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To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

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Student Question

What are Miss Stephanie Crawford's views on Tom Robinson, the Finches, and the trial in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Quick answer:

Miss Stephanie Crawford, in To Kill a Mockingbird, appears to disapprove of Atticus Finch's defense of Tom Robinson. She makes derogatory jokes and uses pejorative language, suggesting racial prejudice. Her taunt to Scout at the Missionary Tea implies she believes Atticus should not have defended Tom. Additionally, she eagerly spreads Bob Ewell's comment about Tom's death, further indicating her disapproval of Atticus and the trial's outcome.

Expert Answers

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In To Kill a Mockingbird, Miss Stephanie Crawford does not directly comment upon Tom Robinson's death; however, earlier in the narrative (Chapter 6), she does employ the pejorative term of n****r.

When Nathan Radley fires his shotgun and says that he shot at "a Negro" in his collard patch, Miss Stephanie makes a bad joke in reference to Mr. Nathan,

"Scared him pale. Says if anybody sees a white nigger around, that's the one." 

In Chapter 24, she taunts Scout at the Missionary Tea, asking her if she wants to become a lawyer after the Tom Robinson trial and Atticus's being spat upon by Bob Ewell. This taunt would indicate that, perhaps, she feels that Atticus should not have bothered to defend Tom. 
Also, in Chapter 25 Miss Stephanie, that "English channel of gossip" is quick to pass on the word that Mr. Ewell said that Tom's death "made one down and about two more to go." This eagerness to pass on such gossip indicates that she disapproves of Atticus's having defended Tom.

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