Summary Chapter 9

• a fight almost erupts between Scout and her classmate Cecil Jacobs because he claims that her father Atticus would defend "niggers"
• Atticus is about to defend Tom Robinson as a lawyer and says that although he doesn‘t think he will win the case, he has to try at least because this is what his sense of justice and self-respect demands
• Tom Robinson is a black man who has been accused of raping a white woman
• Uncle Jack is coming to the Finchs‘ house for Christmas
• Scout curses in front of Uncle Jack and he warns her not to swear when he is around
• the Finchs and Uncle Jack visit Aunt Alexandra on Christmas Day at Finch‘s Landing
• Scout doesn‘t feel comfortable at her aunt‘s house, she thinks her cousin is boring and she doesn‘t like the fact that her aunt insists on her dressing like a lady
• the cousin Francis offends Dill and calls Atticus a "nigger-lover" much to Scout‘s disapproval, so she beats him up and curses him
• as a consequence, Scout is being spanked by Uncle Jack without ever listening to Scout‘s explanation
• back in Maycomb, Scout tells Jack everything and he gets furious but promises not to tell Atticus, because Scout has been asked not to fight anyone over what they might call Atticus
• Scout overhears a conversation between Atticus and Jack, Atticus explains that although Tom Robinson is innocent, he is still doomed due to the prejudices that the all-white jury holds over him

Chapter 10

• in comparison to other fathers in Maycomb, Atticus is older which often embarrasses his children
• he doesn‘t behave like the other fathers: he reads and wears glasses instead of going hunting or fishing
• Atticus teaches his children that it is a sin to kill mockingbirds when he gives them air rifles
• one day, a mad dog appears in the street of the Finches‘ house
• Heck Tate, the sheriff of Maycomb, asks Atticus to shoot the dog with a rifle he is handing him
• Atticus does as he is being told and kills the dog from the distance
• Jem and Scout are astonished by their father acting so atypically
• Miss Maudie tells both of them that their father used to be one of the best shooters of the town

Chapter 11

• Mrs. Dubose lives close to the business district of Maycomb
• she is a rather grumpy old lady and Jem is supposed to be nice to her since she is old and sick
• yet, one day she tells Jem and Scout that their father is no better than the niggers annd trash he works for
• Jem looses it and smashes Mrs. Duboses camellia bushes with a bat
• he is being punished by having to read to her every day for a month
• Scout accompanies Jem; the sessions are not very pleasant for the two of them
• every day, Mrs. Dubose makes Jem read longer than the day before by setting the alarm clock for longer than agreed
• Mrs. Dubose dies some time after the reading sessions have ended
• Atticus explains that Mrs. Dubose used to be a morphine-addict and that when Jem started to read to her, she quit taking the drug
• Mrs. Dubose has left a present for Jem: Atticus hands him a box with a single white camellia

Function

• turning point: childish world of Scout is left behind and the storyline focuses on the trial of Tom Robinson
  
  • superstition about Boo Radley and childish games fade away
  • gradual dramatization of the theme of loss of innocence
  • adult problems and worries slowly starts to dominate the innocent world of Jem and Scout
• introduction of the Tom Robinson case
  
  • white Maycomb-citizens are angry with Atticus who is the best lawyer in town for helping the black Tom Robinson
  • Atticus as well as Jem and Scout become targets of the people‘s hatred
  • townspeople who were formerly portrayed in a rather positive manner have now turned sides
  • Southern racist life is revealed and doesn‘t know any limits - even Atticus‘ family turns against him
• introduction of aunt Alexandra who is mostly negatively portrayed
• Atticus‘ parenting style is made visible
  
  • focuses on teaching moral values such as justice, containment and honesty
  • advises his children to avoid fights and to rather practice quiet courage
• first appearance of the mockingbird-symbol
• incident with mad dog
  
  • lets Atticus appear as courageous
  • symbol for Atticus‘ function as guardian from evil forces (such as the dog and the people themselves)
  • in Atticus‘ opinion, courage has nothing to do with weapons
• portrayal of Mrs. Dubose
  
  • represents the wrongness of Maycomb society since she is racist, curses the children and insults Atticus for helping a black man
  • yet, she possesses real courage according to Atticus due to her willingness and her wish to die free of drugs which is why she goes through withdrawal even though she wouldn‘t necessarily have to, knowing that she would die anyway
  • this can be compared to Atticus defending a black man: a hopeless endeavour, yet the right thing to do
• the camellia as a symbol
  
  • Atticus considers the camellia a symbol of Mrs. Dubose essential kindness and forgiveness
  • the white flower both symbolizes the racist attitude of Macomb‘s society but also the purity of Mrs. Dubose‘s soul
  • Jem is not able to acknowledge the symbolical meaning of the gift and rejects it
  • Jem is too immature to understand the fact that a person can both be good and evil and thus, he remains unwilling to admit the goodness of Mrs. Dubose