To Kill a Mockingbird — Chapter 13

About This Passage

Atticus has been reciting Aunt Alexandra's speech about the Finch family and gentle breeding, and Scout has begun to cry because the words do not sound like her father. When she buries her head in his vest, Atticus sets the speech aside and returns to being himself. The passage shows the moment a parent puts a borrowed lesson down and returns to his own child, and Scout knows it instantly by his hand and his voice.

Narration Prompt

Tell the story of Chapter 13 to a grown-up. Begin with Aunt Alexandra arriving at the Finch house with her suitcase and her ideas about what is best for Jem and Scout. Then tell about Aunt Alexandra teaching Scout about the Finch family, then about the talk Atticus gives in Jem's room, and end with Atticus making a joke about Cousin Joshua to make Jem and Scout laugh again.

Discussion Questions

1. Aunt Alexandra arrives at the Finch house and tells Calpurnia where to put her bag and tells Scout to stop scratching her head. What in the story shows you that Aunt Alexandra is a different kind of family member than Scout is used to, and how can you tell that Aunt Alexandra is not asking for a visit but moving in?
2. Atticus comes into Jem's room and tries to give Jem and Scout a speech that Aunt Alexandra has asked him to give. What in the story makes you think Atticus does not really want to give the speech, and how can you tell that Scout and Jem can hear the difference between their father's own voice and the voice Aunt Alexandra has put in his mouth?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide