Discussion Chapters 22-26 To Kill A Mockingbird

Chapter Twenty-Two p. 212-217

“…only children weep.”

1. What does Atticus find in the kitchen on the morning after the trial?

2. What is the feeling among the white neighbors (Maudie excluded) on Atticus’s defeat?

3. What has Dill decided to be when he grows up? Why?

4. What is Bob Ewell’s response to the verdict?

Chapter Twenty-Three 217-227

“We generally get the juries we deserve.”

1. What are the children worried about at the beginning of Chapter 23?

2. Where is Tom Robinson in this chapter?

3. How does Atticus define “trash”? How does Aunt Alexandra?

4. Why does Aunt Alexandra not want Walter Cunningham in the hhoouse, even though the Cunninghams are admittedly “good folks”?

5. List the categories I Jem’s social hierarchy—the four kinds of folks in the world. What kinds of folks are in Scout’s hierarchy?

Chapter Twenty-Four p. 227-237

“I guess Tom was tired of white man’s chances and preferred to take his own.”

1. What does the “business” part of the Missionary Society consist of?

2. Why does Scout prefer the world of men to the world in which”fragrant ladies rocked slowly, fanned gently, and drank cool water”?

3. Who are the “hypocrites” Mrs. Merriweather mentions? Why does she consider them hypocrites?

4. What news does Atticus bring to Aunt Alexandra, Maudie and Scout?

Chapter Twenty-Five p. 238-241

“…in the secret courts of men’s hearts Atticus had no case.”

1. What causes Scout to comment that Jem was acting more like a girl everyday? What definition of “girl” does this imply?

2. How does Scout learn about Helen’s reaction to the news of her husband’s death?

3. Mr. Ewell said Tom’s death meant “one down and about two more to go.” What does he mean?

Chapter Twenty-Six p. 241-247

“So many things had happened to us, Boo Radley was the least of our fears.”

1. Although she had thought it had escaped his notice, Scout learns in this chapter that Atticus has known of one of her “crimes” for a long time. Which one?

2. What strikes you as important about Miss Gates’s lesson on democracy?

3. What has Scout overheard that confuses her about Miss Gates’s view of Hitler?