Chapters 11-15
Chapter 11: Mrs. Dubose
Jem and Scout hated Mrs. Dubose, an old woman living with a black caretaker down the road. She would always torment the kids when they walked by her house, making foul remarks about their characters. Atticus would explain to them that it’s because she was old and ill, and it was their job to not let it make them mad. Atticus was a master at this. Whenever he saw her, Atticus would always compliment her in the subtlest of ways. Though she might reply with something rotten, he never got himself mad over it. But one thing she said made Jem furious. She said your father is no better than the black people and trash he works for.
After the kids went to buy some items, they found Mrs. Dubose was nowhere in sight. Out of nowhere, Jem snatched Scout’s baton that they had just bought and cut down all of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers, and ending it with snapping Scout’s baton in two.
Later, Atticus confronts Jem and and Jem confesses his mishaps. Atticus had always said to keep your head in situations like this, but Jem couldn’t take it, and Scout couldn’t understand why they had to do so in the first place. Jem went over to talk to Mrs. Dubose, and he announced that she wanted him to read for him every afternoon after school and Saturdays for two hours, and Atticus said he had to do it.
Scout accompanied Jem on his first visit to Mrs. Dubose’s, as she had done for the rest of the times. They walked into the house with a foul smell that made Scout feel watchful. Mrs. Dubose put an alarm clock next to her position and Jem started reading. At first, she would correct Jem a lot, but the corrections seemed to lessen as time passed. They realized something was wrong with Mrs. Dubose, and as the alarm clock ran, Jessie, the black caretaker, had them leave as she explained it was time for her medication.
One day, Jem realized that Mrs. Dubose had been having the kids there longer and longer, though it would still be under the time limit of 2 hours. Jem’s reading days were finally over, but then one day Atticus said he would be going down to Mrs. Dubose for a while, and when he came back, he explained that she had died. Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict. Well, she had been sick for years, and her doctor had made her take it s a pain killer, but she wanted to die free of the morphine, “holden to nothing and nobody.” Atticus had written her will for her, and Mrs. Dubose had Jessie fix Jem up a box, and inside it was a camellia flower. Jem was playing with it before going to sleep.
Chapter 12: First Purchase African M.E. Church
Jem was twelve, and he had been growing up. His views on life were changing overnight, and it was becoming difficult for Scout to live with. Also, Dill wasn’t there for the summer, and Scout missed him. In the meantime, Atticus had left the kids for two weeks, and since it was a Sunday and the kids had nothing better to do, Calpurnia invited the kids to come with her to church. Now this church was a black people’s church, where white men would gamble when not used for mass. Calpurnia led the kids through church yard where a crowd of black people parted ways to let the Finches and Cal through. This was First Purchase African M.E. Church. On their way to the church door, a voice called out to them: “”What you up to, Miss Cal?”
Lula, an ugly woman questioned Cal about what she was doing with the Finches in the church since it was a black church, but the rest of the black people had protected them from Lula’s wrath. The mass proceed as there were no hymn books, and the people almost memorized them by heart. Later on, Reverend Sykes asks for ten dollars from the people to support Helen Robinson, Tom Robinson’s wife. At first, they did not have enough, and the doors were closed till the money was present. Sykes also called out the Finches because their daddy was helping the whole of the black people by representing one, Tom.
Later, Scout asked why people won’t hire Helen, and Cal explained that it was because people didn’t want to have anything to do with the Robinson family because of what they thought Tom did, rape Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell.
One thing that the kids noticed during the whole time at church was that when Cal was talking back to Lula, her voice changed. It wasn’t civilized and at least a little Americanized as it usually is. She sounded more like the rest of the black people, and Lula to be more exact. Scout also noticed this when Cal scolded her at the dinner with Walter Cunningham. Scout realized that she was living somewhat of a double life this whole time. When the kids get back home, they notice that Aunt Alexandra had been sitting on the rocking chair on the porch.
Chapter 13: Aunt Alexandra
Aunt Alexandra came over to stay with the kids for a while, probably a long while, as she is present in their company for the remainder of the book. She was there for two main reasons, to help out with taking care of the kids and for a little bit of feminine influence for Scout, but she didn’t understand girls. She wanted Scout to be the type of girl that likes tea parties and clothes. Scout was nothing of the sort. The neighborhood bonded well with her, and life continued on as if nothing had ever changed, other than the constant problems she was giving for the kids.
Later Atticus has a little talk with Scout and possible Jem (not exactly sure) about how Aunt Alexandra wants the kids to live up to their name, to learn that they’re not some run-of-the-mill people, but of generations of gentle breeding. She wanted them to understand the family’s history. He talked about how the kids might be moved to learn more about the family’s history. But then he takes it all back, asking them to forget it. Scout knows what he was trying to do, but it takes a woman to do that job. It takes a woman to appeal to their emotional side.
Chapter 14: How Does a Snake Feel?
So Jem has been staying away from Scout lately, probably because of the changes hes been going through. Scout asks to go to Calpurnia’s house because she promised she could come over but Aunt Alexandra said no. What made her angry was that Scout directed the question towards Atticus, not Aunt Alexandra, and Atticus very seriously asked her to apologize when she yelled at her. Aunt Alexandra had always been trying to take over the rules of the family, and though Atticus was keeping up, Scout and Jem could not handle it.
Aunt Alexandra was talking to Atticus about taking Calpurnia out of the house because she never really liked the presence of her in the first place, but Atticus refuses because she hasn’t done anything wrong, and she’s been more of a mother than some mother’s actually are. Jem also asks Scout not to antagonize Aunt Alexandra, and he meant it. They got into a fight about it and they started wrestling each other until Atticus broke them up, but Scout was happy because he was fighting back.
Later when the two were about to get to sleep, Scout claims that she stepped on something that felt very much alive, maybe even a snake. But later it turns out that it was Dill. Dill claims that he had “escaped” Meridian and his chains in the basement his new Dad had locked him in. But a few moments after finding Dill, Jem thinks for a minute, and breaks the final code of their childhood: he told Atticus. With this, Atticus said it was alright, but Dill did not want to go back, but Atticus was chill about it and told him to take a shower. Now the important part was that Jem told on them. He was being responsible, and it was really certain then that Jem had grown up into an adult.
Later Dill explains why he really left. He truly believed that his parents didn’t want him because they would never talk to him. In fact, they hadn’t even talked to each other much. So he had nothing to do, his parents didn’t do anything with him, so all he could do was return to Maycomb. He thought that they would go on better without him. So it was decided that Dill could stay for the meantime. This allowed Scout to ask him a question: why doesn’t Boo Radley run off? Dill simply replied that maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to.
Chapter 15: Maycomb Jail
First off, it was decided that Dill could stay. Then one day men stood in the outside yard to warn Atticus about how Tom Robinson is being moved to Maycomb Jail and there might be some trouble concerning Tom’s well-being. Whenever men got together, it was only because of either death or politics. Atticus insisted that the jail could protect him for one day, but the group thought otherwise. When he gets a chance to talk to the kids, the kids thought they were after him, but Atticus explained that they were friends.
Later, when it was pretty late, Atticus takes a lightbulb and the car with him out and says he’ll be out for a while. The kids thought something was off about this whole scene, so Jem decides that he’s going to follow after him. Scout says she’s coming, and Jem decides not to argue. Dill also tags along. As they approach the jail, they find a burning light, which is odd because there was no light by the jail. IT WAS ATTICUS. DUN DUN DUUNNNNNN. Atticus was just sitting in front of the cell door reading his newspapers in the light, not bothering anyone, no one bothering him, YET.
Scout was about to run to him when Jem decided it was best not to go to him and held her back. They were on their way back home when four cars came in front of the jail, a one cell wide, two call tall structure. Men got out of their vehicles and approached Atticus in a group numerous enough to make Atticus invisible. The men were aiming for Tom Robinson, possible to kill him. Scout ran towards Atticus, the kids forced to follow behind. Atticus was surprised, scared, and angry to see his kids. He wanted the kids back home, but Jem refused. Then one of the man grabbed Jem while Scout tried to defend her brother by kicking the man in the shin, but she missed and hit him the balls. She looked through the crowd but could not recognize many but Mr. Cunningham. She mentions his entailment, leaving him and the rest of the crowd speechless. She was struggling to get rid of the awkward feeling in the air, and finally got to him when she asked him to say hi to Walter for her. Mr. Cunningham finally said that he’ll say hi to him for her and asked the crowd to move out.
As the people were leaving, Mr. Underwood, the manager of The Maycomb Tribune, came down and remarks that he was covering him the whole time with his rifle, just in case things got messy. Tom Robinson also asks if the crowd had been gone, and Atticus relieves him and lets him know he can sleep. In the end, when they were all walking home, Atticus wove his hands through Jem’s hair, a sign of pride in his son.
-MJAY
Jem and Scout hated Mrs. Dubose, an old woman living with a black caretaker down the road. She would always torment the kids when they walked by her house, making foul remarks about their characters. Atticus would explain to them that it’s because she was old and ill, and it was their job to not let it make them mad. Atticus was a master at this. Whenever he saw her, Atticus would always compliment her in the subtlest of ways. Though she might reply with something rotten, he never got himself mad over it. But one thing she said made Jem furious. She said your father is no better than the black people and trash he works for.
After the kids went to buy some items, they found Mrs. Dubose was nowhere in sight. Out of nowhere, Jem snatched Scout’s baton that they had just bought and cut down all of Mrs. Dubose’s flowers, and ending it with snapping Scout’s baton in two.
Later, Atticus confronts Jem and and Jem confesses his mishaps. Atticus had always said to keep your head in situations like this, but Jem couldn’t take it, and Scout couldn’t understand why they had to do so in the first place. Jem went over to talk to Mrs. Dubose, and he announced that she wanted him to read for him every afternoon after school and Saturdays for two hours, and Atticus said he had to do it.
Scout accompanied Jem on his first visit to Mrs. Dubose’s, as she had done for the rest of the times. They walked into the house with a foul smell that made Scout feel watchful. Mrs. Dubose put an alarm clock next to her position and Jem started reading. At first, she would correct Jem a lot, but the corrections seemed to lessen as time passed. They realized something was wrong with Mrs. Dubose, and as the alarm clock ran, Jessie, the black caretaker, had them leave as she explained it was time for her medication.
One day, Jem realized that Mrs. Dubose had been having the kids there longer and longer, though it would still be under the time limit of 2 hours. Jem’s reading days were finally over, but then one day Atticus said he would be going down to Mrs. Dubose for a while, and when he came back, he explained that she had died. Mrs. Dubose was a morphine addict. Well, she had been sick for years, and her doctor had made her take it s a pain killer, but she wanted to die free of the morphine, “holden to nothing and nobody.” Atticus had written her will for her, and Mrs. Dubose had Jessie fix Jem up a box, and inside it was a camellia flower. Jem was playing with it before going to sleep.
Chapter 12: First Purchase African M.E. Church
Jem was twelve, and he had been growing up. His views on life were changing overnight, and it was becoming difficult for Scout to live with. Also, Dill wasn’t there for the summer, and Scout missed him. In the meantime, Atticus had left the kids for two weeks, and since it was a Sunday and the kids had nothing better to do, Calpurnia invited the kids to come with her to church. Now this church was a black people’s church, where white men would gamble when not used for mass. Calpurnia led the kids through church yard where a crowd of black people parted ways to let the Finches and Cal through. This was First Purchase African M.E. Church. On their way to the church door, a voice called out to them: “”What you up to, Miss Cal?”
Lula, an ugly woman questioned Cal about what she was doing with the Finches in the church since it was a black church, but the rest of the black people had protected them from Lula’s wrath. The mass proceed as there were no hymn books, and the people almost memorized them by heart. Later on, Reverend Sykes asks for ten dollars from the people to support Helen Robinson, Tom Robinson’s wife. At first, they did not have enough, and the doors were closed till the money was present. Sykes also called out the Finches because their daddy was helping the whole of the black people by representing one, Tom.
Later, Scout asked why people won’t hire Helen, and Cal explained that it was because people didn’t want to have anything to do with the Robinson family because of what they thought Tom did, rape Mayella Ewell, daughter of Bob Ewell.
One thing that the kids noticed during the whole time at church was that when Cal was talking back to Lula, her voice changed. It wasn’t civilized and at least a little Americanized as it usually is. She sounded more like the rest of the black people, and Lula to be more exact. Scout also noticed this when Cal scolded her at the dinner with Walter Cunningham. Scout realized that she was living somewhat of a double life this whole time. When the kids get back home, they notice that Aunt Alexandra had been sitting on the rocking chair on the porch.
Chapter 13: Aunt Alexandra
Aunt Alexandra came over to stay with the kids for a while, probably a long while, as she is present in their company for the remainder of the book. She was there for two main reasons, to help out with taking care of the kids and for a little bit of feminine influence for Scout, but she didn’t understand girls. She wanted Scout to be the type of girl that likes tea parties and clothes. Scout was nothing of the sort. The neighborhood bonded well with her, and life continued on as if nothing had ever changed, other than the constant problems she was giving for the kids.
Later Atticus has a little talk with Scout and possible Jem (not exactly sure) about how Aunt Alexandra wants the kids to live up to their name, to learn that they’re not some run-of-the-mill people, but of generations of gentle breeding. She wanted them to understand the family’s history. He talked about how the kids might be moved to learn more about the family’s history. But then he takes it all back, asking them to forget it. Scout knows what he was trying to do, but it takes a woman to do that job. It takes a woman to appeal to their emotional side.
Chapter 14: How Does a Snake Feel?
So Jem has been staying away from Scout lately, probably because of the changes hes been going through. Scout asks to go to Calpurnia’s house because she promised she could come over but Aunt Alexandra said no. What made her angry was that Scout directed the question towards Atticus, not Aunt Alexandra, and Atticus very seriously asked her to apologize when she yelled at her. Aunt Alexandra had always been trying to take over the rules of the family, and though Atticus was keeping up, Scout and Jem could not handle it.
Aunt Alexandra was talking to Atticus about taking Calpurnia out of the house because she never really liked the presence of her in the first place, but Atticus refuses because she hasn’t done anything wrong, and she’s been more of a mother than some mother’s actually are. Jem also asks Scout not to antagonize Aunt Alexandra, and he meant it. They got into a fight about it and they started wrestling each other until Atticus broke them up, but Scout was happy because he was fighting back.
Later when the two were about to get to sleep, Scout claims that she stepped on something that felt very much alive, maybe even a snake. But later it turns out that it was Dill. Dill claims that he had “escaped” Meridian and his chains in the basement his new Dad had locked him in. But a few moments after finding Dill, Jem thinks for a minute, and breaks the final code of their childhood: he told Atticus. With this, Atticus said it was alright, but Dill did not want to go back, but Atticus was chill about it and told him to take a shower. Now the important part was that Jem told on them. He was being responsible, and it was really certain then that Jem had grown up into an adult.
Later Dill explains why he really left. He truly believed that his parents didn’t want him because they would never talk to him. In fact, they hadn’t even talked to each other much. So he had nothing to do, his parents didn’t do anything with him, so all he could do was return to Maycomb. He thought that they would go on better without him. So it was decided that Dill could stay for the meantime. This allowed Scout to ask him a question: why doesn’t Boo Radley run off? Dill simply replied that maybe he doesn’t have anywhere to run off to.
Chapter 15: Maycomb Jail
First off, it was decided that Dill could stay. Then one day men stood in the outside yard to warn Atticus about how Tom Robinson is being moved to Maycomb Jail and there might be some trouble concerning Tom’s well-being. Whenever men got together, it was only because of either death or politics. Atticus insisted that the jail could protect him for one day, but the group thought otherwise. When he gets a chance to talk to the kids, the kids thought they were after him, but Atticus explained that they were friends.
Later, when it was pretty late, Atticus takes a lightbulb and the car with him out and says he’ll be out for a while. The kids thought something was off about this whole scene, so Jem decides that he’s going to follow after him. Scout says she’s coming, and Jem decides not to argue. Dill also tags along. As they approach the jail, they find a burning light, which is odd because there was no light by the jail. IT WAS ATTICUS. DUN DUN DUUNNNNNN. Atticus was just sitting in front of the cell door reading his newspapers in the light, not bothering anyone, no one bothering him, YET.
Scout was about to run to him when Jem decided it was best not to go to him and held her back. They were on their way back home when four cars came in front of the jail, a one cell wide, two call tall structure. Men got out of their vehicles and approached Atticus in a group numerous enough to make Atticus invisible. The men were aiming for Tom Robinson, possible to kill him. Scout ran towards Atticus, the kids forced to follow behind. Atticus was surprised, scared, and angry to see his kids. He wanted the kids back home, but Jem refused. Then one of the man grabbed Jem while Scout tried to defend her brother by kicking the man in the shin, but she missed and hit him the balls. She looked through the crowd but could not recognize many but Mr. Cunningham. She mentions his entailment, leaving him and the rest of the crowd speechless. She was struggling to get rid of the awkward feeling in the air, and finally got to him when she asked him to say hi to Walter for her. Mr. Cunningham finally said that he’ll say hi to him for her and asked the crowd to move out.
As the people were leaving, Mr. Underwood, the manager of The Maycomb Tribune, came down and remarks that he was covering him the whole time with his rifle, just in case things got messy. Tom Robinson also asks if the crowd had been gone, and Atticus relieves him and lets him know he can sleep. In the end, when they were all walking home, Atticus wove his hands through Jem’s hair, a sign of pride in his son.
-MJAY