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Scout's Conflict with Miss Caroline
Scout begins the first grade, and on her first day of school, she has a conflict with her new teacher. Scout is already capable of reading and writing, and her teacher Miss Caroline stated that her father should, "not teach her anymore, it would interfere with her reading." Scout's attitude and feelings towards the situation set the grounds for what type of character she is, showing that she is capable of recognizing when things are wrong and her overall maturity at her age. -
Jem and Scout Find Items in a Tree Hole
In late spring, Jem and Scout find two polished pennies in the hole of a tree outside of the Radley residence. In the fall, they find a spelling medal, a pocketwatch, a chain, and a knife. They feel like the mysterious Boo Radley is leaving these items for them. This is important to the novel because it fuels Scout and Jem's curiosity, and after the hole in the tree is filled by Nathan Radley, they are left with a stronger desire to see Boo Radley. -
Miss Maudie's House Burns Down, Boo Puts Blanket on Scout
After Miss Maudie's house caught fire, Scout and Jem were left watching outside as firefighters attempted to put out the flames. Scout doesn't realize it until later, but Boo Radley placed a blanket around her shoulders to keep her warm. Atticus tells her, "you were so busy looking at the fire you didn't know it when he put that blanket around you" (72.) Though Scout wishes she could've seen him, she appreciates his care and thoughtfulness deep down. -
Jem is Punished for Ruining Mrs. Dubose's Camellias, Mrs. Dubose Dies
In late winter, Jem ruins the old Mrs. Dubose's camellias. Atticus then tells him to repay his debts by reading to Mrs. Dubose. Jem is agitated by it, but does it anyway. Mrs. Dubose dies two months later, and Jem later finds out that it is because of her morphine addiction. He then understood why she was the way she was. This relates to Atticus saying, "You never really know a person until you consider things from his point of view." -
Scout and Jem Stop a Mob at the Jail
Atticus goes to the county jail relatively late at night, causing Scout and Jem to follow him. They then witness four cars pull up, all of which contain men that do not have the best of intentions. After a dispute that could've caused violence, Scout and Jem go into the jail. Scout sees the familiar face of Mr. Cunningham and begins to converse with him. Her innocence causes the men to calm down. This is important to the novel because it shows the youth of Scout during this period of time. -
Tom Robinson is Found Guilty
After a heated trial, Tom Robinson is found guilty. Even after Atticus had proven him to be innocent, the inherent racism within the Maycomb community caused the jury's verdict to render him as guilty. The importance of this event in the novel is that it truly shows how bad racism was during this period of time. Scout, Jem, and Dill are all baffled at how a jury would take a white man's word over an innocent black man's. -
Tom Robinson is Shot While Escaping Prison
Tom Robinson, after being found "guilty," felt that there was no way he could spend his life in jail for a crime he did not commit. He tries to escape the prison and is shot while doing so. When Atticus leaves with Calpurnia to notify Robinson's wife, Aunt Alexandra becomes frustrated with the people of Maycomb for putting the responsibility of doing the right thing on Atticus' shoulders. -
Link Deas Hires Helen, Bob Ewell Stalks Her
Link Deas hires Tom Robinson's wife, Helen. However, he soon finds out that she has to walk a mile or so in the wrong direction to avoid passing the Ewells' house every day. (They'd shout obscenities at her if she did.) Link walks Helen home one day and told Bob Ewell he'd be in jail before he could shut the door behind him. The next day, Bob stalks Helen to work, and Link has to give him a fair chewing-out. -
Jem and Scout are Attacked after Scout's Pageant
Scout participates in her school pageant and performs as a ham. Jem comes as well, and on their way home, they are attacked in the dark by someone they can't see. Scout can't see anything because of her costume, but knows another person had to be present in order to get Jem's attacker off of him. The other person turns out to be the mysterious Boo Radley, who then carries Jem back to the Finch's home. -
Heck Tate Tells Atticus What Happened
After Scout and Jem are back at the Finch residence with Boo Radley, Aunt Alexandra and Atticus ask plenty of questions. As Dr. Reynolds cares for Jem's broken arm and concussion, Sheriff Heck Tate tells Atticus that the attacker was Bob Ewell, and that he'd "fallen dead on his own knife." Atticus is still suspicious of this, because he thought Jem had stabbed Bob Ewell. However, in the end, it appears that Heck Tate is trying to cover that it was in fact Boo Radley who had stabbed Ewell.
