Atticus discusses Mrs. Dubose to Jem, "I wanted you to see something about her--I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you se it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do" (Lee 112).
Chapter 12
Jem and Scout attend church with Calpurnia, "'It's right hard to say,' she said. 'Suppose you and Scout talked colored folks' talk at home it'd be out of place, wouldn't it? Now, what if I talked white-folks' talk at church, and with my neighbors? They'd think I was puttin' on airs to beat moses'" (Lee 126).
Chapter 13
Atticus talking to Jem and Scout, "Your aunt has asked me to try and impress upon you and Jean Louise that you are not from run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations' gentle breeding--" (Lee 135).
Scout reflects on how Atticus was not a natural nuturer to his children, "I know now what he was trying to do , but Atticus was only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work" (Lee 136).
Chapter 14
Dill discusses to Scout why he ran away from home, "They just wasn't interested in me...The thing is, what I'm trying to say is--they do get on a lot better without me, I cant help them any. They ain't mean. They buy me everything I want, but it's now-you've-got-it-go-play-with-it...You're not a boy. Boys get out and play baseball with other boys, they don't hang around the house worryin' their folks" (Lee 143).
Historical Context
In Chapters 12 through 15, the written and unwritten rules about family, gender, and class continue to play a significant role in the choices, conversations, and events that take place. However, as readers learn more in these chapters about Tom Robinson, the charges against him, and the rules governing the color line in Maycomb.
Chapter 15
In Chapter 15, Scout and Jem naïvely step between Atticus and a mob that has arrived at the jailhouse to lynch Tom Robinson. Although it is clear that Scout does not understand the situation, her presence and interaction with the leader of the mob, Mr. Cunningham, convinces the men to leave. This is one of the most dramatic scenes of the novel.