TKAM summaries 18-31

Chapter 18: Mayella begins her testimony, she is nineteen and relatively clean compared to the rest of the Ewells. She lives with seven younger siblings who do not help with any chores and an alchoholic father. She also does not seem to know what friends even are. She says that she had offered Tom Robinson a nickel the evening of the incident to break up a chifferobe for her. Atticus questions her story. Like why she didnt put up a better fight or why the children didnt hear her screams, and most of all how Tom managed to do this with only his right arm. Atticus pleas her to admit that there was no rape and it was her father who beat her but this only leads to anger and yelling. She then starts to cry and refuses to answer more questions.

Chapter 19: It is now Tom Robinsons turn to testify his side of the story. He says that he passes the Ewell place every morning on his way to work and often does chores for Mayella for no pay. On the night of the incident he says she wanted him to fix a door but when he got inside there was nothing wrong with the door. He notices the children are gone and Mayella tell him that she had finally saved enough to send them to go get ice cream. She asks to to grab a box from the top of a different chifferobe and when he does this Mayella hugs him around the waist and then asks him to kiss her. Her father witnesses this and calls her a whore and threatens to kill her. Tjis scares Tom so he runs away. Link Deas (Toms employer) stands u in the court room and declares that he has never had any trouble from Tom, he gets sent out for this. Mr. Gilmer cross-examines Tom. He gets him to admit that he does have the strength to choke someone with his one arm. He also asks why he was so eager to do all these chores for Mayella without pay and he eventually says that he felt bad for her. This was not the right thing to say because in Maycomb black people are not supposed to feel bad for white people. Dill starts to cry so the Scout takes him outside.

Chapter 20: They meet up with Mr. Dolphus Raymond, a white man married to a black woman with mullato children. They find out that all he ever has in his brown bag is coke, not alcohol. He says he just lets people think hes an alchoholic as an excuse to as why hes married to a black woman. By the time they make it back Atticus is making his closing statement. Jem tells them that they have already gone over the evidence. Atticus begs the jury to avoid the assumption that all blacks lie and are bad. As soon as he finishes Calpurnia shows up in the courtroom.

Chapter 21: Calpurnia gives Atticus a note and tells him that the children have not been home sice noon. Mr. Underwood tells them that they are in the colored balcony and have been there since one. They are told to go home and have supper and beg Atticus to be able to come back to hear the verdict. He says they can return after supper. even though he thinks the jury will be back by then. Calpurnia yells at Jem on the way home. They all eat quickly then return to the courthouse. The jury is still out. It gets later and they do not return. Jem is positive they have won and Dill has fallen asleep. The jury finally returns after eleven and accuses Tom Robinson guilty.

Chapter 22: Jem cries that night. He does not understand how people can be so unfair when the truth is so clear. The next morning the black people of Maycomb bring a very large amount of food to the Finchs’ house as a thank you. Miss Stephanie Crawford, Mr Avery and Ms Maudie start to question the children about the trial. Miss Maudie rescues them by inviting them inside for some cake. Jem explain how he used to think Maycomb had the best people in the world but after seeing the trial he doesnt think this anymore. Miss Maudie says that there were people who did try to help, like Judge Taylor, who appointed Atticus to this case instead of the regular public deffender. As the Children leave, Miss Stephanie runs over and tells them that danger is coming. Mr Ewell spat on their father this morning and swore he would get him even if it took the rest of his life.

Chapter 23: Jem and scout are worried about the threat Bob Ewell gave to Atticus. Atticus tells them not to be worried and that he has made Mr. Ewell look like a fool. Tom Robinson is sent to a different prison far away from Maycomb. Scout asks Atticus what will happen to him and he tells her that if Tom is not pardoned he will be sent to the electric chair because rape is a capital offense in Alabama. Atticus explains to Jem that in Alabama a white man will always win against a black man no matter the circumstances.

Chapter 24: Aunt Alexandra invites her missionary circle to tea at the Finches. Scout is wearing a dress. She helps Calpurnia by bringing out the tea and Aunt Alexandra invites her to stay with the ladies. She listens to them first discuss the Mruna family. They are a benighted African tribe being forced to convert to Christianity. They then talk about how their own black slaves have been behaving badly ever since the Robinson trial. Miss Maudies remarks quiets them. Atticus appears and calls Aunt Alexandra into the kitchen. Scout and Miss Maudie follow. He tells them that Tom Robinson was shot seventeen times when he tried to escape from the jail. He almost made it. They return to the missionary circle as if nothing happened.

Chapter 25: September begins but it is still hot out so Jem and Scout continue to sleep out on the porch. Scout is about to squish a roly-poly bug when Jem tell her not to do it. She asks him why not and he tells her that the bug didnt do anything to harm her. Scout decides that Jem is becoming more of a girl than herself. She starts to think about what DIll had told her. On their way home Jem and DIll had ran into Atticus and they convinced him to let them come to Helen Robinsons house with him, where they saw her pass out before Atticus had even told her that her husband was dead. Mr. Underwood writes an editorial about how Toms death was the murder of an innocent man. Mr. Ewell is over head saying that Toms death makes “one down and two more to go”. Summer ends and Dill goes back home.

Chapter 26: School starts and Jem and Scout begin to pass by the Radley house everyday. They are now too old to be frightened but Scout still wishes to see Boo Radley. Scouts new teacher Miss Gates gives the class a lecture of the wickedness of Hitler and on equality and democracy. Scout becomes curious and asks Jem how she could say those things when she had come out of the courthouse and said that it was about time that someone taught the blacks in town a lesson. Jem becomes very angry and tells her to never bring up the trial again. Scout goes to Atticus to comfort her.

Chapter 27: During October Bob Ewell gets a job and loses it a few days later. This is not a usual occurance in Maycomb. Also during this same month Judge Taylor is homealone and hears somebody in his house. He goes to find out who it was but only finds his screen door open and someone creeping away. Bob Ewell begins to follow and harass Helen Robinson on her way to work for Link Deas everyday. These actions worry Aunt Alexandra because it seems to her that he has a grudge against everyone was associated with the case. There is a Halloween contest at the school for best costume. Scout dresses as a ham. Both Atticus and Aunt Alexandra are too tired to take her so Jem does.

Chapter 28: The children walk to the school in the dark where they are scared by Cecil Jacobs. They visit the haunted house and buy candy. Scout misses the pageant because she falls asleep when all of the children get called backstage. She runs on stage at the very end which causes everyone to laugh at her embarassing her imensely. On the walk through the woods back home Jem hears noises behind them. They think that it must be Cecil Jacobs trying to scare them again. They almost make it to the road when their follower starts running after them. Scout falls and something tears at her costume and she hears struggling behind her. Jem breaks free and drags scout. He almost makes it to the road when somebody attacks him and scout hears a crunch and Jem scream. SHe runs to him but somebody grabs her and squeezes her very tightly. Suddenly somebody else oulls her atatcker away, She realizes there is now four people in the woods. She walks home and notices a man carrying Jem home. Aunt Alexandra calls Dr. Reynolds and Atticus calls Heck Tate.

Chapter 29: Scout tells everyone what she heard and saw. Heck Tate points out on her costume the knife mark where the wire mesh had stopped her from being killed. Scout eventually realizes the man standing in the corner. She analyzes his traits and eventually realizes that it is Boo Radley.

Chapter 30: Scout takes Arthur to the porch where they both sit in the dark and listen to Atticus and Heck Tate argue about how Bob Ewell died. Atticus insists that Jem was the one who killed him but Tate says that there is no way that could have happened and he fell on his knife. Although Tate knows Boo is the one who killed Bob Ewell. He says Tom Robinson died for no reason and now the man responsible is dead: “Let the dead bury the dead”

Chapter 31: Scout takes Boo upstairs to say goodnight to Jem and then walks him home. He goes inside his house, and she never sees him again. She imagines the world from his perspective. She returns home and finds Atticus sitting in Jem’s room. He reads one of Jem’s books to her until she falls asleep.