Professor Bradley Greenburg from Northeastern Illinois University explains Chapter 22 in Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird.
To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 22 | Summary
Summary
Feeling defeated, Atticus, Jem, Scout, and Dill trudge home. Jem in particular is crushed by the verdict because he can't make sense of why Tom was treated so unfairly. At home they find Aunt Alexandra has stayed up to greet them.
Before they go to bed Jem asks Atticus how the jury could have come to this verdict. Atticus admits he also doesn't understand it.
In the morning life picks up where it left off, except for the bounty of food that covers the kitchen table. Calpurnia tells Atticus that she found it all on the back steps that morning: gifts from Tom Robinson's many supporters to show their appreciation for Atticus. The people's gratitude brings tears to Atticus's eyes.
Outside, Miss Stephanie drills the children with questions, wanting to know the latest gossip about the trial. She doesn't let up until Miss Maudie calls her off and invites the children in for cakes. She tries to help the children understand the previous day's events by explaining how Atticus helped the community advance toward something better, even if by only a little bit.
Jem, Scout, and Dill listen but seem unconvinced as they leave Miss Maudie's house. Miss Rachel catches up to them and tells them danger is coming as she herds them back home. Word has spread that Bob Ewell confronted Atticus at the post office, spitting on him and threatening him.
Analysis
Chapter 22 focuses on what the characters take away from the trial and how it might change them. That Aunt Alexandra is waiting up for Atticus and the children to come home shows how much she loves and stands by her family. Unfortunately, her tenderness is far too often buried by her prejudices. A little like Scout's former classmate Burris Ewell, Alexandra is a product of her surroundings. These brief glimpses of a caring Alexandra are rare, but they suggest that somewhere down the line Alexandra might be able to change.
The bulk of Chapter 22 details Jem's reaction to the verdict. Growing up, he's always been exposed to Atticus's steadfast moral code and ability to make rational decisions based on facts—so he feels betrayed by Maycomb when the jury reaches such an illogical verdict. The last thing he says to Atticus the night of the verdict is: "How could they do it, how could they?" This is a subtle but powerful indictment of the town and an important moment for Jem, who is halfway between childhood and adulthood. While he has begun to form his own moral code, he has not yet entirely given up the simplicity and innocence of a child's perspective.
Atticus's reactions to the verdict are informative. While Aunt Alexandra is angry with him for allowing the children to witness the trial, he stands firm that it is important for the children to understand the makeup of their town: "We've made it this way for them, they might as well learn to cope with it." Perhaps Atticus believes that if his children know the cold, hard truth about their community they will be inspired to be catalysts for positive change.
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See Chapter Summaries Chart
Timeline of Events
Summer 1933
Dill arrives and befriends Scout and Jem.
Chapter 1
September 1933
Scout begins school.
Chapter 2
Spring 1934
The children begin finding gifts in the knot-hole.
Chapter 4
October 1934
Knot-hole is cemented.
Chapter 7
November 1934
Tom Robinson is arrested.
Chapter 7
December 1934
Miss Maudie's house burns down.
Chapter 8
February 1935
Atticus shoots the rabid dog.
Chapter 10
Summer 1935
Dill runs away from home and comes to Maycomb.
Chapter 14
Summer 1935
The Finches stop the lynch mob.
Chapter 15
July/August 1935
Tom Robinson's trial begins.
Chapter 16
August 1935
Tom Robinson is found guilty.
Chapter 21
August/September 1935
Tom Robinson is shot trying to escape.
Chapter 24
October 1935
Boo saves Scout and Jem from Bob Ewell's Halloween attack.
Chapter 28
Chapter Summaries Chart
Chapter 1 | To Kill a Mockingbird opens with Scout recalling the events leading up to when her brother, Jem, broke his arm when he w... Read More |
Chapter 2 | September comes and Dill leaves for home in Meridian, Mississippi, just before school starts for Jem and Scout. Scout is... Read More |
Chapter 3 | In the playground Scout takes her frustrations out on Walter Cunningham for the morning's mishaps. Jem stops her, realiz... Read More |
Chapter 4 | The author whisks Scout through much of the school year, which she sums up as no better than Scout's first day. By this ... Read More |
Chapter 5 | As Jem and Dill's friendship grows, Scout finds herself excluded more frequently from their activities. She starts spend... Read More |
Chapter 6 | On the night before Dill returns home at the end of summer, he and Jem plan to peek into the windows of the Radley house... Read More |
Chapter 7 | School starts again and Scout is worried about Jem's quiet demeanor ever since their misadventure at the Radley house th... Read More |
Chapter 8 | The weather turns unseasonably cold in Maycomb, and Jem and Scout get their first glimpse of snow. School is canceled, s... Read More |
Chapter 9 | Christmas is near, and Scout and Jem learn that Atticus has taken the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rapin... Read More |
Chapter 10 | Jem and Scout can't make sense of why people are so critical of Atticus just because of the Tom Robinson case when Attic... Read More |
Chapter 11 | Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose is a nasty woman who harasses Jem and Scout every time they walk past her house. Her behavio... Read More |
Chapter 12 | Summer is back and Jem will be turning 12 in a few weeks. It's apparent that Jem's adolescent angst is starting to show.... Read More |
Chapter 13 | Aunt Alexandra assumes a leading role in the Finch household and Maycomb society. She tells Atticus he needs to instill ... Read More |
Chapter 14 | Scout mentions to Aunt Alexandra and Atticus that she and Jem went to Calpurnia's church with her. While Atticus is amus... Read More |
Chapter 15 | In the week following Dill's appearance, things seem to be looking up for Scout: Dill gets to stay for the summer; she's... Read More |
Chapter 16 | After a run-in the night before at the county jail between Atticus and a mob looking to kill Tom Robinson, the Finch hom... Read More |
Chapter 17 | The trial begins with testimony from Sheriff Tate. Tate says that Bob Ewell came to his office, saying his daughter had ... Read More |
Chapter 18 | The trial picks up with 19-year-old Mayella taking the stand. Like her father and brother, introduced earlier, Mayella i... Read More |
Chapter 19 | Atticus calls Tom Robinson to the stand. Through his questioning Atticus reveals what most everyone knows to be true: To... Read More |
Chapter 20 | In the square Scout and Dill talk with Dolphus Raymond. Raymond has a black girlfriend and several mixed-race children, ... Read More |
Chapter 21 | Calpurnia passes Atticus a note, which Atticus quickly reads. Atticus reports to the judge that the note is from his sis... Read More |
Chapter 22 | Feeling defeated, Atticus, Jem, Scout, and Dill trudge home. Jem in particular is crushed by the verdict because he can'... Read More |
Chapter 23 | Jem, Scout, Dill, and Aunt Alexandra are worried about Atticus when Bob Ewell threatens him the day after the trial. Att... Read More |
Chapter 24 | With summer nearly over, school will soon be back in session. Before Dill has to leave he and Jem go to Barker's Eddy wh... Read More |
Chapter 25 | On the way to Helen Robinson's to inform her of Tom's death, Atticus and Calpurnia come upon Jem and Dill, who are just ... Read More |
Chapter 26 | Once school starts the children find themselves passing the Radley house again. Scout, now in third grade, reflects on t... Read More |
Chapter 27 | By October life begins to settle down for Jem, Scout, and Atticus. Even so, Bob Ewell continues to weigh on their minds.... Read More |
Chapter 28 | When Scout learns that Atticus and Aunt Alexandra can't come to the pageant, she performs her small part for them in the... Read More |
Chapter 29 | Sheriff Tate has Scout relate everything she can remember about the attack. Between her details and the sheriff's examin... Read More |
Chapter 30 | The doctor ushers everyone out of the room. Though nervous, Scout guides Boo through the house to the porch. There the d... Read More |
Chapter 31 | With the legal details settled, Boo makes Scout understand that he wants to see Jem one more time before leaving. Togeth... Read More |
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