This fifteenth chapter of the novel is very important. Harper Lee is trying to show characters in a different way then they are usually displayed in the book. Atticus is surprised to hear the news that Mr Heck brings when he says, "You know how they do when they get shinnied up." (page 165). The mob was formed because of Thomas Robinson's trial. It is the night before the trial, and he is being moved into the town jail. Atticus being his lawyer, obviously wants the best for Tom Robinson. A group of men might want to lynch Tom Robinson, and Atticus puts his own safety in the way. Atticus is sitting by the jail when a group of men pull up in cars. They come up to Atticus and tell him to move. Scout, Jem, and Dill are all hiding in a spot a little while away. When they sense danger, they come out from hiding. Scout comes over and spots Mr. Cunningham the father of Walter Cunningham. She strikes up a small conversation. After this, the mob disperses and leaves Atticus and his children alone.
People do things while part of a mob that they would never do on their own because other people are doing it. usually, there is a ring leader or one person in charged. If one person who one respects does something, someone might join in and do the same thing. This is the concept of peer pressure, and it applies to grown-ups too. Harper Lee chose to have this mob scene because she wanted to show the bravery of Atticus. Atticus sits next to the jail and when someone from the mob tells him to leave, he simply refuses.
Discussion Questions: Do you think Atticus handled the situation well in this chapter? What could he do differently? Were you surprised that Atticus wasn't mad at Scout and Jem for following him?
I was not surprised that Atticus wasn't mad at Scout and Jem for following him. I think Atticus understood that children will be curious, and he knew if he was a child he would have been curious too. Also, Atticus doesn't really get mad or angry at his children, if anything he becomes disappointed. To Scout and Jem having their father be disappointed in them is almost worse than him being angry at them.
ReplyDeleteAtticus handled the situation okay, because although Jem was firm and wouldn't go home, he could have been more affirmative himself. On page 203, an important passage states,"Son I said go home. Jem shook his head. "I'll send him home," a burly man said, and grabbed Jem roughly by the collar. This is important because he just let Jem, Scout, and Dill stay, even though a man threatened them. I think Atticus was upset by the way the man had handled his son, but knew there was no way he was going to get them to go home. I think Harper Lee made Scout, Jem, and Dill stay as another part of Scout's coming of age. Seeing a mob, and seeing the dangers of upsetting people was a big part of Scout's life, and will probably reflect later in the story at some point. Not the whole, seeing a mob, but understanding that people feel differently than Atticus does, and sometimes about her beliefs and ideas too.
Do you think Scout should have stayed, and do you think this situation will help Scout, Jem, and Dill mature further?
By staying behind to face the mob, Scout seemed to slowly reach an understanding that not all people will just sit around and let something happen. She senses her father is in danger, but notices that one of the men surrounding him is the father of one of her classmates. It is a good thing Scout stayed. She helped her father, and demonstrated bravery. Even though she was aware that the conversation she was striking was a little silly, she still stood by her father until the mob left. Scout is gaining bravery, and a better understanding of people around her.
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ReplyDeleteI was not surprised that Atticus was not mad. For the entire book, he has been encouraging them to take risks and do what they want. He was probably proud of Scout for standing up the the mob, as she did not yell at them and instead just talked to them as if she was one of them, like ‘she was walking in their shoes. Harper Lee used this chapter to signify how Scout is maturing, and starting to not only protect herself but also protect her family. This may also be a grim foreshadowing for the fact that she may end up protecting Atticus and Jem from a mob that cannot be turned away by a swift kick and a few harsh words. Harper Lee also represented Scout as acting far older than her age, and this is an important part in the book. She is growing out of way she acts, and soon will be expected to change a lot, and become more like Maycomb. Aunt Alexandria saw this, and this is why she came to Maycomb, to try to prevent her from becoming like her father.
ReplyDeleteShould Scout do this again in the future? What would have the other Maycomb children done in this situation? What would you have done if you were Scout?
If I were Scout, I would have done the same thing as it is what I would have been doing all my life. As shown earlier in the novel, Scout thinks that Atticus could not get along without her. In this instance that is shown because she feels that she has to step in even though Jem and Dill are trying to hold her back. Then, after the man tells Jem to go home, I would also have kicked the man because I would have felt the same way about jem as I would about Atticus.
DeleteI was not surprised that Atticus was not mad at Scout because Scout was just trying to protect her dad and her family. Atticus is a good person and a good father too and I think that he recognized that Scout was being a good person. Harpor Lee is making Scout seem like an adult to us which is showing how Scout is getting a little more mature. Atticus respected the fact that Scout, Jem, and Dill were just being the curious kids that they are which is why they followed Atticus to the jail. Harpor Lee makes Scout seem like an adult to us but we need to remember that she is only a little girl.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised that Atticus was not mad at Scout and Jem. The reason being is that even though they are maturing, there is still a lot more for them to learn about how they should help and when they should try to help. From this experience Scout and Jem will most likely learn more about how to do that. Scout and Jem are also still kids so it makes sense for them to make this mistake. Kids naturally are curious and want to help even if they aren't really helping. I also think that it was a good parenting choice by Atticus, because he knew that Scout and Jem had learned there lesson. Atticus doesn't want to yell at them for something that they already knew. Atticus made the right decision to not get mad at Scout and Jem.
ReplyDeleteAtticus is a very laid back fatherly figure, so when the kids ran out of the house to follow him, instead of getting angry at them for putting themselves in danger and protecting him, he is proud of his kid's resilience and "massages Jem's hair" in admiration and affection. Although it ended up to be possibly life saving, Atticus should have been stricter with Jem when he refused to leave. It is not appropriate for Jem to disobey his father like that and needs to be taught what is right and wrong, especially in front of strangers. Even with a good result Jem needs to learn how to behave.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think of Atticus's parenting style? What do you think of Jem's behavior? What would you have done in a situation like this if you were Atticus?
Atticus is the type of person who knows when he is beaten, but even so he still tries. This is shown when he goes out to sit in front of the jail to defend Tom Robinson against mobs of people whom I assume mean to harm both Tom, and Atticus. Atticus is not mad at Jem, Scout, and Dill for following him after their bedtime because they helped him make the mob go away by just being nice kids. Although Jem should of obeyed his father, and gone home, it was good that Jem could pick up that something out of the ordinary was happening that involved his father. They only wanted to make sure Atticus was alright, and they succeeded in that in more ways than they know.
ReplyDeleteQuestions: What does the fox say?
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