even the
weeds.”
• Generous- “every time she baked she made a big cake and three little
ones, and she would call across the street:’ Jem Finch, Scout Finch,
Charles Baker Harris, come here!’ Our promptness was always rewarded.”
• Gains the children’s trust- Scout confides in Miss Maudie as she tells her
her thoughts on Boo Radley.
• Faithful to her late husband- does not flirt with Uncle Jack although Uncle
Jack has expressed interest in her.
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• Admires Atticus- “What I meant was, if Atticus Finch drank until he was
drunk he wouldn’t be as hard as some men are at their best. There are
just some kind of men who— who’re so busy worrying about the next
world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the
street and see the results.”
• Optimistic- though her house was just burnt down she wasn’t grieving at
all and even “took a lively and cordial interest in Jem’s and my (Scout’s)
affairs.”
• Supports Atticus- “I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this
world who were born to do our unpleasant hobs for us. Your father’s one of
them.” As nobody in Maycomb would have taken up the case except for
him.
Aunt Alexandra
• Callous- “She (Aunt Alexandra hurt my feelings and set my (Scout) teeth
permanently on edge”
• Racist (entrenched in her) - told Calpurnia to put her bag in the front
bedroom without greeting her or thanking her. This shows that she does
not respect the blacks and regards them as second class citizens, as does
not show them the respect that they deserve. Another example of this can
be seen when Scout told Atticus in detail “about our trip to church with
Calpurnia \. Atticus seemed to enjoy it, but Aunt Alexandra, who was
sitting in a corner quietly sewing, put down her embroidery and stared at
us”.
• Fits into the Maycomb Society- “Maycomb welcomed her. Miss Maudie
Atkinson made a Lane cake so loaded with shinny it made me tight; Miss
Stephanie Crawford had long visits with Aunt Alexandra, consisting mostly
of Miss Stephanie shaking her head and saying, “Uh, uh, uh,” Miss Rachel
Copyright © 2009-2010 Theodore Lam Xin Rong
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next door had Aunty over for coffer in the afternoons, and Mr Nathan
Radley went so far as to come up in the front yard and say he was glad to
see her.” This probably because she is the epitome of a southern lady and
the fact that Maycomb is a desolated town, so no one comes in or out.
Furthermore, to emphasise the extent in which she manages to blend in
with the Maycomb inhabitants, Lee states, “Aunt Alexandra fitted into the
world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove”.
• Judgemental- “She never let a chance escape her to point out the
shortcomings of other tribal groups to the greater glory of our own”
• Cares about the children- after the trial, she said, “I didn’t think it wise in
the first place to let them—“as she does not want to expose the children
to the racial prejudice that exists in their world and hurt and scar them
emotionally.
• In chapter 24,
Wants to make Scout a lady- The tea part in Chapter 24 “was part of
her campaign to teach me to be a lady.” This is because Atticus had
been quite liberal with his children. This upsets Aunt Alexandra, thus
she decides to teach Scout about the mannerisms of a lady.
Carries out her role as a lady faithfully- she does not try to offend Mrs
Merriweather as she is the hostess and she wants to act like one,
hence Miss Maudie does it for her. This is shown when she “gave Miss
Maudie a look of pure gratitude”.
Starts to show some emotion. E.g. she was shocked when she heard
what had happened to Tom Robinson after his attempt to escape from
prison. “Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth.”
Softer side of Aunt Alexandra is revealed- “didn’t they try to stop him?
Didn’t they give him any warning?’ She was wondering why the prison
wardens were ruthless enough to kill Tom Robinson instead of the
aforementioned.
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• “Aunt Alexandra sat down in Calpirnia’s chair and pit her hands to
her face. She sat down so quiet I wondered if she would faint.”
She is kind and concerned about the children’s welfare. This can be
seen when she brought Scout her overalls and asked her to put it on
after she had been assaulted by Bob Ewell. This shows that she is more
concerned about Scout’s welfare than Scout’s need to become a lady.
The Cunninghams
• Self-conscious – when he was asked why he did not have any lunch his jaw
twitched as observed by Scout.
• Honest- “They took anything they can’t pay back”, “No script stamps,
church baskets…”
• Shy- does not directly return the deed, but does it in secret
Mrs Dubose
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• A morphine addict, “but she was too contrary” and wanted to “leave this
world beholden to nothing and nobody.”
• Atticus even said that “she was the bravest person I ever knew”
• Unsympathetic and thinks that Atticus is getting nowhere- she told Dill
that “ if a man like Atticus Finch wants to butt his head against a stone
wall it’s his head.”
• Only cares about gossip and not about the injustice that befalls an
innocent black man- “She wanted to know who all gave us permission to
go to court”
Mrs Merriweather
• Hypocrite- feels sad for the Africans and not for the Black Americans
• Does not see the blacks as equals- insults them by calling them “darky”
• Uses the bible to teach others, but in the wrong way- she tried to tell her
cook Sophie that “Jesus Christ never went around grumbling and
complaining,” even though her cook’s grumbles were well justified.
• Feels that it is the whites’ duty to educate the blacks-Mrs Farrow, the
second most devout lady in Maycomb, said “…we’re fighting a losing
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battle”… … “We can educate ‘em till we’re blue in the face, we can try till
we drop to make Christians out of ‘em but there’s no lady safe in her bed
these nights.”
• Her hypocrisy becomes clearer when she talks about Atticus in Atticus’
house. – “Folks in this town who think they’re doing right, I mean. Now far
be it for me to say who, but some of ‘em in this town thought they were
doing the right thing a while back, but all they did was stir ‘em up.” She
views Atticus as a trouble maker. However, she still eats his food. This
shows her hypocrisy as she claims to resent Atticus but still visits his
house and eats his food.
• Self- centred- only thinks about how the situation would affect her. Tries
to make herself look like a kind person by saying that the “only reason
I(Mrs Merriweather) keep her( Mrs Merriweather’s cook, Sophie) is because
this depression’s on and she needs her dollar and a quarter every week
she can get it.”
Mr Underwood
• Frank- “he couldn’t have cared less with cancelled advertising and
subscriptions.”
Mr Link Deas
Mr Heck Tates
• He is a realist as he feels that some people are born naturally evil. This
can be seen from this quote: “Mr Finch, there’s just some kind of men you
have to shoot before toy can say hidy to ‘em. Even then, they ain’t worth
the bullet it takes to shoot ‘em. Ewell ‘has one of ‘em.”
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Symbols:
Snowman
• Represents the fact that all humans are the same as though the snowman
is white on the outside, it is black on the inside. This shows that although
humans have different skin colours they are the same on the inside.
Cold Weather
• Represent that something bad will happen as Maycomb had not have the
“coldest winter since 1885”.
• Represents what people will do during the face of disaster; show their true
colours. For example, this is when Jem realises that Boo is in fact a
harmless guy who unfortunately have been ostracised from the Maycomb
society. Also, Mr Avery, who Scout thinks pees on his porch, is revealed to
be a kind person. (Helps Miss Maudie remove furniture from her house
when it was set ablaze).
• This incident also shows that the community will face future conflicts (e.g.
the trial) together.
• It symbolises the “Maycomb disease” that plagues the locals. Like the Tim
Johnson, they behaved normal on the outside but were “sick” in the inside,
even to the extent of persecuting a black man by not standing up for him
even though he was innocent.
• Pg 216- it is used to evoke suspense as it reads “The feeling grew until the
atmosphere in the courtroom was exactly the same as a cold February
morning, when the mockingbirds were still, and the carpenters had
stopped hammering on Miss Maudie’s new house, and every wood door in
the neighbourhood was shut as tight as the doors of the Radley Place.
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