The scene takes place during a depressing time, in which the city of Maycomb struggled as well. This quote makes reference to the widespread poverty throughout the town, implying that Maycomb is in the midst of the Great Depression during the 1930s and is suffering because of it.
Scout is implying that Walter Cunningham is “special”, due to his family’s economic status. This quote shows just how hard the times were for some families in this era, like the Cunninghams, which never took anything they couldn’t pay back.
You cannot truly walk in another person’s shoes, as it is impossible to truly feel empathetic for someone that you cannot completely relate to. This quote is a common theme throughout the story, as can be seen in the differences between the Finches and others including Walter Cunningham, Boo Radley, Mrs. Dubose, and more.
So many people worry about making a better future for themselves and their children, but don’t worry about concentrating on the present and living their life in the moment. This quote emphasizes the societal issues during the decade, as a result of the Great Depression that affected the lifestyle of many of the citizens in Maycomb during the time of the story.
Miss Maudie is justifying the reason why Boo doesn’t come out of his house often to the kids, who are curious about why he doesn’t show his presence. This quote makes you begin to think whether or not there is an underlying issue to why Boo stays in his home, which may be the result of familial issues or other conflicts.
Francis is shaming Scout’s father for being an open-minded person as far as race, and Scout protects her father by sticking up for him. This quote can relate to two major parts of the story: the first being the clear inequality among blacks, and the second being the fact that Scout cares for her father so much that she is willing to sacrifice her innocence to stand up for him when he is being “targeted” by another 6-or-so year old.
Atticus is emphasizing the fact that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird, which can relate to several morals throughout the story as described in the next column. The story portrays the idea of mockingbirds as good, innocent people who are destroyed by evil. Boo Radley, for instance, is like a mockingbird—just as mockingbirds mean no harm to people, he does not either, and instead he leaves Jem and Scout presents.
Atticus is explaining to the kids that courage is a mental decision, and that even the most controversial characters can surprise them. Jem thinks of Mrs. Dubose as a crotchety old lady that does not have a filter when she rants about others. At first glance, she does not come off as a pleasant person, but it wasn’t until after she died that Jem realizes she was a morphine addict, and that before she died, she weaned herself off the drug.
Scout is talking to Mr. Cunningham and unknowingly connecting with his feelings, which results in the end of a conflict that arose over Tom Robinson. In this iconic quote, Scout appeals to Mr. Cunningham’s humanity and forces him to realize he must behave honorably and leave Atticus and Tom Robinson alone, which unknowingly helps resolve a major conflict.
Scout is conversing with Dill when he is explaining why he ran away from home to stay with them in Maycomb. Scout gives voice to her thoughts regarding Boo and Dill’s home life, and how they might have similar concepts of conflict within their lives.
Atticus truly wanted to take the case so he could help protect Tom Robinson, who would be destroyed without a good representative. This quote proves how Atticus is a person with a good soul, and didn’t want his children thinking he only took such a case because he didn’t have another choice. He cared deeply about the issue, and therefore devoted a large sum of his personal time trying to help Tom Robinson. This quote is just another reason that Atticus makes an excellent father and single parent.
Atticus is questioning Mayella about her recollection of the night that the incident took place, where she responds with a very weak testimony. This testimony is yet another reason the Ewell’s case is suspicious. Mayella responds to Atticus with doubt in her statement that Tom Robinson hit her. It is almost as if she was told to say these things by another person, particularly Mr. Ewell, who is suspected by Atticus to be the one who committed the crime.
Tom Robinson accidentally slips when describing his sympathy toward Mayella, who lives in poor conditions. This quote shows how much resentment there is toward interracial connections, as Tom is resented by the court for his statement. Mr. Gilmore certainly uses this as leverage for his argument.
Atticus is arguing how it is physically impossible for Tom Robinson to have committed the crime, and rather how someone in the courtroom did, which can be assumed is Mr. Ewell. This quote from Atticus is yet another piece of evidence to prove what an excellent lawyer and person that he is. He directly question’s the opposition’s arguments and proves them to be contradictory towards one another. He pleas for the court to examine the evidence based on the events, rather than the race of the defendant.
When Scout was watching the trial in the balcony section, Reverend Sykes told her to stand up, to salute her father for such great work he has done helping Tom Robinson. This excerpt shows how respectable a person that Atticus is. It is not common for blacks and whites to honor each other, as it is frowned upon in society, however the people on Tom Robinson’s side truly respect Atticus for his hard work trying to help their fellow acquaintance.
Jem is growing up and realizing that the myths that about the Radley’s, particularly Boo, are unlikely to be true. He makes an assumption to why Boo prefers to stay inside his house. This quote is a strong representation of how Boo is quite literally harmless, and just prefers to stay inside for various reasons. Jem is able to debunk some of the myths being told about Boo, which makes him stronger as a person.
Tom escaped prison, purely due to the fact that he is an innocent man, and knew he would suffer the rest of his life locked up behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. This part of the story shows the struggle and pain that Tom Robinson had to go through following his trial. He knows there is no hope in winning against a white man’s words in an era like this. He gives up hope and resorts to ending his life before he has to suffer in prison.
Aunt Alexandra is referring to Bob Ewell, who has a strong hatred for Atticus. She is worried that he hasn’t gotten his revenge. In this quote, Aunt Alexandra worries for the safety of the family since the trial involving Bob Ewell. Atticus insists he is all talk with his threats, however this quote foreshadows one of the climaxes present later in the story, which proves Atticus wrong for once.
Scout is showing Atticus just how well she understands herself and the meaning of life, which is very impressive given she is so young but is still able to make such connections to her life. In this quote, the author reveals Scout’s great understanding of life, thanks to her father’s iconic words. She uses the analogy of “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird”, and applies it to Boo. Like a mockingbird, Boo never harmed a soul, and it would be a sin to accuse him of his crime against Mr. Ewell when he was only trying to protect the two children.
Scout is making a point that she can finally see the world from Boo’s point of view when she stands on his porch. This quote shows the progression of Scout’s feelings towards Boo. She was terrified of the Radley house in the beginning of the story, which is due to an “urban legend” that was told about the house. Now when she stands on the porch, she realizes that she has grown and learned a lot about herself.