48 pages 1 hour read

John Grisham

A Time to Kill

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1989

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Important Quotes

Quotation Mark Icon

“All I can think about is getting’ my hands on those bastards.” 


(Chapter 4, Page 42)

Carl Lee makes no secret of the fact that he wants to kill Cobb and Willard. He even tells Jake that he may want him as a lawyer if he manages to kill them. Jake reports the conversation to the sheriff but does not believe that Carl Lee will carry out his threat. Importantly, while Carl Lee knows he will need a lawyer if he acts, he also believes that Jake will be able to get him acquitted quickly. 

Quotation Mark Icon

“You big stupid idiot, thought Jake. How could he be confident at a time like this?” 


(Chapter 8, Page 74)

After the shooting, Jake is confused by Carl Lee’s confidence in him. Carl Lee believes that it will be easy for Jake to acquit a black man for shooting two whites in the South, simply because they raped his daughter. Carl Lee’s confidence is based on his relative ignorance of the legal system that will try him. 

Quotation Mark Icon

“This case could make me famous and us a million bucks, in the long run.” 


(Chapter 8, Page 79)

The challenge of Carl Lee’s case excites Jake; he is also hungry for the publicity and opportunities the trial promises to bring. Jake is an ethical lawyer, but he is also eager to increase his profile. The practice of law is a passion, a duty, and a commercial enterprise for the attorneys in the novel, although some take a more mercenary, cynical approach than others.

Related Titles

By John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

A Painted House

John Grisham

A Painted House

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

A Time For Mercy

John Grisham

A Time For Mercy

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Camino Island

John Grisham

Camino Island

John Grisham

Plot Summary

logo

Gray Mountain

John Grisham

Gray Mountain

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Playing For Pizza

John Grisham

Playing For Pizza

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Skipping Christmas

John Grisham

Skipping Christmas

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Sparring Partners

John Grisham

Sparring Partners

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

Sycamore Row

John Grisham

Sycamore Row

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Boys from Biloxi

John Grisham

The Boys from Biloxi

John Grisham

Plot Summary

logo

The Brethren

John Grisham

The Brethren

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Client

John Grisham

The Client

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Confession

John Grisham

The Confession

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Guardians

John Grisham

The Guardians

John Grisham

Study Guide

logo

The Innocent Man

John Grisham

The Innocent Man

John Grisham