CHAPTER+28

In chapter 28 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout attend the Halloween celebration. Mrs. Merriweather has prepared a special pageant that includes several children from the town dressed up as local agriculture products. Scout has been cast as a ham. While waiting backstage for her turn on stage, Scout falls asleep. Instead of entering on cue, she enters in the middle of the grand finale. Mrs. Merriweather gets very mad at Scout and claims that she “ruined her pageant” (258). A humiliated Scout refuses to head home until after the audience leaves. Still in costume, they head off into the dark. Jem keeps stopping her, proclaiming that he hears footsteps behind them. This continues most of the way home. At one point they stop and hear someone “running toward us with no child’s steps.” (261). Both Scout and Jem try to run home before getting caught. However, Scout’s ham costume makes it hard for her to see where she is going while running and she trips. Jem comes back to try to help her and is attacked by Mr. Ewell. In a shocked state, Scout remains on the ground while Jem struggles to free himself from Mr. Ewell’s clutches. The two are saved by an anonymous neighbor, but not until Jem’s arm is broken and he is knocked unconscious. Dr. Reynolds comes to the Finches house and examines Jem while Atticus calls Mr. Heck Tate. After looking upon the crime scene, Mr. Tate goes to the Finch household and tells Atticus the news. Mr. Ewell has been stabbed and killed. This chapter relates to the issues of prejudice and discrimination shown throughout the book. Mr. Ewell hates Negroes, and he hates Atticus for standing up for one. Back in chapter 22, Atticus has an unfortunate run-in with Mr. Ewell, who proclaimed that he would “get him if it took the rest of his life.” (217). He wants to get revenge and does so by trying to kill Jem and Scout. Also, it shows how Jem is growing up. Scout is very unhappy when Mrs. Merriweather tells her she ruined the pageant. “Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things went wrong.” (259). Jem is growing up and is taking the responsibilities of a man as he does. He takes after Atticus and has learned from all the valuable lessons Atticus has taught him. Also, there is a connection between bothering Boo Radley and killing a mockingbird. “High above us in the darkness a solitary mocker poured out his repertoire in blissful unawareness of whose tree he sat in…” (254). Boo Radley is not hurting anyone in any way; he is merely keeping to himself. There’s no reason for anyone to try to bother or hurt him because he has not hurt or bothered anyone else. In Chapter 28, the narrator point of view is evident. Scout is older and looking back on the events of that Halloween. She remembers being scared walking in the dark with Jem. Being a small girl, she was very scared when the events of that night took place.

This could be Scout in her ham costume and Jem walking home.