To Kill a Mockingbird Chapter 24 Summary

It’s the end of August, and Aunt Alexandra is hosting a missionary tea at the Finch house.
Unusually, she’s letting Calpurnia serve, rather than controlling every detail like she usually does.
Doubly unusually, Scout is indoors – Jem is occupied in teaching Dill to swim, and they’re skinny-dipping so they won’t let her come along.
Aunt Alexandra had told Scout to come in when they were having refreshments, but Scout knows that if she gets her dress dirty Cal will have to wash it on top of her tea-related chores, so she decides the kitchen is safer.
Scout offers to help Calpurnia serve, and gets to carry in the silver coffee pitcher.
Aunt Alexandra, pleased that the pink-dressed Scout managed to carry something without spilling it, asks her to join them.
Scout feels her usual nervousness in the presence of a group of ladies, and decides not to speak until spoken to.
Miss Stephanie Crawford asks Scout if she wants to be a lawyer when she grows up; Scout says no, and tries to think of what she does want to be.
Miss Stephanie, in her needling way, says she would have thought Scout would choose the law, since she’s already taken to attending trials.
Miss Stephanie, encouraged by the general laughter that her remark sets off, asks Scout again if she wants to be a lawyer.
Miss Maudie puts her hand on Scout’s, and Scout replies that she doesn’t want to be a lawyer, just a lady.
Miss Stephanie, suspecting she’s being poked back but not sharply enough for her to be able to take offense, says that Scout will have to get used to wearing dresses if she wants to succeed.
Miss Maudie holds Scout’s hand more tightly, and Scout wisely keeps her mouth shut.
Scout takes up conversation with Mrs. Grace Merriweather, who had reported to the group on the Mruna tribe, whom J. Grimes Everett is trying to convert to Christianity.
J. Grimes Everett’s saintly behavior is apparently Mrs. Merriweather’s favorite topic, and she goes on about him at great length.
Eventually Mrs. Merriweather is distracted by a conversation going on next to her
She makes a comment about the need to “forgive and forget,” and to help an unknown woman “lead a Christian life for those children from here on out” (24.36).
Scout asks if she’s talking about Mayella Ewell, but Mrs. Merriweather says no, she’s talking about Helen Robinson (though she doesn’t actually know the woman’s name).
Mrs. Merriweather talks about how distressing it is when the colored help is cranky about something, and how it’s important to remind them that Jesus was never cranky about anything so they should strive to do the same.
Mrs. Farrow replies that there’s nothing white people can do to change the inherent immoral nature of the black man.
Mrs. Merriweather continues that she won’t name names, but there are some “good but misguided” (24.47) people in Maycomb who think they’re helping but are really just making trouble.
Miss Maudie breaks in to say, “His food doesn’t stick going down, does it?” (24.48), and a daydreaming Scout can tell she’s very angry, though she doesn’t understand why.
Aunt Alexandra smoothes things over with more cake, and turns the conversation in less dangerous directions, while also shooting Miss Maudie a thank-you look which Scout notices but again does not understand.
Scout wonders if she’ll ever be able to function in this world of ladies whose rules make so little sense to her, especially compared to the male world.
Apparently while Scout has been musing on gender the conversation has turned back to race, for she tunes in just in time to hear Mrs. Merriweather saying that white people who don’t believe in segregation are hypocrites.
Scout tunes out again to think about what Calpurnia had told her about Tom Robinson: that ever since he went to prison, he’s just given up hoping he’ll ever be free.
Atticus comes home earlier than usual, and he’s not looking too good.
He asks Aunt Alexandra to come to the kitchen with him so they can talk to Calpurnia, and Miss Maudie and Scout follow them.
Atticus tells them all that Tom Robinson is dead – he tried to climb over the prison fence right in front of the guards and was shot, no fewer than seventeen times.
Atticus asks Calpurnia to come with him to break the news to Helen.
After they leave, a stunned Aunt Alexandra and Miss Maudie sit in the kitchen with Scout.
Aunt Alexandra is worried about the effect all this strain is having on Atticus’s health, and mad at the town that puts the responsibility of doing the right thing on his shoulders because they’re too scared to do it themselves.
Miss Maudie says that “the handful of people in this town with background” (24.81) share the principles he’s working to uphold, and are grateful to Atticus for fighting on the side of the angels.
Aunt Alexandra composes herself and they go back in to face the tea party, acting as if nothing is wrong, and Scout joins them in their effort to keep up a ladylike attitude.

Chapter 25

Chapter 23