TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

CHAPTER 8 AND CHAPTER 9

THEMES
1. RACISM:
Racism is explored as a theme in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. In Chapter 8, Harper Lee
explores the theme of racism through the symbol of the snowman which Scout and Jem make.
The snowman consists of brown mud, to begin with, and Scout says ‘Jem, I ain’t ever heard of
a nigger snowman'. Jem replies with ‘He won’t be black long.' Scout does not realise it, but
she is being racist by using the offensive word ‘nigger.’ This also shows Scout’s innocence
because she is too young to understand what nigger really means and how it is racist. Jem soon
covers the snowman in the snow to make it white.
Harper Lee may be using the symbol of the snowman to show her views about racism and that
deep down all humans are the same. The snowman is black on the inside and white on the
outside and this shows that no one should be labelled 'black' or 'white'; we are all the same
inside. The snowman also highlights the control the white people had over the black people (the
white snow is covering and surrounding the black dirt).
Scout fights with Cecil Jacobs when he announces to their class that Atticus defends black
people. Scout later, asks Atticus if he “defends niggers”, Atticus admits that he does but
cautions Scout to not talk that way. Scout asks if all lawyers defend black people, and points out
that Cecil made it sound bad. The case of Tom Robinson is a matter of honour for Atticus. He
knows he cannot win, but he must take it on or lose his self-respect, the respect of his children
and the respect of those townsfolk whose opinion he values. The casual tone with which Scout
uses a racial slur suggests that she’s not necessarily using it maliciously—rather, she’s parroting
language she’s heard others use. Atticus’ reproof of this language, however, suggests that he
understands that speaking about black people in this way deprives them of dignity while using a
more appropriate term (Atticus uses “Negro” at various points in the novel, which suggests that
this was proper at the time) shows respect. Atticus just hopes that he can get his children through
the ordeal without having them catch ‘Maycomb's usual disease,’ when ‘people go stark
raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up.’Atticus hopes that Jem and Scout
will look to him for their answers rather than to the townspeople.
Atticus wants Scout to ignore the ‘ugly talk’ and keep out of fights. Although he will try to win
the case, he knows that it is hopeless. But the case is, somehow, as Atticus says is a fight
between ‘friends’ and however bitter it becomes ‘they ‘re still our friends and this is still our
home.’ There is little chance of winning the case as African Americans do not have the same
rights or position in the society as whites: it is just a ‘black man’s word against the Ewells.’
Robinson is a black man and is accused of raping a white woman. The white residents of
Maycomb are furious that Atticus, the town’s best lawyer, would choose to help his cause. The
townspeople are unwilling to limit their displays of anger to Atticus himself; Scout and Jem
become targets as well. The town of Maycomb, whose inhabitants have been presented thus far
in a largely positive light, suddenly turns against the Finches, as the ugly, racist underbelly of
Southern life exposes itself. Even members of Atticus’s own family—Alexandra and her
grandson—condemn his decision to defend Tom Robinson.

1
 2. JUSTICE
In Chapter 9, Lee communicates that Atticus doesn't have a chance to win Tom Robinson's case,
bringing the theme of justice to the forefront. Atticus tells Scout that he has to fight a battle he
can't win because it is the morally correct thing to do. Atticus is accustomed to facing no-win
situations. To their delight, he buys both children air rifles for Christmas, but says, "'I merely
bowed to the inevitable.'" Later in the story, Atticus also accepts that Scout and Jem will kill
birds; still, he won't teach them to shoot. Likewise, he accepts the fact that the jury will convict
Tom, but he still gives him a courageous defence. (Ironically, the Finch family owned slaves at
one time, making Atticus' defence of Tom much nobler.)
Lee foreshadows how the jury will treat Tom in Scout's confrontation with Uncle Jack. Uncle
Jack punishes Scout without first hearing her side of the story. In her "trial," she was guilty until
proven guilty. However, unlike Tom Robinson, Scout does win on appeal when she tells her
uncle, "'you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it — you just lit right
into me,'" at which point he does listen to her story. Lee adeptly helps readers understand how
Tom feels by having a child experience the same emotions. Scout has a well-developed sense of
fairness and expects fair dealings because that is how Atticus has always treated his children. It
is important to hear two sides of an argument, not to make assumptions and fight for one’s belief.

CHARACTER OF AUNT ALEXANDRA

Alexandra Finch Hancock, otherwise known as Aunt Alexandra, is the formidable matriarch of
the Finch family. She is the sister of Atticus Finch and aunt to Scout (the book's narrator) and
Jem. Aunt Alexandra lives at Finch Landing, the family homestead, with her husband Jimmy.
According to Scout, Jimmy is a quiet man who largely stays out of Aunt Alexandra's way.
Aunt Alexandra is introduced in chapter 9 when Scout, Jem, Atticus, and Uncle Jack pay a
Christmas visit to the Landing. Scout does a pretty good job of painting a clear picture of Aunt
Alexandra before the holiday encounter, but Aunt Alexandra far surpasses expectations. She has
plenty to say about how Scout behaves and how Atticus is raising her, leading her to eventually
move in with their family in Maycomb.
One of the biggest sources of conflict for Scout is her relationship with her aunt. Aunt Alexandra
is everything a Southern woman should be: she's poised and well-mannered, not to mention a
stickler for prim and proper fashion. Even in the crippling heat and humidity of the Deep South,
Aunt Alexandra still applies aggressive amounts of makeup and insists on wearing a corset.
Scout, on the other hand, is a tomboy, thisfact leads Aunt Alexandra to wage all-out war on
Scout's boyish and often wild ways:'Aunt Alexandra was fanatical …of my attire… I should
be a ray of sunshine in my father's life…'Aunt Alexandra does her absolute ‘best’to convert
her niece into a 'proper' young lady. Their near-constant conflict emphasizes just how strict and
rigid Aunt Alexandra is.