CHAPTER+9

In chapter 9 of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird, you begin to recognize some of the struggles that Jem and Scout go through, especially Scout. Scout is trying everything to stop Atticus from sending her to school, from using cuss words that she had learned at school and fistfights that seem to end in her favor. Harper Lee also begins to describe the rest of Scouts distant family and how they react to Atticus’s strange way of bringing up his children. But the even bigger struggle is that everyone is saying things about Atticus because of his trial, in which he is defending a Negro. “…People from school call her father things, and even at Christmas, Scout’s own cousin tells her that he is a disgrace to our family and is a nigger-lover. While visiting with her Aunt Alexandra, there Christmas was not to jolly, though Scout’s favorite Uncle Jack was there. She was mean and did not like the way Scout wore pants and “ran wild”. But what made up for her personality was her cooking. I think it is the symbol of this Chapter because it is the comprimise through all of the struggle. Since Jem was old enough to talk with the parents, Francis and Scout were stuck together. To Scout, this was torture. She thought Francis the most boring child she had ever met and they disagreed on every topic. While these two were stuck together, the name exchanging occurred. Francis called Atticus a nigger-lover and that he was a disgrace to the family, that they could never walk in Maycomb for such an embarrassment. “If Uncle Atticus lest you run around with stray dogs, that’s his own business, like Grandma says, so it ain’t your fault. I guess it ain’t your fault if Uncle Atticus is a nigger-lover besides, but I’m here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the family-“ Scout chases him around the back yard trying to throw a punch at him and calling him something I would rather not type. After a while, Ahttp://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/images/christmas%20food3.jpgunt Alexandra comes out and asks what happened. Francis says that Scout is keeping him locked in the kitchen outside but she tries to stick up for herself. She only believes Francis. But when Francis finally comes out of the kitchen, Scout is on top of him and hits him once, straight in the mouth. But before she could hit him a second time, the whole family was outside and pulling Scout off Francis and yet again, they only hear Francis’s side of the story and completely ignore Scout’s pleading to listen to her. Later, when Uncle Jack Jem, Atticus, and Scout went home, Uncle Jack comes into Scout’s room and tries to talk to her. She tells him, “You’re real nice, Uncle Jack an’ I reckon I love you even after what you, but you don’t understand Children much…. [Y]ou never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it-you just lit right into me.” And later that evening Scout overhears her father and Uncle Jack speaking, “No, the answer is she knows I know she tries. That’s what makes the difference. What bothers me is that she and Jem will have to absorb some ugly things pretty soon. I’m not worried about Jem keeping his head, but Scout’d just as soon jump on someone as look at him if her pride’s at stake.” What does this mean? Is Atticus’ case getting more brutal? Will Scout be able to hold back for her father, to hear things that will hurt her and her family and not bring up a fist to meet it? http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/images/christmas%20food3.jpg This is a picture that could be Aunt Alexandra's food. Sorry, it refused to drag onto the page or copy and past.