Uncle Jack Quotes

We saw Uncle Jack every Christmas, and every Christmas he yelled across the street for Miss Maudie to come marry him. Miss Maude would yell back, “Call a little louder, Jack Finch, and they’ll hear you the post office, I haven’t heard you yet!” Jem and I thought this a strange way to ask for a lady’s hand in marriage, but then again Uncle Jack was rather strange.

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 5. Uncle Jack and Miss Maudie had known one another since they were childen and liked to tease each other. He by shouting a marriage proposal to her at Christmas, she by yelling back loudly in a bid to embarrass him.

“Your daughter gave me my first lessons this afternoon. She said I didn’t understand children much and told me why. She was quite right. Atticus, she told me how I should have treated her – oh dear, I’m so sorry I romped on her.”

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 9. Uncle Jack admits to Atticus that Scout has taught him a lesson. Her father has brought her up by instilling in her good values and morals. Here she shows maturity for her age and that she is wiser than her uncle, a grown man.

Bad language is a stage all children go through, and it dies with time when they learn they’re not attracting attention with it.

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 9. Atticus says this to Uncle Jack, after Jack points out that Scout’s use of bathroom invective leaves nothing to the imagination. Atticus believes that it is better to ignore the language, and Scout will grow out of it. Some neighbors think that Atticus is an unqualified parent, but he is a smart and loving father who has a particular parenting style that distinguishes him from a lot of other parents in Maycomb.

But I never figured out how Atticus knew I was listening, and it was not until many years later that I realized he wanted me to hear every word he said.

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 9. Atticus and Uncle Jack have been talking about the abuse the children will face in school because of Atticus defending Tom Robinson. Atticus expresses the hope that the children will come to him for answers to questions. He does not want them infected with the same hatred and prejudice that many Maycomb people have when it comes to issues concerning black people. Another example of Atticus’s good parenting.

“Well how do you know we ain’t Negroes?”
“Uncle Jack Finch says we really don’t know. He says as far as he can trace back the Finches we ain’t, but for all he knows we mighta come straight out of Ethiopia durin’ the Old Testament.”
“Well if we came out durin’ the Old Testament it’s too long ago to matter.”
“That’s what I thought,” said Jem, “but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black.”

– Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 16. Scout wonders about her family history and whether they have negro blood in them. Jem in his answers shows growing maturity and understanding of the issue of racism.
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