A chiffarobe is a piece of furniture that has both a section with drawers and a section for hanging clothes. The word is used several times in To Kill a Mockingbird during Tom Robinson's trial. Mayella refers to a chiffarobe during her testimony. She says "there was this old chiffarobe in the yard Papa’d brought in to chop up for kindlin'." During her testimony, the reader learns that Mayella uses the chopping of a chiffarobe as her reason for asking Tom to help her. She explains to Mr. Gilmer, the prosecuting attorney, that she offers Tom a nickel to chop up the chiffarobe. However, according to Mayella, Tom attacks her when she goes to get the nickel. Tom mentions the chiffarobe during his testimony as well. He explains that he uses Mayella's hatchet to chop it for her then tells her "there ain’t no charge."

I have included a link to an interesting article that uses the chiffarobe as an important piece in Southern stories. It also makes an interesting case for using the chiffarobe as a symbol for "private space" in To Kill a Mockingbird.

What is a chiffarobe in To Kill a Mockingbird?

A chiffarobe is an old fashioned dresser. Today we might call the same item an armoire. It is the dresser in a set that a man typically uses in the master bedroom. It usually has several shelves with doors covering them. Often there will be drawers on the bottom of this type of furniture.

This piece of furniture comes into play during To Kill A Mockingbird because Tom's side of the story includes Mayella asking him to bust up one of these at other times, but the time in question, she asks him to stand on a chair and reach to above the chiffarobe to get something for her. It is at that point, according to Tom, that she wraps her arms around him startling him.