Six Quotes from To Kill a Mockingbird

By Christine Krieber

1.       “-Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it,” said Atticus page 30.

This quote is important because it describes one of the many themes of To Kill A Mockingbird. It describes that before you judge a person on what they appear to be like you should get to know them and experience things from their point of view.

2.       “I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it’s mortifying,” said Jem page 38.

          This quote is important because it shows that Scout was treated like a boy because she did everything opposite of what the “Maycomb lady” was supposed to do. Everyone in the town thought of Scout as a boy because she hung out with her brother Jem and neighbor Dill instead of hanging out with young ladies and talking about gossip.

3.       “Mr. Radley said that he shot at a Negro in the collard patch,” Miss Maudie replied.

 “When it really was a white person but he thought that white people wouldn’t do that.”

          This quote is very important because it shows that even though Mr. Radley didn’t see that it was a black person in his collard patch he assumed that it was because he thought a white person would never do such a thing. This quote shows that people can accuse someone else of doing something, even when they know they didn’t, just because they don’t like them.

4.       “I am simply defending a Negro-his name is Tom Robinson,” replied Atticus page 75.

          This quote is important because it shows that Atticus is one of the few in Maycomb that is not prejudice. He will do his job and stand up for the people that others may dislike.

5.       “His name is Arthur Radley and he is alive,” Miss Maudie page 43.

          This quote is important because Miss Maudie is like Atticus in that they will both stand up for others and they don’t look at the blacks like they are inferior. The children were making fun of Arthur Radley and so miss Maudie explained to them that Arthur was a person too and they shouldn’t judge him because he stays in his house all the time.

6.       “…if I didn’t I couldn’t hold my head up in town, I couldn’t represent this country in the Legislature, I couldn’t even tell you or Jem not to do something again,” Atticus explained to the children.

          This quote is important because it talks about how Atticus is very proud of his job and he doesn’t care what other people think or say. Attics wants to keep his dignity and respect from the town if he backed down from the case, he would lose it.

7.       “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radleys stayed shut up in his house all this time…it’s because he wants to stay inside,” states Jem page 227.

          This quote is important because it is foreshadowing what is coming. Boo wants to stay inside away from all the gossip and disputes between the blacks and whites.

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