Chapters 23 and 24

Chapter 23
 Summary  Key Quotations and Analysis
 * Atticus discusses the case with the children and jokes about his encounter with Bob Ewell. Meanwhile, Jem and Scout are scared about Bob’s warning - he’d get him [Atticus] if it took the rest of his life - and also about how relaxed their father is towards Bob's threats.
 * Atticus reveals the harsh reality of the court to Jem and Scout by admitting that he new he would not win the case but that he was satisfied that it took a long time for the verdict to return to court. He explains that " in court, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins."
 * It is also revealed that one member of the jury was a relative of Walter Cunningham's and Atticus stated that if one more Cunningham had sat on the jury a verdict would never have been reached which surprises Scout due to Walter being a member of the KKK.
 * Scout decides to make friends with the younger Walter Cunningham, but Alexandra objects as she disagrees with Scout mixing with his 'folk'.
 * Jem is growing up and decides that he has concluded how the 'folks' are divided in society: the ordinary (the Finches and their neighbors), the ones who live in the woods (the Cunninghams), the ones who live by the dump (the Ewells), and the African Americans.
 * The children then discuss Aunt Alexandra's obsession with family which causes Scout to conclude that everyone is the same.

'''"Jem and I didn't think it entertaining." p224'''

This implies that the actions of the adults were only amusing to them and not the younger generation which implies that the adults are immature - something we can only see from Scout's perspective. Equally, this links into the adults appalling attitudes towards the black members of the community which the younger generations have not adopted - emphasising how stupid and childlike it is. Also this quote makes Scout sound wise and knowledgeable which opposes her childish personality at the beginning of the book, highlighting how she has developed both in age and understanding as the book has progressed.

'''"We're scared for you and we think you oughta do something about him." p224'''

"We're scared for you" sounds very innocent and shows us that Jem and Scout are still both children who want to protect their father from any danger. However, this is juxtaposed by the phrase that follows "we think you oughta do something about him." If you remove the "we think" it becomes a form of command which suggests that a role reversal has taken place - similarly to the previous quotation - due to the fact that Scout and Jem have become more mature and now feel that it is their responsibility to tell their father what to do. Interestingly, "you" is stressed which emphasizes the direct and forceful nature of the command, showing us that Scout and Jem clearly care about their fathers safety. This is also emphasised by the interesting use of "oughta" which implies that he has a duty which he needs to fulfill which is conveyed more strongly than if Harper Lee decided to use 'should' or 'need'.

'"It's because he wants'' to stay inside." p233'''

Jem is starting to understand the workings of Maycomb society and how the Southern Values that he has been brought up into - despite Atticus's attempts to shield him from it - have acted as a cover over the disgraceful way in which the black people are treated. Furthermore, he has now been enlightened and understands why Boo Radley would not want to be a part of society...because he wants to hide from the monsters that are prejudice against blacks.

Also, the fact that 'wants' has been placed in italics highlights the fact that it is Boo's choice and shows Jem the extent to which Boo Radley hates society so much that he would prefer to shut himself away from the world. From this, Jem realises that prejudice is wrong and the society that surrounds him needs to change dramatically.

 Context 

Racism/Legacy of Slavery

“In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins."

'Our' creates the impression of being all inclusive which implies that Atticus wanted everyone in society to take the responsibility for implementing this, even the children. He wants to teach them that even though they cannot take the blame directly, if everyone tries to pass the buck then no one will accept the problem of racial inequality. Equally, Atticus wants to emphasise that although it is in the court, the value is driven by the workings of society and that everyone can be shocked at the statement when in fact they are guilty of living their life lead by knowledge that white always wins.

However, we can see that times are changing and that attitudes towards racism are getting better because normally it would have taken a matter of minutes to declare a black man guilty, whereas it took a long time for a verdict to be made. Moreover, this shows that people we arguing for Tom ''not being guilty. ''

Class Distinctions

'''“Naw Jem I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks.” p233'''

Jem told Scout that he believed there to be four different kind of 'folks': the ordinary (the Finches and their neighbors), the ones who live in the woods (the Cunninghams), the ones who live by the dump (the Ewells), and the African Americans. At first Scout agreed with him but after they discussed family she stated "everybody's family's just as old as everybody else's" p233 and from that concluded that everyone was equal.

The repetition of 'folks' emphasises how everyone is the same. She shows Jem that people don't have to be labelled because deep down we are all the same; we are all people. Equally, the fact that both the sentences are short implies that people try to complicate society by labeling people when in fact is in very simple and can be said in a ten word sentence.

The Role of Women

'''"[Atticus] saw I was listening and made it easier". p226 '(in reference to the death penalty sentence)''

Although this could be interpreted as Atticus making the reality of the death penalty more 'child friendly'. He is beginning to understand that Scout is still just a child and does not need to have the constant reminder of the horrors going on around her. However, he does not try to hide the information from her, but only makes it easier for her to understand so she can learn more about Maycomb society, the court, and the workings of the law.

ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATION

I believe you could also interpret this quotation to be stereotypical towards women. It is implied that Scout cannot handle the 'horror' of learning how they punish people for murder. However, throughout the whole story, Atticus has always been very open with his children and they have gained their wisdom from not having racial situations hidden from them. Yet, this contrasts Atticus's previous attitudes and he clearly underestimates the extent in which Scout's understanding has developed and he feels that because she is a woman she should not have to be subjected to listen to the facts as they stand but as a simplified version which is easier to handle.

Linking in with this interpretation Atticus, when explaining to Jem why there are no women on a jury, states "I guess it's to protect our frail ladies from sordid cases like Tom's" p227. Rather than promoting gender equality Atticus is demoralising women by saying that they are not strong enough to cope with such a controversial issue.

Sordid = filthy/vile

Southern Values

“All we’ve got’s backgrounds and not a dime to our names.” p232 

The children are beginning to learn from Aunt Alexandra that money is important if you want to lead a successful life. Aunt Alexandra is trying to teach them that money is more of a priority than having a loving family, yet with little money and a strong loving bond with her family, this is all Scout has ever known and she finds it hard to accept.

Chapter 24
 Summary  A missionary tea = a church gathering that is used to raise money for charity
 * It's the end of August, and Aunt Alexandra has decided to host a missionary tea at the Finch’s house. Unusually, Calpurnia is serving the guests and Scout is indoors because she was not allowed to go swimming with Jem and Dill.
 * Scout decides to help Calpurnia by serving the guests and Aunt Alexandra is pleased that Scout is wearing a dress and does not spill what she is carrying. She tries to be polite and engage with conversation and when Miss Stephanie Crawford asks Scout if she whether she wants to be a lawyer when she grows up, Scout replies that she just wants to be a lady – to please Aunt Alexandra.
 * The conversation continues and turns to the trial but when Mrs Merriweather begins to make rude comments about Atticus, Miss Maudie stops her, although Scout does not realise what is going on. Scout is confused and begins to wonder whether she would ever make a good ‘lady’.
 * Atticus comes home to break the news to Scout, Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie that Tom Robinson is dead after being shot. Aunt Alexandra is upset that the town leave Atticus to do the right thing because they are scared about going against Southern values and she appears to be scared about how it will backfire on him.
 * Afterwards both Scout and Aunt Alexandra re-join the others and pretend that nothing had happened.

 Key Quotations and Analysis 

"This was part of her campaign to teach me to be a lady" p235

By using the word 'campaign' it suggests that getting Scout to become a lady was a major operation for Aunt Alexandra. It also gives us the impression that Scout has a choice in whether she wants to follow Aunt Alexandra's teachings, yet we can see from the text that Scout has clearly been forced into behaving like a lady as she does not enjoy it.

"Its warmth was enough" p236

Scout is being told by Aunt Alexandra that she needs to start wearing dresses to be accepted as a lady. At this moment, Harper Lee suggests through her writing that Scout is confused at why people cannot accept that she is a woman, just because she chooses to wear different clothes. Scout has been brought up into a family where personality is appreciated and loved, yet know as she faces the hash reality of society she realises that people do not appreciate what type of a person you are but only what you look like on the outside - this idea is also expressed through racial inequality. Harper Lee uses warmth to love; we are shown that Scout does not need materialistic goods to be happy but just the warmth of another person to know that she is accepted and loved.

 Context 

Class Distinctions

"But I was more at home in my father's world" p240

Scout prefers a place where she is not judged for not being the perfect lady but is loved for her personality. Although she is in her house throughout the whole chapter, she clearly feels that home is only where she is loved. This links in with the idea that she appreciates people over and above possessions which is one quality that she shares with men (Atticus, Jem, Tom Robinson) as appose to women.

"No child" p238 (in response to whether she was talking about Mayella Ewell)

Scout is referred to as a child when she asks whether Mrs Merriweather was talking about Mayella Ewell This suggests that 'the Ewells' is a subject that is never broached by the ladies and that Scout is young in her understanding because she had not realised that. Although Scout is young, Mrs Merriweather calling her a child is extremely patronising because it suggests that Scout shouldn't be so stupid when in fact it was a perfectly reasonable question to ask. Moreover, I feel that Scout was trying to be accepted into the group although she did not understand the conversation topic which could establish a link to when Scout's cousin Francis said "Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover" and she did not understand what he meant.

The Role of Women

'''"After all, if Aunty could be a lady at a time like this, so could I." p244'''

Women were expected to live up to their social expectations, even if they weren't happy in doing so. Scout clearly wants to please her Aunty and it appears to be the first moment in the book where Scout can relate to Aunt Alexandra and she understands that she was teaching her to be a lady because she had to, not necessarily because she wanted to. At this moment, Scout can see that you must fit into certain social molds in order to be accepted and - in this case - to act as a cover to stop people from seeing things you don't want them to.

"Her voice soared over the clink of coffee cups and the soft bovine sounds of the ladies munching their dainties" p239

The contrast between the quiet actions and the loud voice emphasises the fact that Mrs Merriweather was speaking. This scene represents women's role in Maycomb society as they were expected to get out of men's way and do their duty around the home, which is signified through the silence in their actions. However the loud voice could represent the one thing that every woman depended on: gossip. Although they were expected to be ladylike (represented though the coffee cups and 'munching their dainties'), gossip played a major role in their lives.

ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATION

By emphasising the volume of speech we can infer that women during this period wanted their opinions to be heard but felt trapped behind Southern values that women should be meek and keep to themselves. Equally, 'soaring' implies that Mrs Merriweather wanted her message to spread further than the group of women but into society in general.

Southern Values

"He just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence" p241

Interestingly, the fence could be a metaphor for racial prejudice which is keeping Tom contained and trapped from the outside world. In addition, the guards who shot him could represent southern values which are used to protect the barrier between the blacks and the whites and to maintain peace. However, Atticus states " he wasn't Tom to them, he was an escaping prisoner" p242 which backs up my previous point because Maycomb Society would have treated all blacks the same just because of their skin colour - even though they did not know them personally.

'''""Then let's join the ladies" she said grimly." p243 '''

I feel that, in this context, the ladies could be a metaphor for society. Aunt Alexandra now understands how difficult it is for people like Atticus to step outside of his house and to enter a world of steep prejudice. Again you could also link this to the role of women as it is women who are used to represent the lack of understanding in society.