To Kill a Mockingbird Quotes
Quote
Maycomb was an old town, but it was a
tired old town when I first knew it
There was no hurry, for there was
nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no
money to buy it
a malevolent phantom
tyrannical presence & our battles were
epic and one-sided
You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for
her? Mr. Gilmer
Page
5
Purpose
Setting
9
6
Describing Boo
Describing Calpurnia
boy - Mr. Gilmer
it was a gala occasion the courthouse
square was covered with picnic parties
his maddening superiority was
unbearable these days Scout
Its different with grown folks Jem
176
Emphasis on felt that even though Tom is inferior than white
people but still felt sorry for white girl, should be other way
around
Gilmers cross-examination: closer, uses intimidation, cutting
Tom off repeatedly & giving audience a different opinion on
the truth
Gives a circus feel to entrance of the trial/ no one doubted
that Tom Robinson was to be convicted guilty
152
Themes
Quote
you never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of
view until you climb into his skin and
walk around in it- Atticus
Page
a man with a gun in his hand compared
to Mrs. Dubose won she died beholden
to nothing and nobody. Atticus
124
A mobs always made up of people, no
matter what. Mr. Cunningham was part of
a mob last night, but he was still a man
you children last night made Walter
Cunning ham stand in my shoes for a
minute - Atticus
flash of plain fear was going out of his
eyes, appear to be silent
give em a reason, you see. It helps folks
if they can latch onto a reason Mr.
Dolphus Raymond
I couldnt even tell you and Jem what to
do
I think Im beginning to understand why
Boo Radleys stayed shut up in the house
all this time its because he wants to
stay inside - Jem
Persecution comes from people who are
prejudice Miss Gates
its time somebody taught em a lesson,
they were getting way above themselves
Miss Gates
169
Purpose
Relates to theme of need for understanding from others POV.
Scout struggles, with varying degrees of success, to put
Atticus's advice into practice and to live with sympathy and
understanding toward others. At the end of the book, she
succeeds in comprehending Boo Radley's perspective,
fulfilling Atticus's advice in Chapter 3 and providing the novel
with an optimistic ending despite the considerable darkness
of the plot.
The comparisons of real courage / relates to the theme of
courage
251
Shows Mr. Cunningham loses a part of consciousness & is a
part of mobs action not his own ignorant of his
responsibilities & humanity
Relating to the theme of understanding others from their
viewpoints/ also proves human bond is greater than racial
prejudice/relates to Lees message good vs. bad
Clear indications are Atticus is afraid of Mob But still stayed &
stand up for what he believes in theme courage
Previously described by Scout as sinful man but follows the
pattern about standing in someones shoes, to understand
why Mr DR pretend to be drunk & lie
Relates to duty to his family & also his own principals &
ideas/impact on him &his family/morality & integrity
Jem stood in Boos shoes and understood him better
270
Hypocrisy of the town
169
221
Atticus
were making a step its just a babystep, but its a step Miss Maudie
shadow of a beginning Atticus
if I didnt I couldnt hold up my head in
town, I couldnt represent this county in
legislature, I couldnt even tell you or Jem
not do something again.
When Atticus turn away from Mayella he
looked like his stomach hurt
238 &
245
How the town is changing a little bit in racial prejudice by the
1hr long decision making in jury room
Shows Atticus moral sense
Mr. Finch is always courteous to
everybody. Hes not trying to mock you,
hes trying to be polite. Judge Taylor
When they finally saw him, why he hadn't
doneany of those things . . . Atticus, he
was real nice. . . .
His hands were under my chin, pulling up
the cover, tucking it around me.
Most people are, Scout, when you finally
see them.
He turned out the light and went into Jem's
room. He would be there all night, and he
would be there when Jem waked up in the
morning.
Contrast of Mr. Gilmer (extracts as much pain & suffering from
Tom) to Atticus who takes no pleasure in exposing Mayellas
truth
Atticus character
Chapter
31
last
page
Subtle reminder of the themes of innocence, accusation,
and threat that have run throughout it, putting them to rest
by again illustrating the wise moral outlook of Atticus: if one
lives with sympathy and understanding, then it is possible to
retain faith in humanity despite its capacity for evilto
believe that most people are real nice. Additionally, this
passage emphasizes Atticus's strong, loving role as a parent
to Scout and Jemhe tucks Scout in, then goes to sit by
Jem's bedside all night long. Through Atticus's strength, the
tension and danger of the previous chapters are resolved,
and the book ends on a note of security and peace.
Jem
Quotes
Theres four kinds of folks in the world.
Theres ordinary kind like us and the
neighbours, theres kind like the
Cunninghams out in the woods, the
kind like the Ewells down the dump,
and the Negroes.
Pages
249
somebody was reading my mind Jem
Purpose
Jems view on people
Jems realization that Boo knows him therefore feel confused &
unexpected
Scout
Quotes
I think theres one kind of folks. Folks.
Entailments seemed all right enough for
living-room talk
Page
249
170
&172
Purpose
Scouts view on people
At first, Scout didnt understand the mob scene but later realised
what had happened
the nights event hit me and I began
crying
Title of Book
Quote
shoot all the bluejays you want but
remember its a sin to kill a mockingbird. Atticus
was the only time I heard Atticus say it
was a sin to do something
a sin to cripples, likened Toms death to
the senseless slaughter of songbirds
Well, its sort of like shootin a
mockingbird, wouldnt it?
Mayella Ewell
Page
304
Purpose
In the book, the mockingbirds would be Tom Robinson, Boo
Radley
Even Mr. Underwood defends Tom by using these
comparisons
Scout understands that Boo is a mockingbird/ if Atticus do
decide a trial then it would be like shooting Boo as he cant
take the pressure
Mayella looked as if she tried to keep
clean, and I was reminded of the row of
red geraniums in the Ewell yard
young girl, fragile-looking, thick-bodied
girl accustomed to strenuous labour
Mayellas recital had given her
confidence there was something
stealthy about her
nineteen-and-a-half, youre a big girl
Mayella jumped slightly at the question,
under lowered eyelids at Atticus
jerked her head resentfully to Judge
Taylor
197
Suggests that her environment has overwhelmed her
197
Describing Mayella
199
Show it was a prepared testimony
198
200
Child-like mode of answer
Mayella is not straight-forward with her answer, show that she
is hiding something
Mayella is mean to everyone as she feels she is lowered then
them
200
Language Techniques
Quote
they slipped down, and he dropped them
in the street, in the silence, I heard them
crack.
read most of my First Reader and the
stock-market quotations from The Mobile
Register aloud
flicked flies, sweltering shade, soft,
sweat, sweet
like soft tea-cakes with frostings of sweat
and sweet talcum
Page
106
Purpose
Use of punctuations to slow time, dramatize & separate little
actions into slow motion
19
Show humour/whimsy
shiver like a horse shedding flies
advancing at a snails pace
When enough years had gone by to
enables us to look back on them
It was summer-time it was fall as Scout
walk home from Radleys house
106
Alliteration repetition of s, f, g sounds reinforce Maycomb
Country as old, tired, worn out & sounds like people sighing
Similes & imagery women compared to tea-cakes: viewed
as soft, fragile & ideal image of women & perception of time.
Scout contrasts to Aunt Alexandra
Tim Johnsons description effective imagery as it uses
adjectives
Show its not 9 year Scout but an older & more mature
narrator
Scout reminisces the 2 years in another viewpoint - 3rd
person
1
307
