To Kill a Mockingbird
A review of chapters 22 - 26
Chapter 22
Summary:
After the trial Jem cries
about the injustice of the
verdict. The next day,
Maycomb’s black population
delivers an avalanche of food
to the Finch’s. Outside, Miss
Stephanie Crawford is
gossiping with Mr. Avery and
Miss Maudie, and she tries to
question Jem and Scout
about the trial. Miss Maudie
rescues the children by
inviting them in for some
cake. Jem complains that
beliefs about Maycomb
have been shattered:
Summary:
he thought that these
people were the best in
the world, but, having
seen the trial, he doesn’t
think so anymore. Miss
Maudie points out that
there were people who
tried to help, like Judge
Taylor, who gave Atticus
the case instead of the
regular public defender.
She adds that the jury’s
staying out so long is a
sign of progress in race
relations.
Summary:
When the kids leave Miss
Maudie’s, Miss Stephanie
tells them that Bob Ewell
confronted Atticus that
morning, spat on him,
and swore revenge.
Other Important
Points:
• Atticus says that it
“seems only children
weep” with regard to
Tom’s guilty verdict.
This means that
only kids are
outraged by the
injustice of the
verdict.
• When Miss Maudie says
“…we’re making a step – it’s
a baby step but it’s a step”
she’s talking about the
change (even if it’s slow)
to racism and prejudice.
• As Jem, Scout, and Dill watch
the neighbors gossip, he says
that when he grows up he
wants to be a clown because
he will be able to make
everyone laugh instead of
bringing negativity by
gossiping.
Chapter 23
Summary:
Bob Ewell’s threats worry
everyone but Atticus. Atticus
tells Jem and Scout that because
he made Bob Ewell look like a
fool and that he (Bob) needed to
get revenge. Now that Ewell has
gotten that revenge out of his
system, Atticus expects no more
trouble. Tom Robinson is sent
to prison 70 miles away while
Atticus appeals his case.
Atticus feels that his Tom has
a good chance of being
pardoned. When Scout asks
what will happen if Tom loses,
Summary:
Atticus says that Tom will go to
the electric chair because rape
is a capital offense in Alabama.
Jem and Atticus discuss the justice
of executing men for rape. The
subject then turns to jury trials
and to how all twelve men could
have convicted Tom. Atticus tells
Jem that in an Alabama court of
law, a white man’s word always
beats a black man’s, and that
they were lucky to have the jury
out so long. In fact, one man on
the jury wanted to acquit—
amazingly, it was one of the
Cunninghams.
Summary:
Upon hearing this
revelation, Scout announces
that she wants to invite
young Walter Cunningham
to dinner, but Aunt
Alexandra expressly forbids
it, telling her that the
Finches do not associate
with trash. Scout grows
furious, and Jem hastily takes
her out of the room. In his
bedroom, Jem reveals his
minimal growth of chest hair
and tells Scout that he is going
to try out for the football team
in the fall.
Summary:
They discuss the class
system—why their aunt
despises the Cunninghams, why
the Cunninghams look down
on the Ewells, who hate black
people, and other such matters.
After being unable to figure
out why people go out of
their way to despise each
other, Jem suggests Boo
Radley does not come out of
his house because he does
not want to leave it.
Other Important
Points:
•
According to Atticus,
people don’t want to serve
on a jury because (1) they
just aren’t interested in
serving on a jury (2) they
are worried about
retribution, and (3) they
will have to make up
their mind and declare
themselves to other
citizens.
• Maycomb Social Hierarchy
(according to Jem) – 4 kinds
of people in the world: (1)
the ordinary kind (Finch’s
& neighbors), (2) those
like the Cunningham’s out
in the woods, (3) the kind
like the Ewells down at the
dump, and (4) the
Negroes.
Other Important
Points:
• Atticus says “…it’s all
adding up and one of these
days we’re going to pay the
bill for it.” Atticus is talking
about how white people
cheat black people every
day. He’s saying that
sooner or later the white
people will have to pay
for the injustices
committed against the
black people.
• Jem and Atticus discuss
obvious problems with the
legal system: (1) there
should be more than
circumstantial evidence,
(2) there should be
eyewitnesses, and (3) the
law should be changed
so that only judges can
penalize in capital cases.
Chapter 24
Summary:
In August, Aunt Alexandra invites
her missionary circle to tea. Scout,
wearing a dress, helps Calpurnia
bring in the tea, and Alexandra
invites Scout to stay with the
ladies. Scout listens to the
missionary circle first discuss the
plight of the poor Mrunas , a
poor African tribe being
converted to Christianity. Then
they talk about how their own
black servants have behaved
badly ever since Tom
Robinson’s trial. Miss Maudie
shuts up their discussion with icy
remarks. Suddenly, Atticus appears
and calls Alexandra to the kitchen.
Summary:
There he tells her, Scout,
Calpurnia, and Miss Maudie
that Tom Robinson
attempted to escape and was
shot seventeen times. He
takes Calpurnia with him to tell
the Robinson family of Tom’s
death. Alexandra asks Miss
Maudie how the town can
allow Atticus to wreck
himself in pursuit of justice.
Maudie replies that the town
trusts him to do right. They
return with Scout to the
missionary circle, managing to
act as if nothing is wrong.
Other Important
Points:
• Tom Robinson dies. He
tried to escape from the
prison by charging toward
the fence and trying to
climb over.
• The guards warned him to
stop and then shot to kill.
• Tom was shot 17 times and
probably would have
escaped if he’d had 2 good
arms.
Other Important
Points:
• Miss Merriweather says,
“there are some good but
misguided people in this
town.” She is criticizing
Atticus and his defense of
Tom Robinson. She
implies that all this did was
“stir up” the black
community and cause
more trouble for the white
community.
• Miss Merriweather says, “If
we just let them know we
forgive’em, that we’ve
forgotten it, then this whole
thing’ll blow over.” She is
talking about Maycomb’s
black community. She is
stating that once the black
community realizes that the
white community has forgiven
them, then the disruption
caused by the trial will stop,
and everything will go back to
normal.
Other Important
Points:
• Miss Maudie shuts Miss
Merriweather down when she
says, “His food doesn’t stick
going down, does it?” She is
saying that Miss
Merriweather is criticizing
Atticus and yet happily
eating his food. Miss
Maudie is pointing out
that Miss Merriweather is
an example of hypocrisy.
• Scout prefers the company of
men VS women because her
experience is that women
are gossipy and two-faced.
• Tom’s last words to Atticus
were “Goodbye, Mr. Finch,
there ain’t nothin’ you can
do now, so there ain’t no
use tryin’.”
Chapter 25
Summary:
It’s September and Jem and
Scout are on the back porch
when Scout notices a roly-poly
bug. She is about to mash it with
her hand when Jem tells her to
stop. When she asks Jem why
she shouldn’t have mashed it, he
says that the bug didn’t do
anything to harm her. The
news of Tom Robinson’s death
occupies Maycomb’s attention
for about two days, and
everyone agrees that it is
typical for a black man to do
something irrational like try
to escape.
Summary:
Mr. Underwood writes a long
editorial condemning
Tom’s death as the murder
of an innocent man. Bob
Ewell is overheard saying that
Tom’s death makes “one
down and about two more
to go.” Summer ends and
Dill leaves.
Other Important
Points:
• Mr. Underwood, editor
of the Maycomb
Tribune, compares
Tom’s death to “the
senseless slaughter of
songbirds.” This
metaphor is a reference to
the book’s title. Theme:
the destruction of
innocence cause by the
cruel and thoughtless
actions of others.
• The white community of
Maycomb is cruel, insensitive,
and blatantly racist about
Tom’s death. “To Maycomb,
Tom’s death was typical.
Typical of a n****r to cut and
run. Typical of a n****r’s
mentality to have no plan, no
thought for the future, just
run blind first change he
saw.”
Chapter 26
Summary:
School starts, and Jem and
Scout starts to pass by the
Radley Place every day. They
are now too old to be
frightened by the house, but
Scout still wishes to she
could see Boo Radley. One
day in school, her 3rd grade
teacher, Miss Gates, lectures the
class on the wickedness of
Hitler’s persecution of the
Jews and on the virtues of
equality and democracy.
Summary:
Scout listens and later asks Jem
how Miss Gates can preach
about equality when she came
out of the courthouse after the
trial and told Miss Stephanie
Crawford that it was about
time that someone taught
the blacks in town a lesson.
Jem becomes furious and tells
Scout never to mention the trial
to him again. Scout, upset, goes
to Atticus for comfort.
Other Important
Points:
• The Radley Place stops
scaring Scout because
she has grown up and
had to deal with more
difficult issues like
Tom Robinson’s
death and Bob
Ewell’s threats.