Tug Hart's TKAM Ch. 12 Review

Plot Summary

Scout talks about how Jem is growing up and away from her. Instead of going around making mischief with Scout, he stays home, reads the news paper. After turning 12 years old, Jem seems to grow in wisdom. He is able to decipher hidden messages usually unseen by a young boy’s eye. When Scout tries to start playing games with Jem, he fires back and tells her to leave her alone. Calpurnia explains to Scout that Jem is growing into a man, and is now referring to him as “Mister Jem”. During summer, Atticus is called to the state legislature to work on state spending. When Atticus is at the state capitol, Calpurnia takes care of the children. Calpurnia decides to clean the two children up and take them to her church. When arriving, the children first are inquisitive of where they are going. At first, Calpurnia and the children are treated poorly by Lula, a loud mouthed parishioner, who tells Calipurnia to leave with the children. The other church members greet the children with open arms, proclaiming their father is a hero, and that he is the closest friend to the church. Scout notices that the church itself is unimpressively decorated, and that the there are no hymnal books. She also learns that many of the people do not know how to read, so they listen to Calpurnia’s eldest son, Zeepo, sing and repeat him. Scout also learns that the church has been collecting money to give to Tom Robinson’s unemployed wife, Helen, who has to take care of three children. Scout asks Calpurnia questions, especially about why she uses a different way of speaking when at the Church that is all-black. Calpurnia explains that if she uses her white vernacular in a predominantly black area, she would look like she is trying to show off. Scout and Jem question this, but do understand at the end where she is coming from.

Character Changes and Development:

Jem: has grown in size and mind. After turning 12, he finds he has to grow up to be a man, much like his father. He is wise beyond his years, and is able to see things that are not seen by Scout. The age difference has increased between the two siblings. Calpurnia calls Jem, “Mister Jem”. Cal explains to Scout that Jem has grown up and will want to be in solitude more than he will want to play childish games with her.

Calpurnia: is well educated, but does speak the vernacular of an African American lady when with a predominantly black group. She shows the children a glimpse of the life of the black people in the South.

Scout: seems to be effected mildly by the life style of the African Americans. She is inquisitive about many things she sees at the church. She is also very astonished to find out the limited literacy of the blacks of Maycomb. I think this is Scout’s first glimpse of the actual black community, not the monster that the whites of Maycomb describe it as.

Conflicts: The main conflict introduced in this chapter is the loyalty to the black community by the Finch’s. They are considered traitors to the whites, but in reality, Atticus is defending the just cause.

Scout finally comes to understand why the whites of Maycomb are calling Atticus as a “nigger lover”, and understands that she is becoming ostracized like the rest of her family from the white community.