To Kill a Mockingbird: Graffiti Journal

Scout's Coming of Age Timeline

Chapters 1–5
Scout beings to realize that her mentors prioritize conformity over fairness and understanding.
Section Details
Key Events
1. Scout's first day of school exposes her to rigid authority, and it teaches her that rules can conflict with fairness and understanding.
2. Scout learns about Maycomb's social class divisions through Atticus' explanation of the Cunninghams and the Ewells.
ThemeTopic
The conflict between formal rules and moral understanding.
Notable Quotes
1. "[...] as I read the alphabet a faint line appeared between her eyebrows [...]. Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading." —Lee 22
2. "[...] 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." —Lee 39
3. "If you'll concede the necessity of going to school, we'll go on reading every night just as we always have [...]." —Lee 41
Chapters 6–11
Through witnessing Atticus's behavior, and learning the truth about Mrs. Dubose, Scout begins to understand that real courage is in moral integrity and empathy, rather than physical strength.
Section Details
Key Events
1. Jem returns to retrieve his pants from the Radley fence, and later discovers they were mended and folded, indicating Boo's silent protection.
2. Jem is forced to read to Mrs. Dubose after destroying her camellias and later learns she was battling a morphine addiction.
ThemeTopic
True courage is moral based, and doing what is right despite fear, loss, or social disapproval.
Notable Quotes
1. "People in their right minds never take pride in their talents." —Lee 130
2. "I wanted you to see something about her--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand." —Lee 149
3. "It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do. Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew." —Lee 149
Chapters 12–15
Scout begins to understand the complexity of racial injustice and the power of individual moral action.
Section Details
Key Events
1. Calpurnia takes Scout and Jem to her church, which exposes them to the African American community and the racial inequalities they face.
2. Scout and Jem witnesses Atticus defending Tom Robinson from the lynch mob.
ThemeTopic
Prejudice and racial segregation come have a harsh reality with with dangerous consequences.
Notable Quotes
1. "[...] the only church in Maycomb with a steeple and bell, called First Purchase because it was paid for from the first earnings of freed slaves." —Lee 157
2. "Lula stopped, but she said, 'You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our'n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?'" —Lee 158
3. "'He in there, Mr. Finch?' a man said. 'He is,' heard Atticus answer, 'and he's asleep. Don't wake him up.' 'You know what we want,' another man said. 'Get aside from the door, Mr. Finch.'" —Lee 202
Chapters 16–20
Scout starts to recognize the seriousness of adult injustice and prejudice while watching Tom Robinson's trial.
Section Details
Key Events
1. The trial of Tom Robinson begins. The court hears a testimony from Mayella Ewell, who accuses Tom of assaulting her.
2. Atticus cross-examines Mayella, which reveals inconsistencies in her story and suggests that her father, Bob Ewell, may be the true criminal.
ThemeTopic
Racism can cause people to ignore evidence and judge others unfairly.
Notable Quotes
1. "A court is only as sound as its jury, and a jury is only as sound as the men who make it up. I am confident that you gentlemen will review without passion the evidence you have heard, come to a decision, and resotre this defendant to his family. In the name of God, do your duty." —Lee 274-275
2. "Which, gentlemen, we know is in itself a lie as black as Tom Robinson's skin, a lie I do not have to point out to you. You know the truth, and the truth is this: some Negroes lie, some Negroes are immoral, some Negro men are not to be trusted around women—black or white. But this is a truth that applies to the human race and to no particular race of men." —Lee 273
3. "'Atticus says cheatin' a colored man is ten times worse than cheatin' a white man,' I muttered. 'Says it's the worst thing you can do.'" —Lee 269
Chapters 21–25
Scout begins to understand the painful gap between how the world should work and how it actually does.
Section Details
Key Events
1. Even with Atticus's defense, the all-white jury finds Tom Robinson guilty of raping Mayella Ewell.
2. Atticus arrived home with news about Tom Robinson's death, as he was shot 17 times by the guards when trying to escape prison.
ThemeTopic
Racial injustice can destroy innocent lives, regardless of how strong the truth is on their side.
Notable Quotes
1. "I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: 'Guilty... guilty... guilty... guilty...' I peeked at Jem: his hands were white from gripping the balcony rail, and his shoulders jerked as if each 'guilty' was a separate stab between them." —Lee 282
2. "In our courts, when it's a white man's word against a black man's, the white man always wins. They're ugly, but those are the facts of life." —Lee 295
3. "'Tom's dead.' Aunt Alexandra put her hands to her mouth. 'They shot him,' said Atticus. 'He was running. It was during their exercise period. They said he just broke into a blind raving charge at the fence and started climbing over. Right in front of them—'" —Lee 315
Chapters 26–31
Scout finally understands and empathizes with Boo Radley, realizing that the person she once feared was actually protecting her all along.
Section Details
Key Events
1. Bob Ewell wants revenge on Atticus for embarassing him during the trial, so he attacks Scout and Jem as they walk home from a Halloween pageant.
2. Boo Radley saves Scout and Jem by killing Bob Ewell, and this is the first time Scout meets Boo in person.
ThemeTopic
True courage and goodness can be in unexpected people and places, and understanding others requires seeing the world from their perspective.
Notable Quotes
1. "To my way of thinkin', Mr. Finch, taking the one man who's done you and this town a great service an' draggin' him with his shy ways into the limelight—to me, that's a sin." —Lee 369-370
2. "Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough." —Lee 374
3. "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." —Lee 376