CHAPTER+4

In chapter four of //To Kill a Mockingbird// by Harper Lee, something catches Scouts eye on her way back from school. In one of the trees at the edge of the Radley lot there are two pieces of chewing gum sitting in a knot-hole. When Scout is showing Jem the spot where she found the gum earlier she finds that the hole has another package in it and Scout thinks it is someone’s hiding place. Page 34: “Jem, you reckon that’s somebody’s hidin’ place?” Two days later Dill arrives for the summer. Everyone decides that, for a game to play, they are going to roll in the tire. When it is Scouts turn to go Jem pushes her down the sidewalk a little too hard so, Scout and the tire go flying into the Radley’s front yard. Scout runs out of the yard and Calpurnia calls everyone inside for cold lemonade. As they are sitting in the kitchen, Jem thinks of a new game to play, Boo Radley. Page 40: “When it was time to play Boo’s big scene, Jem would sneak into the house, steal the scissors from the sewing machine drawer when Calpurnia’s back was turned, then sit in the swing and cut up newspapers. Dill would walk by, cough at Jem, and Jem would fake a plunge into Dill’s thigh. From where I stood it looked real.” One day when they were playing, they didn’t notice that Atticus was standing there, watching them. When they debate if they should keep on playing or not, Scout thinks about what happened the day she rolled into the Radley yard. Page 41: Through all the head shaking, quelling of nausea and Jem yelling, I had heard another sound, so low I could not have heard it from the sidewalk. Someone inside the house was laughing.” An important theme in chapter four is the beginning of a relationship between the children and Boo. They are curious about Boo and you get the sense when you read this chapter that he is watching them. Chapter four tells about how Scout keeps on finding presents in a tree by the Radley’s front yard, this marks a symbol of friendliness. Harper Lee sets the tone for this chapter as a relaxed environment. They are waiting for Dill to come and it is summer now. On page 34 there is a metaphor that says, “The authorities let us out early the last day of school,” In this sentence she is comparing the authorities to her teachers. The narrator’s point of view is of an adult looking back on her childhood. -Cassi Formolo

This could be the Radley house