Characters
This character struggles to remember the exact details from the night of the rape. After thinking very hard, he is able to tell Atticus that Mayella had a black eye on her right side.
Who is Heck Tate?
Who are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson?
Reword this FALSE statement so that it is TRUE: "To protect Jem from scandal, Heck Tate claims Bob Ewell fell on his knife."
To protect Boo Radley from attention, Heck Tate claims Bob Ewell fell on his knife.
Identify the speaker. Then, explain the meaning of the quotation. "Let the dead bury the dead, Mr. Finch. Let the dead bury the dead."
Speaker: Heck Tate. Let this situation end here, Mr. Finch. Bob Ewell is responsible for the death of Tom Robinson. Now, Bob Ewell is dead. Justice has been served.
Describe what happened during the scuffle in the forest after the Halloween pageant.
Bob Ewell attacked Jem and Scout. Scout couldn't see anything because of her costume. Jem tried to fight off Bob Ewell, but he was forced to the ground and broke his arm. Boo Radley came out to help Jem and Scout, ultimately stabbing Bob Ewell. Then, Boo carried Jem home.
Name two characters who represent the idea of innocence.
Who are Boo Radley and Tom Robinson?
Reword this FALSE statement so that it is TRUE: Atticus had Bob Ewell write his name in court to prove he was illiterate.
Atticus had Bob Ewell write his name in court to prove he was left-handed.
Identify the speaker. Then, explain the meaning of the quotation. "Well, it'd be sort of like shooting a mockingbird, wouldn't it?"
Scout Finch says this to Atticus at the end of the novel. She is talking about letting the town know that Boo Radley saved the children by killing Bob Ewell. It would destroy the life Boo is comfortable living.
Why did the jury of white, male farmers convinct Tom Robinson, when Atticus proved he was obviously innocent?
They saw only his race, and to them, his race was an immediate sign of guilt.
This character has had a long-term relationship and several children with an Black woman. Though he is white, he doesn't get along with the white community. He pretends to be drunk to avoid their judgment.
Who is Mr. Dolphus Raymond?
Which symbol represents the ideas of gossip, community, shared spaces, and surveillance?
What are front porches?
Reword this FALSE statement so that it is TRUE: Dill, Scout and Jem have permission from Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra to attend Tom Robinson's trial.
Dill, Scout and Jem do not have permission from anyone to attend Tom Robinson's trial.
Identify the speaker. Then, explain the meaning of the quotation. "Stand up, Miss Jean Louise. Your father's passing."
Reverend Sykes says this to Scout at the conclusion of the trial, after Tom Robinson has been convicted, when Atticus is leaving the courtroom. He says this to her to suggest they must show respect to Atticus for supporting Tom's innocence.
How does Atticus suggest to the jury Bob Ewell is the one who actually beats Mayella?
He demonstrates that Mayella was most likely hit by a left-handed person, since her right eye is bruised. He has Bob Ewell write to show that Bob is left-handed.
This character threatens three characters in the book: Helen Robinson, Judge Taylor, and Atticus Finch. He also spits in Atticus's face at the post office. He dies from a stab wound.
Who is Bob Ewell?
What symbolic disease does Tim Johnson represent?
What is racism?
Reword this FALSE statement so that it is TRUE: Dill makes up stories about his parents because he is an orphan.
Dill makes up stories about his parents because he thinks they don't love him, and he may be abused.
Identify the speaker. Then, explain the meaning of the quotation."Secretly, Miss Finch, I'm not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that's the way I want to live."
Dolphus Raymond says this to Scout while the kids are taking a break outside during the trial. He implies that he doesn't drink, but only pretends to. It is the only way people can accept his choices to have a relationship and a family with a Black woman.
Explain why Calpurnia uses dialect and talks "more like a Black person" around other members of the Black community at First Purchase Church.
Calpurnia wouldn't be taken seriously if she talked the way she did at the Finches'. She is trying to fit in, but also show that she is still loyal to her people while defending herself, the Finches, and her choices.
This character is the prosecutor at Tom Robinson's rape trial.
Who is Mr. Gilmer?
What symbol represents the idea that civility, good manners, and beauty disguises racism?
What are flowers?
Reword this FALSE statement so that it is TRUE: Scout never fully understands the meaning of "walking in someone else's shoes."
Scout learns the meaning of "walking in someone else's shoes" by the end of the novel, especially after walking home with Boo Radley.
Identify the speaker. Then, explain the meaning of the quotation. "Most people are [nice], Scout, when you finally see them."
Atticus says this to Scout at the end of the novel, after she realizes Boo Radley was a nice man. He implies that gossip about other people is incorrect. People are good more often than the negative rumors about them are true.
Describe why Tom Robinson's statement, "I felt bad for [Mayella]," makes everyone in the courtroom uncomfortable.
With this statement, Tom is implying that Mayella, a white woman, was in a worse situation than he was as a Black man in the South. However, the racism of the white people oin Maycomb does not allow for the idea that a Black person could be happier or more successful than a white person. Tom was challenging the racist structure and beliefs of the town.