To Kill A Mockingbird Chapter 1 Key Quotes

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout describing her hometown QUOTATION- “Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it…Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum”(pg 5) EXPLANATION- Scout emphasizes the slow pace, Alabama heat, and old-fashioned values of the town. Conveys Maycomb as a sleepy Southern town-”tired”; narrative perspective-”I first knew”-tells reader Scout is reflecting on her childhood as an adult

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout and Jem’s argument QUOTATION- “We were far too old to settle an argument with a fist-fight, so we consulted Atticus. Our father said we were both right.” (pg 3) EXPLANATION- Atticus is seen as a fair figure and good judge of right and wrong-introduced as moral compass of novel in first description. Loves both children equally

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout describes Atticus’ first job as a lawyer QUOTATION- “his first two clients were the last two persons hanged…Atticus had urged them to accept the state’s generosity allowing them…to escape with their lives…there was nothing Atticus could do…except be present at their departure…that was probably the beginning of my father’s profound distaste for the practice of criminal law.” (pg 5) EXPLANATION- Suggests that Atticus is unfortunate; fought hard for his case; fights for minorities-foreshadows Atticus’ major case in the novel; suggests Atticus is tired of his profession, sees little real justice

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout describing her hometown QUOTATION- “There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County.”(pg 6) EXPLANATION- Maycomb is unsocial, lacks money and is a dull place to live-represents Southern states after the Great Depression-unemployment is high and little opportunities

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Description of Maycomb county QUOTATION- “But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.”(pg 6) EXPLANATION- Seen as a place with nothing to be excited for, so nothing to fear. Optimism after Great Depression means things can only improve for the poor community

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout describing her relationship with Calpurnia QUOTATION- “Our battles were epic and one-sided. Calpurnia always won, mainly because Atticus always took her side…I had felt her tyrannical presence as long as I could remember.” (pg 6) EXPLANATION- Scout emphasises the heated and intense arguments that she always loses with Calpurnia. She also explains the reason for this is due to Atticus’ bias towards Calpurnia-favours her

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Describing how people view the Radleys QUOTATION- “People still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions. A Negro would not pass the Radley Place at night…A baseball hit into the Radley yard was a lost ball and no questions asked.” (pg 9) EXPLANATION- Scout describes the superstitious attitudes towards the Radley home and how the community avoids it; examples show how different members of the community are joined in their fear of the Radleys

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout gives more history about Radleys and their interactions within the community QUOTATION- “The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgiveable in Maycomb. They did not go to church, Maycomb’s principal recreation.” pg 10 EXPLANATION- Scout shows how traditional Maycomb is and how important traditional values of church and socialising are-Radleys seen as outsiders for not conforming

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout describing the Radley house QUOTATION- “The old house was the same, droopy and sick” (pg 16) EXPLANATION- Paints a picture of the Radley’s old, dark house, showing how frightening and creepy it is-personified-house is as twisted as the family inside