Chapter 13 Flashcards
The first thing Aunt Alexandra does when she arrives at the Finch home is to command Calpurnia to take her bag into her bedroom. What does this suggest about Alexandra’s attitude toward African-Americans?
Aunt Alexandra views African-Americans as servants. She expects them to follow her commands without question.
What reason does Aunt Alexandra give for her visit?
She claims that she and Atticus decided Jem and Scout needed “feminine influence” (145). In other words, they needed a mother.
“‘Your aunt’s doing me a favor as well as you all. I can’t stay here all day with you, and the summer’s going to be a hot one.’” (146)
What might Atticus mean when he says the “summer’s going to be a hot one”?
Atticus is referring to the Tom Robinson case and the effect the trial is going to have on the town; especially the effect it will have on the Finch family. It is likely that Atticus has requested Aunt Alexandra’s presence to help him protect the children from rumors and possible violence.
Describe Aunt Alexandra.
The answer to this is contained on pages 146 and 147.
Aunt Alexandra is described as a virtuous, moral person who objectively, and without question, upholds any moral that comes along. She was raised to understand Society and possesses excellent manners. However, she is also an “incurable gossip” and has negative opinions of every family in Maycomb except for the Finches.
The Ewell’s are mentioned in this chapter when Jem suggests that if owning and settling upon land is all it takes to be good people in Maycomb, the Ewell’s must be “fine folks, then” (147). Why would Harper Lee mention this?
She is establishing the idea that, even though the Ewell’s are pretty awful people, they are well-respected by Society simply because they’ve been in Maycomb for a long time. Jem’s comment also suggests that the most important thing besides land is the color of one’s skin. That is, as long as one is white, it doesn’t matter if they live near a dump on government-owned land.
How well does Aunt Alexandra fit into Maycomb?
“Aunt Alexandra fitted into the world of Maycomb like a hand into a glove” (149).
Why does Atticus ask Jem and Scout to listen to Aunt Alexandra?
Because of the trial, Atticus doubts himself and feels he might be doing a poor job by his children. He feels that having some respect for their family history might be important.
What is Scout trying to ask when she says, “‘Atticus, is all this behavin’ an’ stuff gonna make things different? I mean are you–?’” (152).
Scout is trying to ask Atticus if he is dying. Atticus reassures her and says it’s too early to start worrying about that.
When Scout asks Atticus if he really wants her to remember everything about the Finch family, Atticus replies, “‘I don’t want you to remember it. Forget it’” (152). What does he mean?
Atticus thinks better of asking his children to listen to the history of the Finches who aren’t the best role models. He decides to tell his children that he’d rather they not try to be like their Finch ancestors; to instead be exactly who they are.
“I know now what he was trying to do, but Atticus was only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work” (152).
Explain what Jean Louise means when she narrates the quote above.
Jean Louise is suggesting that Atticus was trying to make them feel better about the situation with Aunt Alexandra but that comforting children is really a woman’s job. On the surface, this seems sexist but it isn’t. Jean Louise is simply acknowledging the need for both a woman and a man in a child’s life.
