Chapters 27 and 28

Chapter 27
CHAPTER SUMMARY

Maycomb has returned to its old ways now the case of Tom Robinson has been and gone. Mr Bob Ewell continues to be the source of much of the town's gossip regarding his inability to keep a job and grudge against the widow of Tom Robinson- Helen. He is also suspected of being the person to break into Judge Taylor's house, supposedly in revenge for the Judge making him look like a fool at the trial.

Halloween is approaching and Scout reflects on past Halloweens including the breaking and entering of the house of Misses Tutti and Frutti. This year Scout is roped into taking part in Mrs Merriweather's pageant playing the part of 'Pork' which involves an impractical costume of chicken wire and brown cloth. Atticus refrains from attending, along with Aunt Alexandra who claims to be tired, leaving just Jem and Scout to make their way to the school by themselves.

KEY QUOTATIONS + ANALYSIS

 'Thus began our longest journey together.' 

'Our' and 'together' shows the closeness between Jem and Scout and how the experience they went through was something they shared. It shows unity.

'Longest' implies that something goes wrong so that their journey to school and back does not go as expected.

 'Maycomb was itself again.' 

'Again' shows that it has gone back to the ways before the trial of Tom Robinson. it also implies a sense of relief that all the havoc caused by the trial has passed.

'Itself' also highlights how nothing or nobody has changed due to the trial.

 'Misses Tutti and Frutti (their names were Sarah and Frances)' 

'(Their names were Sarah and Frances)' has a childlike feel as the narrator is naive and feels people may need clarification that 'Tutti and Frutti' were just their nicknames. It highlights that Scout is the narrator. The nicknames are also childlike.

'' 'I asked Atticus why, and he said it was because the National Recovery Act was dead. I asked who killed it; he said nine old men.' ''

'I asked who killed it' shows that Scout did not understand the phrase thus showing her child-like attitude. It also shows her innocent, inquisitive attitude.

CONTEXT

Southern Values:

-Religion is important ('desperately needed our prayers')

-Anti-Republicans from the North ('rumoured to be Republicans') ('aside from their Yankee ways')

-Strong sense of community ('nobody but the Radleys locked up at night')

Class Distinctions and Racism

-The poor and black seemed as unimportant ('Mr Ewell found himself as forgotten as Tom Robinson')

-Nobody has changed or learnt from the case of Tom Robinson ('Maycomb was itself again. Precisely the same as last year and the year before that, with only two minor changes.'

ShowMe video
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Chapter 28
CHAPTER SUMMARY

Jem and Scout make their way to the school auditorium only to be frightened by Cecil Jacobs prank.

When it comes to the time of the pageant, Scout falls asleep backstage missing her all important entrance as the 'Pork'- something Mrs Merriweather claims 'ruined her pageant.'

Jem and Scout leave the auditorium by the time most people have already departed and hear a strange rustling sound on their way home. Believing it to be Cecil trying to pull another prank they call out to him but with no reply their concerns grow. Suddenly the person following them starts to run towards them so they to try and run away. Whist trying to escape, Jem is pulled away by the attacker and injured. Scout runs into the stomach of the attacker and is almost caught until another person pulls the attacker away and to the ground.

No longer being attacked, Scout looks for Jem and sees him being carried back to their house by a stranger. She follows and arrives home where Dr Reynolds and the Sheriff arrive in quick succession. Jem is revealed to be alive, just unconscious with a broken arm and the presence of the man who saved them is clear yet his name is unknown. The Sheriff announces that Mr Bob Ewell is the only person left in the area where the children were attacked and that he is dead with a 'kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs.'

KEY QUOTATIONS + ANALYSIS

 'This was the stillness before the thunderstorm.' 

Scout is reflecting on the events to follow. 'Thunderstorm' implies aggression and violence. This is highlighted to be a warning sign for the children.

 'I wondered how long he would try to keep the Cecil myth going.' 

'Myth' highlights that Scout has grown up and can see through Jem's lies. This links to how the novel is a Bildungsroman as there are signs of character development. Scout shows respect for her elder brother by not exposing his lies.

'' 'Bob Ewell's lyin' on the ground under the tree down yonder with a kitchen knife stuck up under his ribs. He's dead, Mr Finch.' ''

The fact that Ewell is dead is repeated twice reiterating its importance. It is also emphatically at the end of the chapter which builds the tension and leaves a cliffhanger as the reader tries to work out who killed him.

CONTEXT

Southern Values:

-Dislike of social climbing ('people who held such views were usually climbers.')

-Strong sense of pride of their county and community ('She chanted mournfully about Maycomb County being older than the state,') ('Colonel Maycomb set out on a purposeful journey')

-Strong sense of community- know everyone well ('people in Maycomb knew each other's voices.')

-Be womanly, including in the way you dress ('I would have never let her forget it; in her distraction, Aunty brought me my overalls.')

Class Distinctions:

-Unfamiliar with the ways of other classes ('Atticus knew the ways of country people far better than I.')

ShowMe video
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