To Kill a Mockingbird — Chapter 3

About This Passage

Selected for thematic weight (this is the moral center of the entire novel, and Atticus delivers it as something almost casual — a 'simple trick' — which makes it even more powerful), rhetorical sophistication (the metaphor of climbing inside another person's skin is startling enough to lodge in a child's memory), and instructional value for the reader of this novel.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. Calpurnia drags Scout into the kitchen and tells her, 'Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny.' Calpurnia is treating Walter like an honored guest, even though Walter is poor and the Finches are well-off. Why is this kind of treatment important to Calpurnia, and what does it tell us about what Calpurnia thinks 'company' really means?
2. Earlier in this chapter, Jem invites Walter Cunningham to lunch even though Scout has just punched Walter in the schoolyard. Jem talks easily with Walter about football and farming. What does this scene show us about Jem that we did not see in earlier chapters, and how is Jem becoming different from Scout?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide