To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 23-26
Atticus dismisses the threats as the emotional rants of a humiliated man, and believes that the threats are empty. He gives them little concern. The children fear for their father’s safety, though, as it is well known that the Ewells are a nasty, vengeful bunch.
Jem remains adamant regarding the wrongfulness of Tom’s conviction. Atticus discusses it, saying that this is simply the way the legal process works.
Jury selection is discussed, and it is explained that juries are often not townspeople, as townspeople fear their livelihoods might be affected by participating in a jury. Women are not legally permitted to serve, so sometimes juries end up being skewed wrongly.
Atticus reveals that one member of the jury had held out as not guilty, for quite a few hours. The holdout was one of the Cunningham clan. Aunt Alexandra does not approve of Cunninghams, and is denied when Scout wants to invite Walter Cunningham for dinner. Aunt Alexandra even calls him “trash.” Scout and Jem decide that most people appear to be dismally mean, and speculate that perhaps Boo Radley stays inside because he WANTS to.
Dill’s last day in Maycomb for the summer arrives. He and Jem go swimming, but since they will be skinny dipping, Scout must stay home.
Aunt Alexandra has a number of the town’s ladies over for tea, and to discuss missionary endeavors. Scout helps to serve the ladies, as part of her training to become more ladylike.
Atticus arrives home from work unusually early that day. He takes Calpurnia with him, as he must visit Tom Robinson’s wife, to tell her that Tom had been shot and killed while attempting escape from a prison work detail.
Jem has developed a compassion for all living things, to include bugs.
Scout recalls the day that Atticus had to give the bad news to Mrs. Robinson. Dill had told her that while he and Jem were walking home from swimming, that Atticus had stopped the car, and picked them up. They had proceeded to the Robinson place, where the boys witnessed Mrs. Robinson’s collapse upon hearing the news. They also heard Bob Ewell shouting at them, as they drove past his house, although they could not discern his words.
Mr. Underwood wrote a scathing editorial in his newspaper, condemning the killing of Tom Robinson.
Bob Ewell is rumored to have said, upon hearing of Tom’s death, that his was "one down; about two more to go."
Scout begins third grade. She imagines being neighborly and friendly with the Radleys. She is introduced to “current events” at school, and a new threat is discussed, a tyrant by the name of Adolph Hitler.
The teacher, Miss Gates, explains that he is a terrible person, leading the Nazis to commit horrible crimes against Jews. Germany’s government is contrasted against our own. When asked to compare different types of government, Scout volunteers that our government, a democracy, means, “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none!”
Scout struggles with hating Adolph Hitler, but is told by her father not to hate. She wonders how Miss Gates can decry hate as wrong, but continue to hate black people for being black.
Analysis:
The children have begun to develop their own thoughts regarding compassion for others. They have taken unspoken vows to not allow prejudice and bigotry to guide their own decisions, and even indicate a hope to work against these societal failures.
Contradictions still confuse Scout, however, especially as she tries to understand how it is that Miss Gates can be so opposed to a man who oppressed a certain group of people, while wishing that oppression on a different group. Scout does not understand the difference between hating a man, and hating the actions of a man, and grapples with the concepts, even as her father tries to explain them.
