Chapter 1
Assuage (verb): make (an unpleasant) feeling) less intense.
Apothecary (noun): a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs.
Piety (noun): the quality of being religious or reverent.
Persecute (verb): subject (someone) to hostility and ill-treatment, especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs.
Dictum (noun): a formal pronouncement from an authoritative source.
Chattel (noun): (in general use) a personal possession. The reference to "human chattel" here is a reference to owning a slave.
Impotent (adjective): helpless or powerless.
Taciturn (adjective): (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
Unsullied (adjective): not spoiled or made impure.
Imprudent (adjective): not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash.
Amble (verb): walk or move at a slow, relaxed pace.
Tyrannical (adjective): exercising power in a cruel or arbitrary way.
Entity (noun): a thing with distinct and independent existence.
Contentment (noun): a state of happiness and satisfaction.
Repertoire (noun): a stock of plays, dances, or pieces that a company or a performer knows or is prepared to perform.
Vapid (adjective): offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging.
Malevolent (adjective): having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
Phantom (noun): a ghost; a figment of the imagination.
Morbid (adjective): characterized by or appealing to an abnormal and unhealthy interest in disturbing and unpleasant subjects, especially death and disease.
Nocturnal (adjective): done, occurring, or active at night.
Culprit (noun): a person who is responsible for a crime or other misdeed.
Domicile (noun): a person's resident or home.
Pulpit (noun): a raised platform or lectern in a church or chapel from which the preacher delivers a sermon.
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azaleas |
Predilection (noun): a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something.
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| Hoover Cart |
| In Lee's description of Maycomb, Alabama, she alludes to "bony mules hitched to Hoover carts...." Hoover carts were a means of transportation during the Great Depression. A wagon was hitched to a mule or horse. Hoover, who was widely blamed for America's economic crisis, was also blamed for this lowly form of transport. The insinuation was that people could not afford automobiles or gasoline and were thus reduced to Hoover carts. Lee is establishing that Maycomb was hit hard by the Depression. |
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| A flivver is a car. |
Beadle (noun): a minor parish officer dealing with petty offenders.
Foray (noun): a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid.
Nebulous (adjective): in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.
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| cannas |
Characters
Jeremy Atticus Finch aka Jem: narrator's brother; broke his elbow at age 12 (nearly 13); interested in football; four years older than the narrator; Southerner
Simon Finch: narrator's ancestor who immigrated from England to America; a fur-trapper; an apothecary (similar to an unlicensed pharmacist); a Methodist; settled in Alabama; bought three slaves and settled a homestead on the banks of the Alabama River in a place named Finch's Landing where he raised cotton
Atticus Finch: first broke the tradition of living on the land at Finch's Landing when he attended law school in Montgomery, Alabama; settled in Maycomb, Alabama, the county seat of Maycomb County (where the court house is located); has a "profound distaste for the practice of criminal law"; "Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town [of Maycomb]"
John Hale Finch aka Uncle Jack: Atticus's younger brother (by ten years); studied medicine in Boston
Calpurnia:the Finch's cook; strongly supported by Atticus; worked for the family since Jem was born
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose: lived two doors north of the Finchs
The Radleys: lived three doors south of the Finchs; the house fascinates and scares the children; the house is somewhat dilapidated and poorly cared for; the family keeps to themselves (which causes general resentment among the folk of Maycomb); the family does not attend church, but worships at home.
Arthur Radley aka Boo: is infamous in Maycomb for some trouble he caused as a teenager; after his teen trouble, Arthur is not seen again by citizens of the community for fifteen years (at age 33) when he re-emerges after apparently stabbing his father in the leg with a pair of scissors. After this incident, Old Mr. Radley continues to insist on keeping Arthur at home, and thus no one sees him again for many years.
Old Mr. Radley: according to Miss Stephanie Crawford he "took the word of God as his only law"; thin, leathery man with colorless eyes; ramrod straight posture. According to Calpurnia, Mr. Radley was "the meanest man ever God blew breath into." When he died, his role of patriarch / Arthur-keeper was taken up by his eldest son.
Mr. Radley, the younger: lived in Pensacola until his father's death, but then he returned to the family home.
Miss Rachel Haverford: lived next door to the Finchs; aunt to Dill
Charles Baker Harris aka Dill: nephew to Miss Rachel Haverford; meets Jem and Scout when he's almost seven (a year older than Scout); proud of his ability to read; from Meridian, Mississippi, but his family had roots in Maycomb County; hair as white as snow; blue eyes; no father; very imaginative
The Cunninghams: live in Old Sarum (one of the poorest areas in Maycomb)
Miss Stephanie Crawford: a neighborhood gossip
Jean Louise (Scout) Finch: the narrator of the story; reads at a very young age; doesn't remember her mother
Setting
Maycomb, Alabama: an old town; seat of the county (Garden City is the seat of Nassau County-- that is where the court house is located); tired, dusty town; most people had little money; didn't even have a movie theater ("Don't have any picture shows here...")
According to the narrator, what is the principle recreation in Maycomb?
Questions to Consider
Why does Harper Lee include the historical notes about Simon Finch?
The deep Southern roots of the Finch family are established here. This is a family that can trace its ancestry back to the early days of the American South. The Finch family is part of Alabama through and through. They are deeply-rooted members of the community (this will be important later in the novel).
What do we learn about the children's mother? Do you think this will influence the narrative?
Their mother died when the narrator was only two years old. The narrator claims not to remember the mother and therefore says that she does not miss the mother. Jem, the older sibling, does long for his mother on occasion. The mother, "a Graham from Montgomery," further links the Finch's to the community. The Finch's are born and bred Maycomb County.
What is the name and gender of the first-person narrator?
How old are the children at the beginning of the story?
What literary technique is used in the line, "[The Radley Place] drew him [Dill] as the moon draws water..."?
Chapter 2
Condescend (verb): to do something in a haughty was, as though it is below one's dignity or level of importance.
Apprehensive (adjective): anxious and fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
Indigenous (adjective): originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native.
Secede (verb): withdraw formally from membership in a federal union, an alliance, or a political or religious organization.
Illicit (adjective): forbidden by law, rules, or custom.
Sentimentality (noun): excessive tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia.
Hookworm (noun): a parasitic worm that inhabits the intestines of humans and other animals. It has hook-like mouthparts with which it attaches itself to the wall of the gut, puncturing the blood vessels and feeding on the blood.
Entailment (noun): a settlement over the inheritance of property. Jem's definition is wrong-- clearly he lies to his sister on occasion, perhaps when he doesn't want to admit not knowing the answer.
Vexation (noun): the state of being annoyed.
Mortification (noun): great embarrassment and shame.
WPA: Works Progress Administration, a part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal that provided jobs for people. More information.
Sojourn (noun): a temporary stay.
Characters
Miss Caroline Fisher: Scout's first grade teacher; young (twenty-one, presumably her first teaching position) and inexperienced as a teacher; pretty; from North Alabama (which sided with the North during the Civil War, a fact that every first grader in Maycomb is aware of-- North Alabamians are treated with suspicion and conferred outsider status).
Miss Maudie Atkinson: the Finchs' neighbor (across the street and one house down)
The Cunninghams: live in Old Sarum (one of the poorest areas in Maycomb); the Cunninghams are country folks who "never took anything they [couldn't] pay back." After Atticus helped Walter Cunningham with his entailment, Walter paid Atticus back with whatever he could (firewood, hickory nuts, etc.).
Walter Cunningham: a student in Scout's first grade class; poor; has no shoes although he did wear a clean shirt on the first day of school; has no lunch or money for lunch.
Questions to Consider
What literary technique is used in the line, "the class was wriggling like a bucketful of catawba worms"?
Based on the following line, what can we infer is the time period: "The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash him them hardest"?
Chapter 3
Dispensation (noun): exemption from a rule or usual requirement.
Irk (verb): irritate; annoy.
Hain't (noun): dialect for ghost or haunt.
Cordial (adjective): warm and friendly.
Et (verb): dialect for ate.
Pizened (verb): dialect for poisoned.
Expound (verb): present and explain (a theory or idea) systematically and in detail.
Molasses (noun): thick, dark brown, uncrystallized juice obtained from raw sugar during the refining process.
Erratic (adjective): not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
Tranquility (noun): calm.
Iniquity (noun): immoral or grossly unfair behavior.
Solitary (adjective): done or existing alone.
Flinty (adjective): very hard and unyielding.
Cootie (noun): a body louse (lice).
Furor (noun): an outbreak of public anger or excitement.
Wrought (verb): worked
Contemptuous (adjective): showing contempt; scornful.
Truant (noun): a student who stays away from school without leave or explanation.
Paw (noun): dialect for pa or father.
Contentious (adjective): causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Condescension (noun): an attitude of patronizing superiority; disdain.
Diminutive (adjective): extremely or unusually small.
Fret (verb): be constantly or visibly worried or anxious.
Disperse (verb): go or cause to go in different directions.
Fraught (adjective): (of a situation or course of action) filled with or destined to result in (something undesirable).
Monosyllabic (adjective): (of a word or utterance) consisting of one syllable.
Crackling (noun): the crisp, fatty skin of roast pork.
Fractious (adjective): easily irritated; bad-tempered.
Amiable (adjective): having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner.
Sought (verb): past tense for seek
Magnesia (noun): hydrated magnesium carbonate used as an antacid and laxative (medicine).
Dryly (adverb): in a matter-of-fact or ironically humorous way.
Judicious (adjective): having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense.
Misdemeanor (noun): a minor wrongdoing.
Capital (adjective): (of an offense or charge) liable to the death penalty.
Felony (noun): a crime, typically one involving violence, regarded as more serious than a misdemeanor, and usually punishable by imprisonment for more than one year or by death.
Begrudge (verb): envy (someone) the possession or enjoyment of (something): give reluctantly or resentfully.
Concession (noun): a thing that is granted, especially in response to demands; a thing conceded.
Disapprobation (noun): strong disapproval, typically on moral grounds.
Diction (noun): the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing.
Gravely (adjective): serious.
Discern (verb): perceive or recognize (something).
Sever (verb): divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly.
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| wisteria |
Characters
The Cunninghams: live in Old Sarum (one of the poorest areas in Maycomb); the Cunninghams are country folks who "never took anything they [couldn't] pay back." After Atticus helped Walter Cunningham with his entailment, Walter paid Atticus back with whatever he could (firewood, hickory nuts, etc.).
Walter Cunningham: a student in Scout's first grade class; poor; has no shoes although he did wear a clean shirt on the first day of school; has no lunch or money for lunch. Walter can't pass the first grade because he is pulled from school every year to help his father on the farm.
Calpurnia: the Finch's cook; strongly supported by Atticus; worked for the family since Jem was born; well educated black woman (can read, write, and has excellent grammar). Atticus recognizes the critical role that Calpurnia plays in their household and deeply respects her.
Burris Ewell: has cooties in his hair and is "the filthiest human [Scout] had ever seen"; has no mother and a difficult father; one of many children; only attends the first day of school; has attended the first day of first grade for three years running; rude; mean.
The Ewells: have been "the disgrace of Maycomb for three generations. None of them had done an honest day's work in [Atticus's] recollection." They lived like animals and didn't attend school. Some laws were bent to accommodate them, for instance, Bob Ewell (Burris's father) was permitted to trap out of season because Bob Ewell drank his relief check (Welfare check) and his children were hungry. Although hunting out of season was illegal, the folk of Maycomb didn't want the Ewell children to starve just because their father was an irresponsible alcoholic.
Questions to Consider
What literary technique is used in the line, "my gloom had deepened to match the [Radley] house"?
What advice does Atticus give Scout?
Chapter 4
Auspicious (adjective): conducive to success; favorable.
Fruitless (adjective): failing to achieve the desired results; unproductive or useless.
Loot (noun): goods, especially private property, taken from an enemy.
Tyranny (noun): cruel and oppressive government or rule.
Meddle (verb): interfere in or busy oneself unduly with something that is not one's concern.
Gingerly (adverb): in a careful or cautious manner.
Minute (adjective): extremely small.
Unanimous (adjective): fully in agreement.
Scuppernongs (noun): a variety of grape.
Abominable (adjective): causing moral revulsion.
Discard (verb): get rid of (someone or something) as no longer useful or desirable.
Dreary (adjective): dull, bleak, and lifeless; depressing.
Arbitrate (verb): (of an independent person or body) reach an authoritative judgment or settlement.
Melancholy (adjective): sad, gloomy, or depressed.
Evasion (noun): an indirect answer; the act of avoiding something.
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| Dunce cap: a hat that was worn by students to humiliate them (usually the cap was worn as punishment for the student's perceived stupidity or poor behavior). |
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| camellia |
Characters
Atticus Finch: first broke the tradition of living on the land at Finch's Landing when he attended law school in Montgomery, Alabama; settled in Maycomb, Alabama, the county seat of Maycomb County (where the court house is located); has a "profound distaste for the practice of criminal law"; "Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town [of Maycomb]." Atticus served in the Alabama state legislature for years, each time elected without opposition.
Cecil Jacobs: another child from town; lived at the far end of Scout and Jem's street; walked the long way home from school to avoid the Radley Place.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose: lived two doors north of the Finchs; "neighborhood opinion was unanimous that Mrs. Dubose was the meanest old woman who ever lived."
Questions to Consider
Why is Scout so excited about two pieces of chewing gum?
This was a great treat in the dark days of the Great Depression. Chewing gum was valuable to children because it was a rarity.
What literary technique is used in the line, "The tire bumped on gravel... crashed into a barrier and popped me like a cork onto pavement"?
What literary technique is used in the line, "Jem... could not decline, ran down the sidewalk, treaded water at the gate, then dashed in and retrieved the tire"?
Chapter 5
Aloof (adjective): not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
Benign (adjective): kindly; not harmful.
Tacit (adjective): understood or implied without being stated.
Chameleon (noun): a changeable person.
Pestilence (noun): a fatal epidemic disease.
Benevolence (adjective): well meaning and friendly.
Notion (noun): a conception of or belief about something.
Peril (noun): serious and immediate danger.
Incomprehensible (adjective): not able to be understood.
Placidly (adjective): not easily upset or excited.
Asinine (adjective): extremely stupid or foolish.
Edification (noun): the instruction or improvement of a person morally or intellectually.
Gape (verb): stare with one's mouth open wide.
Quibble (verb): argue or raise objections about a trivial matter.
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| martin (bird) |
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| mimosa tree |
Characters
Miss Maudie Atkinson: the Finchs' neighbor (across the street and one house down): loves nature and gardening; a kindly presence on the street; Scout starts spending more time with her when Dill and Jem exclude her; makes the best cakes in the neighborhood; is a Baptist
John Hale Finch aka Uncle Jack: Atticus's younger brother (by ten years); studied medicine in Boston); practices medicine and has become quite wealthy; lives in Boston; visits every Christmas and jokingly asks Miss Maudie to marry him (they have known each other since childhood).
Charles Baker Harris aka Dill: nephew to Miss Rachel Haverford; meets Jem and Scout when he's almost seven (a year older than Scout); proud of his ability to read; from Meridian, Mississippi, but his family had roots in Maycomb County; hair as white as snow; blue eyes; no father; very imaginative; tells lies / fibs
Mr. Avery: boarded across the street from Mrs. Dubose's house
Chapter 6
Rigid (adjective): unable to bend or be forced out of shape; not flexible.
Dismember (verb):cut off the limbs of (a person or animal).
Malignant (adjective): malevolent; evil.
Bewilder (verb): cause (someone) to become perplexed and confused.
Desolate (adjective): (of a place) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.
Questions to Consider
What literary technique is used in the line, "Miss Rachel went off like the town fire siren"?
What does Scout mean when she says: "It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first began to part company"?
Jem is older and more mature than Scout. He is entering a period of maturity that Scout cannot yet understand. Their parting of company is figurative; they will still be close siblings, but there will be aspects of the world that Jem understands but which will remain a mystery to Scout until she is older.
Questions to Consider
When does Atticus originally suggest that Scout "climb into [someone else's] skin and walk around in it"? [Note: This is a very important theme-building idea throughout the novel.]
What literary technique is used in the line, "Jem waved my words away as if fanning gnats"?
Chapter 7
Breeches (noun): trousers; short pants.
Baffle (verb): totally bewilder or perplex.
Perpetual (adjective): never ending or changing.
Embalm (verb): preserve (a corpse) from decay.
Hoodoo (noun): voodoo; witchcraft.
Whittle (verb): carve (wood) into an object by repeatedly cutting small slices from it.
Vigil (noun): watch
Meditative (adjective): of, involving, or absorbed in considered thought.
Chapter 8
Unfathomable (adjective): incapable of being fully explored or understood.
Aberration (noun): a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected.
Procure (verb): obtain (something), especially with care or effort.
Perpetrate (verb): carry out or commit (a harmful, illegal, or immoral action).
Libel (noun): a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation.
Caricature (noun): a picture, description, or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect. Here, the snowman looks just like Mr. Avery, fat and grumpy.
Dire (adjective): (of a situation or event) extremely serious or urgent.
Questions to Consider
What literary technique is used in the line, "The fire was well into the second floor and had eaten its way to the roof"?
What literary technique is used in the line, "Smoke was rolling off our house and Miss Rachel's house like fog off a riverbank..."?
Characters
Tom Robinson: lives in a settlement beyond the town dump; attends Calpurnia's church; has a reputation for being "clean-living folk"; Atticus is defending him in court
Aunt Alexandra: Atticus's sister
Francis Hancock: Scout and Jem's cousin; a year older than Scout at eight years old; Scout describes him as "the most boring child I ever met." From Mobile, Alabama; a tattletale
Chapter 9
Lineament (noun): a distinctive feature or characteristic, especially of the face.
Ingenuous (adjective): (of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting.
Innate (adjective): natural.
Provocation (noun): action or speech that makes someone annoyed or angry, especially deliberately.
Inevitable (adjective): certain to happen; unavoidable.
Indicative (adjective): serving as a sign of indication of something.
Guileless (adjective): innocent and without deception.
Nocturnal (adjective):done, occurring, or active at night.
Don (verb): put on (an item of clothing).
Trousseau (noun): the clothes, linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage.
Douse (verb): pour liquid over; drench.
Gravitate (verb): more towards or be attracted to a person or thing.
Fanatical (adjective): filled with excessive and single-minded zeal.
Attire (noun): clothes.
Deportment (noun): a person's behavior or manners.
Tentative (adjective): not certain or fixed.
Subdue (verb): overcome, quieten, or bring under control (a person or feeling).
Minister (verb): attend to the needs of (someone).
Tarry (verb): delay leaving a place.
Obstreperous (adjective): noisy and difficult to control.
Gallant (adjective): (of a person or their behavior) brave; heroic.
On tenterhooks is a phrase that means in a state of suspense or agitation because of uncertainty about a future event.
Invective (noun): insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
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| Scout in overalls |
Atticus Finch: first broke the tradition of living on the land at Finch's Landing when he attended law school in Montgomery, Alabama; settled in Maycomb, Alabama, the county seat of Maycomb County (where the court house is located); has a "profound distaste for the practice of criminal law"; "Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town [of Maycomb]." Atticus served in the Alabama state legislature for years, each time elected without opposition.
Nearly fifty and considered old by his children; started his family late in life. The children feel as if they cannot brag about him to their peers. Doesn't have much in common with the hobbies of his peers (he never went hunting, he did not play poker or fish or drink or smoke. He sat in the livingroom and read).
Nearly blind in his left eye, and yet he "was the deadest shot in Maycomb County..." and was nicknamed One-Shot, although he no longer shoots recreationally.
Jeremy Atticus Finch aka Jem: narrator's brother; broke his elbow at age 12 (nearly 13); interested in football; four years older than the narrator; Southerner
Mr. Heck Tate: Maycomb town sheriff
Chapter 10
Feeble (adjective): lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness.
Inconspicuous (adjective): not attracting attention.
Rudiment (noun): the first principles of (a subject).
Mosey (verb): walk or move in a leisurely manner.
Foliage (noun): plant leaves.
Vehement (adjective): showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense.
Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose: lived two doors north of the Finchs en route to town. "She was very old; she spent most of each day in bed and the rest of it in a wheelchair. It was rumored that she kept a CSA pistol concealed among her numerous shawls and wraps."
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| baton |
Chapter 11
Passe (adjective): no longer fashionable; out of date.
Wrathful (adjective): full of or characterized by intense anger.
Apoplectic (adjective): overcome with anger; furious.
