To Kill a Mockingbird

When Atticus says "Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win" in To Kill a Mockingbird, he means that though he knows the prejudice in...

The quote "His food doesn't stick going down, does it?" from To Kill a Mockingbird, spoken by Miss Maudie, addresses the hypocrisy of Mrs. Merriweather during the missionary circle meeting at the...

The quote "People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for" from "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a statement by Judge Taylor, expressing that people's perceptions are often...

Quotes illustrating the prejudice and discrimination faced by Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird include, "Tom was a dead man the minute Mayella Ewell opened her mouth and screamed," and Atticus's...

In the beginning of Chapter 10, Miss Maudie says it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. This phrase becomes a metaphor throughout the novel for the victimization of the innocent, particularly in relation...

Three quotes that show Atticus is determined to defend Tom Robinson in To Kill a Mockingbird are when Atticus says that he is against "preserving polite fiction at the expense of human life," when he...

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", the Mrunas, an African tribe, are brought up to highlight the hypocrisy of the local townspeople who express concern for the distant Mrunas but neglect the suffering in...

Jem and Scout call their father "Atticus" instead of "father" or "dad" to reflect the more egalitarian and respectful relationship they share. This choice of address indicates a sense of mutual...

The quote "Things haven’t caught up with that one’s instinct yet. Let him get older and he won’t get sick and cry. Maybe things’ll strike him as being—not quite right, say, but he won’t cry, not when...

In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus' quote about killing mockingbirds is found on page 119. This quote is significant because it symbolizes the idea of innocence and the wrongness of harming those who...

Ten major events in To Kill a Mockingbird are Dill's arrival, the fire at Miss Maudie's, Atticus's shooting of a mad dog, Atticus standing guard at the jail, Scout diffusing the lynch mob, Bob Ewell...

Scout means that everyone is equal, regardless of background. In her view, everyone is equal as a human being. What separates people for her are the opportunities they are given and what they make of...

Scout has heard her father use this phrase before and has come to learn it refers to innocent people who should not be harmed. Scout uses this phrase herself when arguing that Boo should not be...

The four social classes of citizens in Maycomb in To Kill a Mockingbird are the "ordinary" families, who are white and from the middle- to upper-middle class, the Cunninghams, who are poor but make...

The mad dog in chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird symbolizes racism, which is also dangerous and infectious. Similar to rabies, racism is described as a disease, called "Maycomb's usual disease" and...

In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Miss Maudie's quote about the Bible and a whiskey bottle illustrates that the misuse of religion can be more harmful than alcoholism. She criticises the 'foot-washing...

In To Kill a Mockingbird, the incident involving Boo Radley and his father with a pair of scissors was a matter of speculation and gossip. Some believe Boo stabbed his father due to his domineering...

The reader first learns that Atticus has accepted Tom Robinson's case in chapter 9 of To Kill a Mockingbird. He has been appointed by the state.

Rumors about Boo Radley abound! Boo is rumored to have a fearsome appearance, and Walter Jr. claims that Boo once tried to poison him. It is also said that Boo once bit his mother's finger off when...

Rape is brought up in chapter 12 when Cal tells Scout that Tom Robinson was accused of raping Bob Ewell's daughter. In chapter 14, Scout asks Atticus to define rape and he gives her a formal...

In chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia tries to teach Scout the importance of exercising hospitality and respect towards her company. Calpurnia also teaches Scout an important lesson on...

The quote "Hey, Mr. Cunningham. How's your entailment gettin' along?" from To Kill a Mockingbird is spoken by Scout during a tense confrontation outside the jailhouse. She uses the term "entailment"...

Atticus is well-known for his strong belief in considering other people's points of view. He teaches this idea to Scout after her first day of school, saying it near the end of chapter 3.

In Chapter 7 of "To Kill a Mockingbird", Scout is briefly described. She is depicted as a tomboy who prefers wearing overalls to dresses. Details about her physical appearance are scarce because she...

A quote that depicts Mayella accusing Tom Robinson of rape in To Kill a Mockingbird is "Fore I knew it he was on me. Just run up behind me, he did ... he chunked me on the floor an' choked me'n took...

Mr. Nathan Radley fills the knothole in the tree with cement to stop Boo Radley from communicating with the Finch children by leaving them small gifts. He claims the tree is dying, but Atticus Finch...

In Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout's attire is described as consisting of "britches" for everyday wear in chapter 9. When she attends church or other formal events, she is forced to wear a...

Atticus's quote about defending Tom Robinson in "To Kill a Mockingbird" reveals his strong moral principles and sense of justice. His decision to defend Tom, despite the community's prejudice, is...

By saying this, Scout is trying to rationalize why she makes fun of Walter for his eating habits, which seem strange to her. Calpurnia pulls Scout aside and reprimands her for treating Walter...

Atticus's advice to Scout about understanding others is found in chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird, on page 33 in the 2002 First Perennial Classic edition published by HarperCollins, and on page 39...

In Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird", Miss Maudie's gold prongs refer to her partial denture. Miss Maudie, a neighbor and friend to Scout, impresses the young girl with her removable denture,...

Atticus, in "To Kill a Mockingbird", declares that a person's conscience is the one thing that does not abide by majority rule. Despite facing backlash from his community, he insists on defending Tom...

In "To Kill a Mockingbird", a "hot steam" is a ghostly superstition. It's believed to be a lost soul that can't enter heaven and wanders around sucking people’s breath. This concept is a part of the...

To Kill a Mockingbird explores several conflicts and plot developments, including Scout and Jem's coming-of-age journey, Atticus Finch's defense of Tom Robinson, a black man falsely accused of raping...

A chiffarobe in To Kill a Mockingbird is a piece of furniture that combines a wardrobe with drawers. It is central to the plot during Tom Robinson's trial, where Mayella Ewell claims she asked Tom to...

Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird that depict Scout as a tomboy include her preference for overalls instead of dresses, her readiness to fight boys at school, and her adventurous spirit when playing...

Atticus is called in to deal with the mad dog, Tim Johnson, in chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird. Sheriff Heck Tate decides to turn the job of killing the dog over to Atticus, because he knows that...

Jem shows that he is a protective brother in To Kill a Mockingbird by saying, "Come on, Scout ... Don't pay any attention to [Mrs. Dubose], just hold your head high and be a gentleman." Jem also...

The Haverfords were hanged due to their pride and refusal to acknowledge their crime. Despite killing a blacksmith in front of witnesses, they insisted on pleading "not guilty" to first-degree...

Harper Lee's message about education in To Kill a Mockingbird is that the contemporary education system is shallow, rigid, and limited.

In chapter 10 of To Kill a Mockingbird, the mad dog's appearance in February is significant because it symbolizes racism and intolerance, which are not restricted to certain times or places. The...

When Scout rolls into the Radley's yard in Chapter 4 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," she hears laughter coming from inside the house. This incident, combined with other clues, leads her to infer that the...

Scout is bothered by Walter Cunningham's behavior at lunch because he pours syrup all over his food, which goes against the table manners she has been taught. She views his actions as uncivil and...

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the Dewey Decimal System, incorrectly referred to by Jem as a teaching method, is actually a system used by libraries to catalog and shelve books. The term was...

In Chapter 11 of "To Kill A Mockingbird," the camellias symbolize the complex character of Mrs. Dubose, the ugliness of racism beneath the beauty of the Old South, and the deeper problem of prejudice...

Atticus's quote means that racial prejudice is ingrained in Maycomb's culture to the point that most adults are desensitized to racial discrimination. Only children are innocent enough to react to...

"The crash" in To Kill a Mockingbird refers to the 1929 stock market crash, which led to the Great Depression. This economic downturn severely affected families like the Cunninghams, who struggled...

This quote from chapter 12 is important because it illustrates the racial tensions and resentment in segregated Maycomb. Lula's comment about not bringing white children to their black church...

In the first chapter of "To Kill a Mockingbird", it's revealed that the Radley house is three doors from Finch's, bordering the school grounds, and is a dilapidated gray building with an unkempt...

"To Kill a Mockingbird" describes Scout through various passages. She is depicted as an early reader who is taller than her peers, showing her physical stature and intellectual curiosity. Her...