Discussion To Kill A Mockingbird Chapters
15-21 p. 144-211
Chapter Fifteen p.
144-155
“A nightmare was upon
us.”
1. Why have the neighbors gathered in the Finches’ front yard?
2. Who is Mr. Underwood?
3. Where do the children find Atticus at ten o’clock on Sunday?
4. What is the mob’s intention?
5. How does Scout manage to end the danger?
6. At the end of the chapter, who do we hear from for the first time in the novel?
7. What has Mr. Underwood been doing during the mob scene?
Chapter Sixteen p.
155-166
“Don’t talk like that
in front of them.”
1. In the eyes of the community, what is Dolphus Raymond’s problem?
2. Why isn’t Miss Maudie going to court?
3. What fact about Atticus’s defense of Tom Robinson does Scout learn from the Idlers’ Club?
4. Where do the children sit for the trial? What does this tell you (two things? three things?)
Chapter Seventeen p. 166-178
“People generally see
what they look
for, and hear what they listen for…”
1. What is the first point Atticus tries to make in court?
2. During the discussion of Mayella’s injuries, what key fact seems important to Atticus?
3. What detail in the description of the Ewell cabin makes the reader guess that perhaps Mayella is different from the rest of the family?
4. Why does Atticus ask Mr. Ewell to write his name?
Chapter Eighteen p. 178-189
“What on earth was
her life like?”
1. Why does Mayella break into tears at the beginning of her testimony?
2. What makes Mayella think Atticus is mocking her? What does this tell you about her?
3. What dramatic fact do we learn about Tom Robinson at the end of Mayella’s testimony?
4. Atticus is trying to get Mayella to make a confession. What does he want her to admit?
Chapter Nineteen p.
190-199
“Mr. Finch, if you
was a nigger like me, you’d be scared, too.”
1. According to Tom’s story, when did he “bust up the chiffarobe”?
2. On the day of Tom’s “crime,” where were the seven Ewell children?
3. When Mr. Ewell arrived on the scene, what did he see through the window that infuriated him?
4. Who is Link Daes? What (unsolicited) comment does he add to the proceedings?
5. What two points does Mr. Gilmer try to make in cross-examining Tom?
Chapter Twenty p. 199-206
“This case is as
simple as black & white.”
1. What aspect of Mr. Raymond’s reputation do the children find to be false?
2. Why is he willing to let the children in on his secret?
3. What does Atticus say is “the worst thing you can do”?
4. What “crime” does Atticus say Mayella feels guilt for?
5. What “facts about Negroes” does Mr. Ewell rely on to make the jury bring in a guilty verdict?
Chapter Twenty-one p. 206-211
“
‘Miss Jean Louise, stand up.
Your father’s passin’ . “
1. Why has
2. How long was the jury out? (Why isn’t this a trivial question?)
3. How does Scout know that Tom has not been acquitted even before the jury reports?
4. What happens as Atticus leaves the courtroom?