Scout's Fight with Cecil Jacobs

Cecil Jacobs announces in the schoolyard that Scout's father 'defends niggers.' Scout, remembering Atticus's plea to hold her head high and keep her fists down, walks away from the fight for the first time. She feels noble for three weeks, but the taunt stings. Atticus explains to Scout that he is defending Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape, and that he must do so to maintain his integrity and self-respect. He tells her that no matter how bitter things get, the townspeople are still their friends and this is still their home.