To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions: PART ONE (Chapter 1 through Chapter 11)
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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Discussion Questions PART ONE (PDF)
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To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions Chapter 1 – Chapter 11
DISCUSSION: Chapter 1
1) The narrator explains almost immediately that her ancestors were enslavers who held Black people in bondage on a plantation. Why might this be important to know?
2) Why do you think some people take an interest in their ancestry and family history? Do you share this interest?
3) What mood (or moods) does the narrator establish with the description of the town?
4) Look back on how Dill meets Jem and Scout (aged 6, 9, and 5 respectively). Is this an accurate description of how kids make an acquaintance (meet)? Why or why not?
5) Think about how kids entertained themselves in this setting (a small southern town, 1933). What would be fun about it? What would be boring or tiresome about it?
6) What are some of the town legends surrounding the mysterious Boo Radley?
7) Why do you think the Radley house fascinates the youngsters? Is this type of fascination universal (demonstrated by people everywhere)?
8) Think about how Dill manipulates Jem. Why do you think youngsters (or anyone, really) feel compelled to complete a “dare?”
DISCUSSION: Chapter 2
1) Why do the people in Maycomb have a prejudice against people from northern Alabama?
2) Miss Caroline thinks that Atticus taught Scout to read. Scout believes it came to her naturally and unintentionally. What do you think?
3) The story does not explain why the kids look to Scout to explain things to Miss Caroline. Why do you think Scout is put on the spot?
4) Some people have pride but no money, like Mr. Cunningham. Some people have wealth but no dignity. Which is more important?
5) Why do you think the chemistry (vibe) is off between Miss Caroline and the students?
6) Who is telling the story and how do you know? Is the story in the present tense or looking back? How does this point of view feel to the reader?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might discuss imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
…The cats had long conversations with one another, they wore cunning little clothes and lived in a warm house beneath a kitchen stove. By the time Mrs. Cat called the drugstore for an order of chocolate malted mice the class was wriggling like a bucketful of catawba worms. Miss Caroline seemed unaware that the ragged, denim-shirted and floursack-skirted first grade, most of whom had chopped cotton and fed hogs from the time they were able to walk, were immune to imaginative literature. Miss Caroline came to the end of the story and said, “Oh, my, wasn’t that nice?” (17)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 3
1) Compare Jem and Scout’s respective (different and separate) approaches for dealing with Walter Cunningham. What do we learn about the characters of the Finch kids?
2) Scout says that she hates Calpurnia and advises her father to fire her. Why do you think Atticus dismisses this suggestion out of hand (without giving it any thought)?
3) School attendance is legally required for youngsters. What do you think? Should kids be forced to go to school? What ages? Should there be exceptions or options?
4) Atticus and the rest of the town judges the Ewell family as a group. In your experience, is judgement of an entire family common? Is this a fair way to view people?
5) Think about the behavior of Burris Ewell. How can we explain his angry outburst?
6) Review how Atticus talks to his kids. How would you describe his approach to parenting?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—”
“Sir?”
“—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
Atticus said I had learned many things today, and Miss Caroline had learned several things herself. She had learned not to hand something to a Cunningham, for one thing, but if Walter and I had put ourselves in her shoes we’d have seen it was an honest mistake on her part. (30)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 4
1) The narrator’s tone makes her views on her early education quite clear. What is her opinion of the formal education she received? Can you relate to this view?
2) According to Jem, what is a “hot steam?” Do you believe in anything supernatural, inexplicable (cannot be explained), or other-worldly? Do you know people who do?
3) In this chapter, Scout uses the n-word when she is quoting Calpurnia. Scout clearly loves Calpurnia, and Calpurnia is Black. How can we explain their use of this hateful word?
4) Jem thinks that his father will disapprove of the kids performing their Boo Radley play, One Man’s family. As we will learn, Jem is correct. What objections might Atticus have?
5) What might be the answer to the mystery of the tree-hole treasures?
6) Some people enjoy being scared by movies, haunted house attractions, ghost stories, etc. Why is this? Do you enjoy these types of things?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Atticus’s arrival was the second reason I wanted to quit the game. The first reason happened the day I rolled into the Radley front yard. Through all the head-shaking, quelling of nausea and Jem-yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk. Someone inside the house was laughing. (41-42)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 5
1) Why does Scout start to take more interest in her neighbor, Miss Maudie?
2) The overwhelming majority of people in Maycomb are Christian protestants (in this case, Baptists and Methodists). Nevertheless, people take very different messages from the same Bible. What different understandings are presented?
3) Scout catches Dill lying about his father. What do you think is the true story? Why does Dill want to lie about it?
4) What do you think Jem and Dill hope to gain from their note-and-fishing-pole scheme?
5) Is Atticus right or wrong to end the kids’ efforts to interact with Boo Radley? Explain your position on the subject.
6) Atticus questions Jem and tricks him into admitting that they were performing plays about the Radleys. Explain how “the oldest lawyer trick on record” got Jem.
7) Prediction time: What do you think will unfold in the story of Boo Radley?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Miss Maudie stopped rocking, and her voice hardened. “You are too young to understand it,” she said, “but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of—oh, of your father.” (46)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 6
1) Scout feels left out when she cannot participate in the peeing contest. She resents it when the boys say she is “acting like a girl.” Why doesn’t she spend time with other girls?
2) Whom do you think was the owner of the shadow that scared the kids? Explain your guess.
3) The antics of the kids are comical to the reader (if not to the kids themselves). Identify one humorous moment from the book so far. What makes it funny?
4) Miss Maudie and Miss Stephanie seem sure that Nathan Radley shot at a Black person in his garden, but we know the truth. What does their assumption tell us?
5) What mood does Harper Lee create in this chapter? What details and descriptions create the mood of this eventful night?
6) Jem’s decision to retrieve his pants astounds Scout. What motivates him to do it?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“Maybe so, but—I just wanta keep it that way, Scout. We shouldn’a done that tonight, Scout.”
It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company. Sometimes I did not understand him, but my periods of bewilderment were short-lived. This was beyond me. “Please,” I pleaded, “can’tcha just think about it for a minute— by yourself on that place—” (57-58)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 7
1) What examples from the story show that Jem and Scout are kind-hearted and thoughtful?
2) It is hard to imagine kids today getting excited about a ball of twine or a broken watch. What does this tell us about the setting of the story?
3) What is ironic (when the reality is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate) about the kids of Maycomb celebrating the accomplishments of the Egyptians?
4) The tree seems healthy, and the Radleys are not enthusiastic in caring for their property. Why do you think Nathan Radley stopped up the tree hole with cement?
5) Jem seems to find the episode with the tree very upsetting. Why is he so distraught?
6) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Jem was holding his ears, shaking his head from side to side. “I don’t get it, I just don’t get it—I don’t know why, Scout…” He looked toward the living room. “I’ve gotta good mind to tell Atticus—no, I reckon not.”
“I’ll tell him for you.”
“No, don’t do that, Scout. Scout?”
“Wha-t?”
He had been on the verge of telling me something all evening; his face would brighten and he would lean toward me, then he would change his mind. He changed it again. “Oh, nothin’.” (62-63)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 8
1) Scout and Jem are mystified by the snowfall. Have you ever been amazed by something that others consider unremarkable?
2) Can you recall a time when you impressed someone you admire? Describe how it felt.
3) Scout cannot fathom (understand) why Jem suddenly confesses all their secrets to Atticus. Can you understand it?
4) What does the housefire emergency show us about the community of Maycomb?
5) How does Harper Lee use Boo Radley to teach us a lesson about wrong perceptions?
6) Is Miss Maudie really that calm about losing her home, or is she just putting on a brave face in a difficult time? Explain your view.
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… He seemed surprised when he saw most of the back yard in the front yard, but he said we had done a jim-dandy job. “I didn’t know how you were going to do it,” he said to Jem, “but from now on I’ll never worry about what’ll become of you, son, you’ll always have an idea.”
Jem’s ears reddened from Atticus’s compliment, but he looked up sharply when he saw Atticus stepping back. Atticus squinted at the snowman a while. He grinned, then laughed. “Son, I can’t tell what you’re going to be—an engineer, a lawyer, or a portrait painter. You’ve perpetrated a near libel here in the front yard. We’ve got to disguise this fellow.” (69)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 9
1) What is the appeal of using foul language? What does one get out of it?
2) Uncle Jack and Aunt Alexandra do not really understand how Atticus is raising his kids. Can you explain his approach to parenting?
3) The Ewells, the Finches, the Crawfords, the Haverfords, and on and on. What does family lineage and reputation mean in the small world of Maycomb?
4) Why would people in the community object to Atticus doing his job?
5) Why is Atticus more concerned about Scout than Jem when it comes to how the kids will handle the situation surrounding the trial?
6) Atticus is convinced that the trial will cause trouble. What kind of trouble would you predict?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“If you shouldn’t be defendin’ him, then why are you doin’ it?”
“For a number of reasons,” said Atticus. “The main one is, if I didn’t I couldn’t hold up my head in town, I couldn’t represent this county in the legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again.”
“You mean if you didn’t defend that man, Jem and me wouldn’t have to mind you any more?”
“That’s about right.” (78)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 10
1) An old proverb says, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” Do you think most kids take the qualities of their own parents/guardians for granted?
2) What do we learn about Calpurnia from how she reacts in an emergency?
3) What details and descriptions add tension and suspense leading up to the shooting?
4) When Atticus prepared to take the shot, he “moved like an underwater swimmer.” Identify three more examples of figurative language from Chapter 10. How does Lee use figurative language in describing the incident?
5) Clearly, shooting prowess (skill) is something the kids admire. Why do you think Atticus never bragged to his kids about his marksmanship?
6) Jem doesn’t seem to make much sense. First, he finds Atticus’ lack of talents frustrating. Then, he is clearly impressed by Atticus’ shooting. Soon after, he says, “I wouldn’t care if he couldn’t do a blessed thing.” (102) What gives?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… We watched Calpurnia running toward the Radley Place, holding her skirt and apron above her knees. She went up to the front steps and banged on the door. She got no answer, and she shouted, “Mr. Nathan, Mr. Arthur, mad dog’s comin’! Mad dog’s comin’!”
“She’s supposed to go around in back,” I said. Jem shook his head.
“Don’t make any difference now,” he said. (97)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 11
1) Why do you think Mrs. Dubose hurls abuse at the kids? What does she gain from it?
2) Imagery is when the author provides plenty of sensory details (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, or feels) so that you can imagine vividly. Explain some imagery from Chapter 11.
3) Atticus says, “The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.” (108) What does he mean? Do you agree?
4) What do you think is Mrs. Dubose’s true opinion of Atticus? Support your answer.
5) Can you explain the reading aloud, the fits, and the clock set for 5:30?
6) Mrs. Dubose was very sick, and her doctor prescribed the pain killers. Why was it important to her that she break her addiction before dying?
7) When a story detail represents something more than itself it is called a symbol. What extra meanings are attached to the flower sent to Jem? Why does he have an angry meltdown when he receives this seemingly harmless gift?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“… I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew.” (115-6)
To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions: PART TWO (Chapters 12-31)
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Discussion Questions PART TWO (PDF)
Download the folder (all discussion sets, DOCX, and model answers)
To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions Chapter 12 through Chapter 31
DISCUSSION: Chapter 12
1) What clues suggest that Dill may be lying about his new stepfather?
2) Why do you think Jem is no longer a compatible playmate for Scout? What has changed?
3) What details from the story suggest that Calpurnia is a member of the Finch family?
4) Why does Calpurnia want to take the kids to her church? Why is it important to her?
5) Explain the argument between Lula and Calpurnia that occurs before the church service. Can you understand both points of view?
6) Scout asks Calpurnia about a phenomenon that linguists call code-switching. This is when an individual speaks in a different style of language or dialect (such as Scottish English) depending on the situation. Explain code-switching by using examples.
7) Harper Lee divided the novel into two parts. Chapter 12 is the first chapter of Part Two. How might Part Two of the novel differ from Part One?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him: he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women. Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse. Again, as I had often met it in my own church, I was confronted with the Impurity of Women doctrine that seemed to preoccupy all clergymen. (123)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 13
1) What is the explicit (stated openly) reason for Aunt Alexandra coming to stay? What does Atticus say that hints at a different reason?
2) Aunt Alexandra is a vivid and memorable character. What is she like? What details and descriptions characterize Aunt Alexandra for the reader?
3) Why is Maycomb so insular (keeping to itself) that almost everyone is related?
4) Atticus gives his kids a lecture about upholding the family reputation. Then he says, “I don’t want you to remember it. Forget it.” (135) Can you explain this?
5) Aunt Alexandra strives to turn Scout into a proper young lady in the Finch tradition. Will she succeed? Make a prediction about their relationship.
6) At the end of Chapter 13, Scout says that it would take a woman to do what Atticus was trying to do. What does she mean by that?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… they took for granted attitudes, character shadings, even gestures, as having been repeated in each generation and refined by time. Thus the dicta No Crawford Minds His Own Business, Every Third Merriweather Is Morbid, The Truth Is Not in the Delafields, All the Bufords Walk Like That, were simply guides to daily living: never take a check from a Delafield without a discreet call to the bank; … if Mrs. Grace Merriweather sips gin out of Lydia E. Pinkham bottles it’s nothing unusual—her mother did the same. (132-3)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 14
1) Scout finds herself in a difficult situation. Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Jem, and Calpurnia all have expectations of how she should behave. What advice would you give her?
2) List possible reasons behind Aunt Alexandra’s objection to the kids being close to Cal.
3) Jem’s new attitude toward Scout sends her into a rage. Is Jem right to try to guide and direct Scout, or should he keep his views and instructions to himself?
4) Can you explain what motivated Dill to run away? What does this situation reveal to us?
5) Scout says that Jem breaks a code of childhood when he tells Atticus about Dill. Why is it a rule of childhood not to tell any adults what other kids are up to?
6) Harper Lee based the character Dill Harris on her childhood friend Truman Capote, who also became a famous author. Describe the character of Dill Harris.
7) What does Atticus’ handling of Dill’s arrival say about him as a person?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… having been bound in chains and left to die in the basement (there were basements in Meridian) by his new father, who disliked him, and secretly kept alive on raw field peas by a passing farmer who heard his cries for help (the good man poked a bushel pod by pod through the ventilator), Dill worked himself free by pulling the chains from the wall. Still in wrist manacles, he wandered two miles out of Meridian where he discovered a small animal show and was immediately engaged to wash the camel. (141)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 15
1) Do you think Atticus is as calm as he appears? What reasons might he have for downplaying the gravity (seriousness) of the situation?
2) Irony is when the reality is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate. (E.g., the fire department burns down.) What is ironic about the appearance of the Maycomb jail?
3) What mood does Lee create leading up to and during the incident at the jail? What words, phrases, and descriptions help to create that mood?
4) Why does Jem disobey his father by refusing to go home? What does this incident show about Jem and Atticus’ relationship?
5) Why do you think the members of the mob want to attack Tom Robinson? Shouldn’t they be satisfied that he will be standing trial?
6) The mob at the jail is unmoved by Atticus’ recommendations or Jem’s intrusion. Why does Scout’s behavior make the difference?
7) What do you think would have happened at the jail had the kids been absent?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“He in there, Mr. Finch?” a man said.
“He is,” we heard Atticus answer, “and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up.”
In obedience to my father, there followed what I later realized was a sickeningly comic aspect of an unfunny situation: the men talked in near-whispers. (153)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 16
1) “Don’t do anything that you wouldn’t do in front of your grandmother.” Similarly, Atticus thinks that people will not behave immorally in front of young children. What do you think?
2) What details make the start of the trial feel more like a festival than a serious proceeding?
3) Find three fun facts / pieces of gossip surrounding individuals in Maycomb. Why does the narrator include these off-topic tidbits?
4) Jem explains the subtle rules of race, especially regarding individuals with mixed heritage. Beyond the obvious injustice, what are some of the practical problems of these rules?
5) We see this type of behavior with high-profile court cases today. Why do people want to attend or watch a trial when they are not personally impacted?
6) Re-read the description of the Maycomb County courthouse. How might the description of the building be a metaphor for how the people of Maycomb relate to their past?
7) Earlier in the book, we learned that Calpurnia was supposed to go to the back door of the Radley house before knocking. What other racist rules do we observe in this chapter?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“He might have hurt me a little,” Atticus conceded, “but son, you’ll understand folks a little better when you’re older. A mob’s always made up of people, no matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but he was still a man. Every mob in every little Southern town is always made up of people you know— doesn’t say much for them, does it?” (159)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 17
1) Neither Sheriff Tate nor Bob Ewell called a doctor for Mayella. How can we explain this?
2) Why do you think Harper Lee chose to place Scout, Dill, and Jem in the balcony?
3) Some of the character names in To Kill a Mockingbird have special meaning. Why do you think Lee chose to name Robert E. Lee Ewell after a Confederate general?
4) The narrator says, “…the cabin looked like the playhouse of an insane child…” (172) Describe the imagery of the Ewell’s home in your own words.
5) Both Atticus and Bob Ewell speak in a Southern dialect, but they do not really speak alike. What are some of the features of Bob Ewell’s style of speech?
6) Reverend Sykes thinks that the kids should not hear the testimony. What do you think?
7) Describe Bob Ewell’s behavior on the witness stand. Is he believable? Explain.
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… So far, things were utterly dull: nobody had thundered, there were no arguments between opposing counsel, there was no drama; a grave disappointment to all present, it seemed. Atticus was proceeding amiably, as if he were involved in a title dispute. With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas, he could make a rape case as dry as a sermon. Gone was the terror in my mind of stale whiskey and barnyard smells, of sleepy-eyed sullen men, of a husky voice calling in the night, “Mr. Finch? They gone?” Our nightmare had gone with daylight, everything would come out all right. (171-2)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 18
1) How does Atticus get Mayella talking? What do we learn about her life?
2) From the court proceedings, we learn that Mayella’s middle name is Violet. We also learn that she grows geraniums. Where else does the novel talk about flowers?
3) Why does Mayella seem both scared and angry on the witness stand? What might be going on under the surface that she isn’t saying out loud?
4) What details from Mayella’s testimony create doubt regarding her version of the events?
5) Atticus seems to do well in questioning Mayella, but, as Scout notes, he is not pleased. Why is his progress making him miserable?
6) Before hearing Tom Robinson’s version of events, what do you guess happened?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“Where were they?”
No answer.
“Why didn’t your screams make them come running? The dump’s closer than the woods, isn’t it?”
No answer.
“Or didn’t you scream until you saw your father in the window? You didn’t think to scream until then, did you?”
No answer.
“Did you scream first at your father instead of at Tom Robinson? Was that it?”
No answer.
“Who beat you up? Tom Robinson or your father?”
No answer. (190)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 19
1) Imagine you met Mayella prior to the incident. She feels miserable and trapped in her life. What advice would you give her?
2) Why is it inappropriate in Maycomb for a Black man to feel sorry for a white woman?
3) The Ewells are roundly despised and dismissed, yet they still seem to hold power over someone like Tom. What does this show about how race and class work in Maycomb?
4) Scout doesn’t understand Dill’s crying in the balcony. After all, the dramatic spectacle of the trial should be right up his alley. Can you explain it?
5) Were you surprised to hear Scout defending Mr. Gilmer’s treatment of Tom by saying, “after all he’s just a Negro”? (203) What do you make of this?
6) Tom acted according to his values, and no one can predict the future, but what might he have done differently if he had known what was going to happen?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
The witness swallowed hard. “She reached up an‘ kissed me ’side of th’ face. She says she never kissed a grown man before an’ she might as well kiss a n****r. She says what her papa do to her don’t count. She says, ‘Kiss me back, n****r.’ I say Miss Mayella lemme outa here an’ tried to run but she got her back to the door an’ I’da had to push her. I didn’t wanta harm her, Mr. Finch, an’ I say lemme pass, but just when I say it Mr. Ewell yonder hollered through th’ window.” (197-8)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 20
1) Why does Mr. Raymond pretend to be a drunk rather than being truthful? Do you agree with his approach to the situation?
2) “You haven’t even seen this town, but all you gotta do is step back inside the courthouse.” (205) The kids know Maycomb inside and out. What does Mr. Raymond mean?
3) Scout is shocked to see her father unbutton his vest and loosen his tie during his closing statement. Is this just for comfort, performative (for show), or does it symbolize (represent) something more?
4) Criminal cases often focus on motive, the reason why someone did what they did. What was Mayella Ewell’s motive in fabricating (inventing) her story?
5) If you were in the courtroom listening to Atticus’ closing remarks, what part would have stood out to you most? Explain your choice.
6) Prediction time: What will the jury decide in the case against Tom Robinson?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“Because you’re children and you can understand it,” he said, “and because I heard that one—”
He jerked his head at Dill: “Things haven’t caught up with that one’s instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won’t get sick and cry. Maybe things’ll strike him as being—not quite right, say, but he won’t cry, not when he gets a few years on him.” (205)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 21
1) Jury duty is one of the official duties of an American citizen. However, many people try to get out of it, even going as far as lying to the court. Would you take this duty seriously?
2) Atticus says, “In our courts all men are created equal.” What do you think about that statement? Is it true in the story? Is it true today?
3) What do you think Atticus whispered to Tom Robinson after hearing the verdict?
4) How does Lee create tension / suspense leading up to the announcement of the verdict?
5) How do you think Scout, Dill, and Jem will mentally and emotionally process the outcome?
6) The Black community seems to think that Atticus fought valiantly. What do you think? Should Atticus have done anything differently?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… 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 neighborhood was shut as tight as the doors of the Radley Place. A deserted, waiting, empty street, and the courtroom was packed with people. A steaming summer night was no different from a winter morning. Mr. Heck Tate, who had entered the courtroom and was talking to Atticus, might have been wearing his high boots and lumber jacket. Atticus had stopped his tranquil journey and had put his foot onto the bottom rung of a chair…. I expected Mr. Tate to say any minute, “Take him, Mr. Finch…” (214)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 22
1) Can you remember a time when you learned a hard truth? What did you learn?
2) Why does Calpurnia ask if the Black community is “oversteppin’ themselves” by bringing food to Atticus? After all, Mr. Cunningham and others have paid Atticus in a similar way.
3) Aunt Alexandra tells Dill that a child shouldn’t be cynical. (Cynical means taking a negative view of people and human nature.) What do you think?
4) What evidence tells Miss Maudie that Maycomb is making progress? Is she right?
5) Dill says that one day he is going to be a new kind of clown who laughs at the audience. What does he mean? What inspires this odd concept?
6) Bob Ewell seemed to enjoy getting attention at the courthouse, and he should be satisfied with the verdict. Why does he insult and threaten Atticus?
7) A major theme (message) of To Kill a Mockingbird relates to growing up. “Growing up” means different things to different people. What does it mean to you?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Jem was staring at his half-eaten cake. “It’s like bein’ a caterpillar in a cocoon, that’s what it is,” he said. “Like somethin’ asleep wrapped up in a warm place. I always thought Maycomb folks were the best folks in the world, least that’s what they seemed like.”
“We’re the safest folks in the world,” said Miss Maudie. “We’re so rarely called on to be Christians, but when we are, we’ve got men like Atticus to go for us.” (219)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 23
1) Do you think Jem will still want to be a lawyer after what he has witnessed? Explain.
2) To Kill a Mockingbird is widely considered anti-racist, but is it sexist? What sexist attitudes are shared in Chapter 23? How about elsewhere in the novel?
3) Jem thinks juries cannot be trusted. Some people think that the courts should switch to professional jurors or even artificial intelligence. What do you think?
4) Atticus notes that one of the men from the lynch mob was on the jury arguing to free Tom. Is this believable? How can we explain this?
5) Why do you think Aunt Alexandra insists that Scout not associate with the Cunninghams even though Atticus speaks well of them?
6) Aunt Alexandra and Atticus disagree about Bob Ewell’s threat. What do you think?
7) Jem tries to explain how background determines social standing. What does he say gives someone a respectable background? What do you think?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
“That’s what I thought, too,” he said at last, “when I was your age. If there’s just one kind 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 something. 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.” (231)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 24
1) Scout doesn’t appreciate the scrutiny (inspection) she receives from the missionary circle. Why does she care what they think of her? Can you relate to this experience?
2) Miss Maudie asks an odd question: “His food doesn’t stick going down, does it?” (237) Can you explain the meaning of this?
3) Alexandra and Maudie are opposites in many ways. How do they find common ground?
4) A hypocrite is a person whose behavior does not align with their expressed values. What are some examples of hypocrisy that you can identify?
5) The ladies talk about helping people in Africa while ignoring inequality in their own town. Why do you think people sometimes care more about faraway problems than local ones?
6) Why do Miss Maudie, Aunt Alexandra, and Scout return to socializing with the ladies as if nothing has happened? What is the point of this façade (false appearance)?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… she continued, “but some people just don’t see it my way. If we just let them know we forgive ‘em, that we’ve forgotten it, then this whole thing’ll blow over.”
… “You know what I said to my Sophy, Gertrude? I said, ‘Sophy,’ I said, ‘you simply are not being a Christian today. Jesus Christ never went around grumbling and complaining,’ and you know, it did her good. She took her eyes off that floor and said, ‘Nome, Miz Merriweather, Jesus never went around grumblin’.’ I tell you, Gertrude, you never ought to let an opportunity go by to witness for the Lord.” (235-6)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 25
1) Animals and birds play an important role in the novel, even if they have little to do with the plot. Why does the author keep including bugs and birds and turtles etc.?
2) In the previous chapter, the narrator says that listening to Mrs. Merriweather run out of things to say was like listening to a pipe organ run out of air on the last note. Find two examples of figurative language from this chapter and explain each.
3) It is Dill who describes Helen Robinson collapsing at the news of her husband’s death. Why do you think Harper Lee chose to have this moment described secondhand by Dill?
4) How do the gossips of Maycomb find a way to blame Tom Robinson for his own death? Why do some people try to justify terrible events by “blaming the victim”?
5) How does Lee create suspense at the end of Chapter 25?
6) Prediction time: Part One focuses on Boo Radley and childish antics. Part Two deals mainly with the case of Tom Robinson. What might happen in the last few chapters?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
… Mr. Underwood didn’t talk about miscarriages of justice, he was writing so children could understand. Mr. Underwood simply figured it was a sin to kill cripples, be they standing, sitting, or escaping. He likened Tom’s death to the senseless slaughter of songbirds by hunters and children, and Maycomb thought he was trying to write an editorial poetical enough to be reprinted in The Montgomery Advertiser. (244)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 26
1) Scout feels guilty about bothering Boo Radley in the past. Have you ever done something that seemed like innocent fun at the time but later made you feel remorse?
2) Atticus knew all along that it was Jem who had caused Mr. Radley to fire his warning shot. Why do you think Atticus decided to play dumb until over a year had passed?
3) The comments on “washing the feeble-minded” refers to Nazi eugenics programs. (Eugenics means “good genes.”) The Nazis committed terrible acts to “cleanse” Germany of the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. Later they committed genocide in the name of “racial hygiene.” How does this relate to the novel?
4) How does the author use Scout’s point of view to reveal the hypocrisy of Mrs. Gates?
5) When it comes to Jem’s anger, Atticus believes Jem is “storing it away for a while” until he is ready to “sort things out.” Do you think this is the right way to deal with these emotions?
6) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
We said it. Then Miss Gates said, “That’s the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Dictator-ship,” she said. “Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced. Prejudice,” she enunciated carefully. “There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me.”
…
Cecil spoke up. “Well I don’t know for certain,” he said, “they’re supposed to change money or somethin’, but that ain’t no cause to persecute ’em. They’re white, ain’t they?” (249)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 27
1) Why is Bob Ewell set on being a menace even after getting the outcome that he wanted?
2) The story of the neighborhood kids pranking Miss Tutti and Miss Frutti is a perfect example of comic relief — interrupting a tense story with something to make you laugh. Can you think of other examples of comic relief? Why do authors and filmmakers do this?
3) Explain the funny: What elements make the prank on the elderly sisters comical?
4) Some think that Halloween pranks are wholesome childhood antics; others think these pranks are sinful and inexcusable. What do you think? What makes a good prank? How do you know if a prank goes too far?
5) What details suggest that Atticus is wrong about Bob Ewell calming down?
6) Chapter 27 ends with the sentence “Thus began our longest journey together.” What details in this chapter might be examples of foreshadowing (hints of what is coming)?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Aunt Alexandra said she just had to get to bed early, she’d been decorating the stage all afternoon and was worn out—she stopped short in the middle of her sentence. She closed her mouth, then opened it to say something, but no words came.
“‘s matter, Aunty?” I asked.
“Oh nothing, nothing,” she said, “somebody just walked over my grave.” She put away from her whatever it was that gave her a pinprick of apprehension and suggested that I give the family a preview in the living room. (257)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 28
1) Cecil and Scout give the House of Horrors low marks as it failed to scare them. Why do some people like haunted houses and scary movies and ghost stories? Do you?
2) Explain the funny: Judge Taylor loses his mind laughing over Scout’s botched entrance. Can you explain what makes the situation so comical?
3) Scout is mortified (utterly embarrassed) after her miscue in the pageant. As an adult looking back and telling the story, she sees the humor of it. Have you ever done something that was embarrassing at the time but you could laugh about later?
4) Which details from Chapter 28 characterize Jem, and what do they show about him?
5) What is ironic about the naming of the county and town? (Irony is when the reality is the opposite of what is expected or appropriate.)
6) How does Lee create tension (emotional strain) leading up to and during the attack?
7) This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster. Explain the mood swings of Chapter 28.
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Jem said, “Boo must not be at home. Listen.”
High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in, plunging from the shrill kee, kee of the sunflower bird to the irascible qua-ack of a bluejay, to the sad lament of Poor Will, Poor Will, Poor Will. (258)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 29
1) Sheriff Tate believes that some people have no good in them at all. What do you think?
2) Imagery is when an author uses descriptive language that appeals to our senses, so we can imagine something vividly. Analyze one example of imagery from this chapter.
3) I think we can all agree that the safest way to get to and from school is dressed as a ham. What other Halloween costumes might have unexpected benefits?
4) The author controls what we know and when we know it to create effects like suspense, mystery, and surprise. A good surprise is, well, surprising, but it should not seem absurd or completely random. Explain how Lee crafts the surprise at the end of this chapter.
5) Scout finally meets Boo Radley after imagining him for years. How does the real Boo compare to the version she and Jem had created in their minds?
6) Prediction time: What do you think will happen with Jem and Scout or Arthur Radley or the Ewell children or anyone else in the aftermath of Bob Ewell’s death?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
When I pointed to him his palms slipped slightly, leaving greasy sweat streaks on the wall, and he hooked his thumbs in his belt. A strange small spasm shook him, as if he heard fingernails scrape slate, but as I gazed at him in wonder the tension slowly drained from his face. His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears.
“Hey, Boo,” I said. (274)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 30
1) Why do you think it takes Atticus so long to realize that Arthur Radley killed Bob Ewell?
2) The involvement of the switchblade knife requires some thought. Why is it important for the sheriff to claim that it came from an unrelated incident?
3) What could possibly be the meaning of “let the dead bury the dead”?
4) The sheriff says that Arthur did not commit a crime—he prevented a crime from happening. Isn’t that for the court to decide? Is the sheriff acting morally and dutifully?
5) Why does Lee set this critical moral debate on a front porch and not a more official setting?
6) Will the people of Maycomb believe that Ewell fell on his knife? If someone conducted a real investigation, what evidence would cast suspicion on Tate’s version of events?
7) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
Atticus looked like he needed cheering up. I ran to him and hugged him and kissed him with all my might. “Yes sir, I understand,” I reassured him. “Mr. Tate was right.”
Atticus disengaged himself and looked at me. “What do you mean?”
“Well, it’d be sort of like shootin‘ a mockingbird, wouldn’t it?”
Atticus put his face in my hair and rubbed it. When he got up and walked across the porch into the shadows, his youthful step had returned. Before he went inside the house, he stopped in front of Boo Radley. “Thank you for my children, Arthur,” he said. (280-1)
DISCUSSION: Chapter 31
1) Scout says her fantasy about interacting with Boo like normal neighbors was coming true. What must this be like for her? What must it be like for Arthur Radley?
2) Scout feels bad that she and Jem had never given Arthur anything. What do you think?
3) Scout stands on the Radley porch and reminisces (thinks about memories) and considers her neighborhood. What is the importance of this moment at this location?
4) Scout tells her father that the incident wasn’t scary for her until after it was all over. Have you ever lived through something that became scarier once you stopped to think about it?
5) How does this chapter show that Scout Finch has matured?
6) Did you find the quiet, reflective ending of the novel to be effective? Why or why not?
7) Does this book deserve to be one of the most read books in American schools? What are its strengths and its shortcomings as a literary work?
8) Excerpt analysis: What makes the excerpt important or interesting? You might analyze imagery, theme, symbol, word choice, characterization, plot / conflict, or point of view.
I led him to the front porch, where his uneasy steps halted. He was still holding my hand and he gave no sign of letting me go.
“Will you take me home?”
He almost whispered it, in the voice of a child afraid of the dark.
I put my foot on the top step and stopped. I would lead him through our house, but I would never lead him home. (282)
Thanks for checking out To Kill a Mockingbird Discussion Questions by Chapter.
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