To Kill a Mockingbird

Jem and Scout think Atticus can’t do anything because he’s older than most fathers in their town. They are unimpressed with Calpurnia and Maudie’s lists of his merits. When the children begin practicing their marksmanship with the air rifles they received at Christmas, Atticus warns “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (103) because mockingbirds don’t do anything harmful; they merely sing for the world’s enjoyment.

One day in February, Jem spots Old Tim Johnson—“the pet of Maycomb” (105)—ambling down the main street in an unsettling manner. Calpurnia sees him and realizes that the dog is rabid. Worried for the safety of her neighbors, she calls them on the phone to warn them. At her own risk, she even knocks on the front door of the Radleys because they have no phone.

Calpurnia calls Atticus for help, and he arrives with the Maycomb sheriff, Heck Tate. When they spot the rabid dog, Tate claims he can’t shoot that far and he needs help from Atticus. Atticus shoots the dog and kills him with a single shot. Miss Maudie reveals that when Atticus was a young man, he was widely known for his abilities as a one-shot shooter.

Scout is excited by this knowledge. Jem tells her not to brag. He explains that Atticus wouldn’t want her to brag because he is a gentleman. Jem then decides he wants to be a gentleman, just like his father (113).

Scout and Jem begin to venture more regularly into Maycomb’s business district, passing the house of mean old Mrs. Dubose on their way. Mrs. Dubose shouts insults to the children from her porch, typically expressing her disapproval of Scout’s clothing and the way their father has raised them after their mother’s death. One day, however, she uses a racist slur to describe who Atticus represents as a lawyer. Jem retaliates by taking Scout’s toy baton and hacking the flowers from Mrs. Dubose’s camellia bushes.

When Atticus comes home that evening, he announces that Jem’s punishment will be reading to Mrs. Dubose in her home every day for a month. Scout goes with him, and they both endure her criticisms and mysterious fits. After a little more than a month, Mrs. Dubose dies. Atticus reveals that she was addicted to morphine for years after battling an illness. Her last wish (expressed in her will, which was drawn by Atticus) was to wean herself off of the morphine. Her daily reading sessions with the children ultimately provided her with the will to beat her addiction.

Atticus gives Jem a candy box from Mrs. Dubose that contains a single, perfect camellia. He explains that this was her way of forgiving Jem, and commends her bravery.

At 12 years old, Jem begins to isolate himself from Scout. This isolation is heightened when Dill does not come to Maycomb for the summer. Calpurnia tells Scout to spend time with her in the kitchen whenever she feels lonely. Together, they find productive things to do, and Scout begins to appreciate the world of women.

Atticus is called to the state legislature to help deal with issues of state poverty and sit-down strikes. He is gone for weeks, and Calpurnia watches the children in his absence. One Sunday, Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her church, First Purchase. The church is called First Purchase because it was bought from the first earnings of freed slaves.

Though one woman, Lula, confronts Calpurnia for bringing White children to their typically all-Black church, the congregation is generally friendly and welcoming. Despite the congregation’s poverty—evidenced by the roofless building and the lack of cooling systems—Scout describes the church as a cheerful place. The church is filled with the smells of “snuff, Hoyt’s Cologne, Brown’s Mule, peppermint, and lilac talcum” (135), and the cemetery is lined with brightly-colored glass and broken Coca-Cola bottles.

Reverend Sykes greets them and leads the congregation in worship. They sing without hymn books, repeating each line after the reverend sings it. Calpurnia explains that not only is the congregation too poor to afford hymn books, most of them cannot read. She later explains that she learned to read with the help of the Finches and her former employer, Miss Buford.

During his service, Reverend Sykes speaks of the Tom Robinson trial. He says that Helen, Tom’s wife, is in need of the church’s financial support because no one will hire her. He passes around an offering basket, closing the doors of the church until they have collected all they need in the basket. When Calpurnia and the children arrive home from church, Aunt Alexandra is sitting on the front porch.