Analysis of Chapters 1-16
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Character List
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Jean Louise Finch “Scout”
Atticus Finch
Jeremy Atticus “Jem” Finch
Arthur “Boo” Radley
Charles Baker “Dill” Harris
Miss Maudie Atkinson
Calpurnia
Aunt Alexandra
Mayella Ewell
Tom Robinson
Nathan Radley
Walter Cunningham
Burris Ewell
Themes (main ideas in the
novel)
 The Coexistence of Good and Evil
 The Importance of Moral Education
 The Existence of Social Inequality
Motifs-recurring ideas that
help develop the themes.
 Gothic Details (forces of good and evil)
 Small-town life (moral education)
Chapter 1
 Setting-1930’s Maycomb County, AL
 Very poor community
 Lots of country folk
 Post Depression era
 Meet Atticus, Jem, Scout, and Dill
Chapter 2
 Scout attends school.
 Teacher doesn’t support the fact that Scout
knows how to read. This reveals change
taking place during the time period
 Changes had to be made to make the nation
better again.
 Walter Cunningham is symbol of poverty
Chapter 3
 Calpurnia is seen as parental figure
 Scout learns wisdom from Atticus
 Tolerance and acceptance is important.
 Meet Burris Ewell—see the other side of
poverty
Chapter 4
 Scout finds gifts left in Radley tree.
 They create a play about the Radley’s. This
play was to prove that Jem didn’t fear them.
It was his way of confronting them without
interaction.
 Atticus is upset when he realizes what they
are doing.
Chapter 5
 Scout feels left out. She becomes third party for
the boys. She questions her identity.
 Dill proposes to her. She is being treated like a
girl. This pushes her to befriend other females
(Miss Maudie).
 Miss Maudie reiterates the same lesson Atticus
taught her but in relation to the Radley’s.
Chapter 5 continued
 They attempt to communicate with Boo.
Atticus catches them trying to put a note in
the window.
 A reoccurring idea in the novel is “You can’t
understand a person until you climb in his
skin and walk around.”
Chapter 6
 Jem, Dill, and Scout sneak up to the Radley
house to peak in the window. They are seen. As
they’re running away, they hear gun shots and
Jem loses his pants.
 Dill reveals his loyalty when he claims he won
Jem’s pants from him while playing strip poker.
Jem and Scout don’t know what that is (reveals
innocence).
Chapter 6 continued
 Jem returns to get his pants because he
doesn’t want Atticus to be upset with him.
 He gets them, returns home, and seems
scared too death.
Chapter 7
 Scout reveals her compassion in this chapter
when she tries to imagine what Jem has gone
through and leaves him alone.
 Gothic elements are revealed. Boo Radley,
though seemingly evil, reveals good side of
him.
 Reader must infer that it is Boo who mends
and folds the pants, and it’s Boo who leaves
gifts in the tree for the kids.
Chapter 7 continued…
 Readers see a more mature, understanding
side of Jem.
 When Nathan Radley cements the knot-hole,
Jem is devastated.
 He understands this as his only connection to
Boo, and now he has lost that.
Chapter 8
 Mrs. Radley dies, and the children initially
blame it on Boo. Even after receiving the
gifts, Jem and Scout still view him as evil.
 When it snows in Maycomb, the children
reveal innocence…they’ve never built a
snowman. Community causes them to be
closed-minded.
Chapter 8 continued…
 Though they are innocent, Mr. Avery accuses
them of causing the snow to fall. These
children face adversity yet are able to endure
it and move on.
 Miss Maudie’s house catches on fire and
nearly the entire neighborhood comes out to
help. Good and evil are side by side here. In
the wake of an evil event, good is found.
Chapter 8 continued…
 While standing outside, Scout has a blanket
put on her shoulders. Once back at the
house, Jem and Scout realize whose it is and
are shocked. Jem defends Boo.
 Miss Maudie is not upset about the loss of her
house. She reveals her small-town values
through her concern of others.
Chapter 9
 In this chapter, the reader sees a change in
the novel. Scout and Jem begin to lose their
innocence.
 Scout gets in a fight defending Atticus. Cecil
Jacobs claims he (Atticus) defends black
folks.
 Atticus says he must do this so he can feel
good about himself, and it’s the right thing to
do.
Chapter 9 continued…
 Atticus, Scout, and Jem spend Christmas with
Aunt Alexandra (Atticus’ sister), a cold and
heartless woman—according to Scout.
 Again, Scout is ridiculed for not being a “girl.”
She is not allowed to be herself.
 Loss of innocence—Scout is told Dill has no
home.
 Francis (her cousin) calls Atticus a “n”-lover.
This infuriates Scout, and she fights him over
it.
Chapter 9 continued…
 Scout is punished, but eventually tells Uncle
Jack what happened. She doesn’t want to
disappoint Atticus, so she asks Jack to not tell
him.
 Atticus reveals his parenting technique. He
believes in telling children the truth and
raising them through teaching morals.
Chapter 10
 Jem and Scout are ashamed of their father
because he does nothing important. They
even find him boring.
 The children see his dead shot of the rabid
dog Tim Johnson as courageous. Ironically,
Atticus sees courage as something different.
 Scout and Jem have a lot to learn about true
bravery.
Chapter 10 continued…
 Atticus comes to the rescue and the
townspeople seem to have expected it from
him.
 Atticus becomes a symbol of hope and
protection in the community.
 Not only does he protect them from the mad
dog, but he also protects them from other
evils during the Tom Robinson trial.
 He is the protector of the innocent (the
mockingbirds).
Chapter 11
 Mrs. Dubose lives down the street from Jem
and Scout. Every time they pass she yells at
them.
 Atticus explains that she is very ill.
 Scout sees Atticus’ politeness to her as
bravery.
 Mrs. Dubose eventually gets to Jem when she
insults Atticus’ defending lower people.
Chapter 11 continued…
 Scout says this is the first insult from an adult
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about this—again, loss of innocence.
Jem’s anger finally gets the best of him and
he destroys her flowers.
Jem apologizes, but it’s not sincere.
Mrs. Dubose has asked (in addition to him
working in her yard) for Jem to read to her.
Each meeting would begin with her insulting
the children and end with her not saying
much of anything
Chapter 11 continued…
 After Mrs. Dubose dies, we discover that she was
a morphine addict. She didn’t like this and
vowed to break her habit before she died.
 Jem reading to her was a way for her to escape.
 Atticus tells Jem that he agreed to Jem reading
to her because he wanted him to see what true
courage is: even though you know you are going
to fail at something, true courage is still trying
anyway.
Chapter 12
 Since Jem is growing up, he is becoming
more moody. Scout leaves him alone when
he is in a bad mood.
 Dill does not come for the summer because
he has a new father.
 Calpurnia takes Jem and Scout to church with
her; she makes sure she cleans them and
makes them look nice.
 This reveals her compassion and pride for the
children.
Chapter 12 continued…
 Readers are introduced to the customs of the
black community.
 Though the congregation is financially poor,
they are rich in spirit and dignity.
 With the exception of Lula, the entire church
welcomes the Finch children with open arms.
 They understand the great sacrifice Atticus is
making by defending one of their own.
Chapter 12 continued…
 Calpurnia reveals her ability to speak both
“black” and “white” English. She becomes a
mutual support of both sides. During this
time, many saw “white” speech as proper and
“black” speech as improper.
 Lula represents the same ignorance the
Ewell’s show. There are some on both sides
who believe that blacks and whites should
lead separate lives.
Chapter 13
 Aunt Alexandra moves in with the family
because Atticus will be gone most of the
summer to work on the Tom Robinson case.
 Alexandra’s opinions of families reveal the
discrimination among whites as well as
between whites and blacks.
 Alexandra believes the children are not
representing their ancestors well.
 The Finch family is a prominent part of the
community.
Chapter 13 continued…
 Scout, according to her aunt, does not
represent what a Finch woman should be.
 Scout becomes a victim of a stereotype.
Unfortunately, she is not allowed to be
herself.
Chapter 14
 Aunt Alexandra takes away Scout’s
innocence—rejects her request to go to
Calpurnia’s house.
 It’s society that places values on children.
This happens today.
 Atticus emphasizes respect for all—even
those who don’t necessarily deserve it.
 Atticus reveals his loyalty to Calpurnia—he
goes against even his own family.
Chapter 14 continued…
 Jem feels he must become man of the family
since Atticus is busy—he is forced to grow up
too fast.
 When sent to bed after fighting, Scout finds
Dill on her bedroom floor.
 Jem continues his transformation into
adulthood by telling Atticus Dill is there.
 Dill had run away from home because he
wasn’t being paid enough attention.
Chapter 15
 Atticus reiterates his reason for taking on the
case of Tom Robinson—even though he
knows that Robinson will be killed, the truth
is going to be told.
 He tells this to a group of concerned men who
have gathered outside his door.
 On Sunday evening, Atticus leaves the house
and Jem, Scout, and Dill follow him.
 Atticus goes to the jailhouse where Robinson
is being held.
Chapter 15
 A group of Maycomb’s residents meet Atticus
there.
 Atticus tells the men to not wake Robinson
and they speak in whispers—reveals the
respect Atticus commands.
 Sensing a fight, Scout runs into the middle of
the circle of men.
 Scout realizes these men are strangers to her
except for Mr. Cunningham.
Chapter 15 continued…
 In Scout’s innocent mind, she wanted to
make Mr. Cunningham feel comfortable so
she talks about things in which he’s
interested.
 Eventually the group clears out and Mr.
Underwood reveals that he had them under
his watch the entire time.
 Atticus is like a light in the darkness—it is
because of his morals and strength that
prejudice and racism has not destroyed the
Chapter 15 continued…
 Mr. Cunningham is portrayed as a good
person in the beginning of the novel.
 Since he is part of a mob, he loses thoughts of
consequences and reacts according to the
mob’s desires.
Chapter 16
 Scout is still a little shaken up about the night
before. Jem comforts her.
 Alexandra doesn’t like the fact that Atticus
speaks freely in front of Calpurnia. This
reveals her “us vs. them” attitude.
 Scout learns the hard way that some people
are easily influenced by others especially
when in a mob.
Chapter 16 continued…
 Atticus believes there is still good in people
since Scout (an 8 year old) could stop them
from harming him.
 The trial begins and the children are not
going to stay at home.
 On their way through town Jem educates Dill
and Scout about Mr. Dolphus Raymond and
“mixed” children.
Chapter 16 continued…
 Jem says, “around here once you have a drop
of negro blood, that makes you all black.”
 This reveals how ridiculous racism is.
According to the Bible, since we all came
from the same people, we have much of the
same blood.
 Once at the courthouse, they sit in the
balcony with Reverend Sykes.