TKAM – Part 2 Summary
Chapter Events
12 Visit to First Purchase
church with Calpurnia
13 Aunt Alexandra arrives
14 The build-up to the court
case continues; Dill arrives
unexpectedly.
15 Atticus spends the night in
front of the county jail in
order to protect Tom
Robinson; Jem, Scout and
Dill interrupt an angry mob
who confront Atticus
about Tom Robinson.
16 Maycomb’s residents
arrive at the court house
to watch the trial. The
children are fascinated by
Dolphus Raymond.
Significance Themes
Atticus is increasingly preoccupied with the court Racism; injustice; role of religion; growing up.
case; Calpurnia takes on a parental role; the children
experience racial prejudice in the form of Lula’s
hostility.
Scout is confronted by Aunt Alexandra’s traditional Gender; tradition; privilege; growing up; parenthood.
values and is forced to accept a different kind of
parenting style as well as different expectations of
how she should behave as a girl.
Jem and Scout become increasingly aware of the Growing up; Dill’s unhappiness.
interest in the court case. Dill’s sudden appearance
having run away from home reveals his quietly
unhappy home life.
We are reminded that mob justice is a reality. Atticus Justice / injustice; white supremacy; parenthood;
is dismissive of the threat initially, but finds himself in violence; fear.
an awkward, and potentially violent, encounter with
an angry white mob. Scout unwittingly defuses the
situation, by talking normally to Mr Cunningham.
Atticus’s judgement is shown to be flawed and as a
result, he puts his children at risk.
The carnival atmosphere is awkwardly at odds with Maycomb; prejudice; justice / injustice; racial
the seriousness of the court case. We are introduced discrimination.
to a range of Maycomb residents, many of whom are
quite eccentric. Dolphus Raymond (who married a
black woman) is show to be able to avoid the worst
excesses of racial discrimation due to his wealth;
 however, Scout and Jem pity his children for not
belonging in either the black or the white community.
17 The trial begins; Atticus
cross-examines Bob Ewell.
18 Mayella Ewell takes the
stand.
19 Tom Robinson takes the
stand; Dill gets upset.
20 Atticus’s summation;
Calpurnia arrives to take
the children home for
supper.
21 Scout is triumphant when
Atticus agrees to them
returning to the court
house; they are shocked at
the guilty verdict.
22 Jem is upset; despite losing
the case, the black
community is grateful for
Atticus’s defence of Tom
Robinson. Bob Ewell spits
at Atticus.
23 Atticus isn’t afraid of Bob
Ewell; he explains to the
children how the jury’s
prejudice led to Tom’s
conviction. He makes it
clear that it’s never
acceptable to abuse your
privilege in this way. Scout
thinks there’s ‘just one
kind of folks. Folks.’ Jem
 disagrees.
24 Scout helps with Aunt
Alexandra’s ‘Missionary
Circle’ tea; she overhears
the unpleasant and racist
discussion of the Tom
Robinson case. Atticus
arrives with the news that
Tom Robinson is dead.
25 Maycomb quickly loses
interest in the case and in
Tom’s death; Scout realises
how unfair the legal
system is.
26 Scout goes back to school;
she is older and feels guilty
about how she, Jem and
Dill used to torment Boo
Radley. She is confused by
her teacher’s
condemnation of Hitler
and her racism.
27 Time moves on; the court
case is forgotten, except by
Bob Ewell. Jem takes Scout
to the school pageant.
28 Jem and Scout walk home
in the dark; they sense
they are being followed
before they are suddenly
attacked. Jem is badly
injured. Bob Ewell is found
dead with a knife through
 his ribs.
29 Back home, Scout recounts
what happened to them;
she realises that she and
Jem were saved by Boo
Radley, who is standing in
the corner.
30 Atticus initially thinks Jem
killed Bob Ewell and will
have to stand trial; Heck
Tate tells Atticus that it
was in fact Boo Radley;
Heck Tate insists that they
should ‘let the dead bury
the dead’ and spare Boo
the ordeal of the publicity
he would receive for his
heroism.
31 Scout takes Boo home. She
realises that he is kind, but
childlike, and poses no
threat to anyone. The
novel ends with Atticus
going in to sit with Jem
overnight until he wakes
up in the morning.