To Kill a Mockingbird: Chapter 28 Summary & Analysis

The weather is unusually warm, but there’s no moon. Scout and Jem are no longer afraid of Boo Radley, but they laugh about the silly superstitions they used to believe in. They listen to a mockingbird as Scout trips on a root on their way into the schoolyard. Scout can’t see anything, but Jem says he can tell they’re under the oak tree because the ground is cool. They work their way across, and as they get close, Cecil Jacobs leaps out and scares them. At the auditorium, Scout and Cecil enjoy the booths until another student calls them to come backstage.

Backstage, Scout discovers that someone smashed her costume. Mrs. Merriweather fixes it and shoves Scout inside. Scout and Cecil sit and listen to Mrs. Merriweather narrate the history of the county, beginning with the first white settler and with lots of time given to Colonel Maycomb’s exploits. It’s boring, so Scout falls asleep. Scout doesn’t wake up until she misses her cue and runs onstage to catch up with everyone else, which Judge Taylor finds hilarious. Mrs. Merriweather accuses Scout of ruining her pageant, but Jem makes Scout feel better. They start home, Scout still wearing her costume.

Jem grabs the hock end of the ham to help steady Scout in the dark. Scout realizes she forgot her shoes, but they see the auditorium lights go out before they can go back. Jem starts to say something but doesn’t finish. He admits a minute later that he thinks he heard something. Scout teases him, but she understands that he’s not joking. They stop and listen, but they don’t hear anything. Jem insists it must be Cecil following them—the stripes on the ham costume are reflective and easy to see. Scout turns and shouts an insult at Cecil, but Cecil doesn’t acknowledge it. This isn’t like Cecil.

Jem stops Scout and softly asks if she can take off her ham costume. She can’t, so they decide to leave it on. Jem insists he’s not afraid and they’re almost to the road. They shuffle slowly and Scout can hear that whoever’s following them sounds like they’re wearing thick pants and heavy shoes. She feels the cold sand and knows they’re near the oak. They stop, but their follower rushes them. Jem shouts for Scout to run, but Scout falls. Jem pulls her up and holds her steady as they run, but near the road, Jem falls back and Scout hears a crunch and Jem scream. Scout runs into their attacker’s stomach and he begins to choke her. Suddenly, her attacker flies backwards. Scout realizes that there are four people under the tree.

Scout hears a man breathing heavily and pulling something to the road. She begins to look for Jem but only finds a man who smells like whiskey. Scout wanders toward the road and sees a man carrying Jem to her house. Atticus ushers him in, Aunt Alexandra receives Scout, and they call for Dr. Reynolds and Mr. Tate. Scout asks if Jem is dead, but Atticus assures her he’s just unconscious. Aunt Alexandra extricates Scout from her costume. Dr. Reynolds arrives.

Mr. Tate arrives as Dr. Reynolds leaves, and he and Scout enter Jem’s room. Atticus explains that Dr. Reynolds put Jem out to keep him comfortable. Scout sees the man who brought in Jem, but she doesn’t recognize him. Mr. Tate asks everyone to sit down, except for the man who brought Jem in. Mr. Tate says that he found Scout’s dress, pieces of her costume, and Mr. Ewell, dead with a kitchen knife in his ribs.