To Kill A Mockingbird Chapters 4-6 Key Quotes

Important Quotations Explained CONTEXT- After playing games and daring to get nearer the Radley house, Scout hears a noise QUOTATION- “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.” (45) EXPLANATION- Scout, Jem and Dill have created a version of Boo Radley in their head as a monstrous figure; one who is the villain in every game they play. The idea of him existing frightens but intrigues Scout, and his laughter at the end of this chapter challenges her view of him, unnerving her further

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Miss Maudie is telling Scout about how religion is viewed by the community QUOTATION- “‘You are two young to understand it,’ she said, ‘but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of—oh, of your father.’” (50) EXPLANATION- Miss Maudie makes reference to the Radleys’ beliefs about religion, which cause them to be seen as outcasts and peculiar by the community. She warns of the dangers of fanatical religion, which is a very Christian community such as Maycomb, is almost ironic!

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Atticus scolds the children for harassing Boo Radley QUOTATION- “What Mr Radley did was his own business….he had the right to stay inside free from the attention of inquisitive children….What Mr Radley did may seem peculiar to us, but it did not seem peculiar to him.”(54) EXPLANATION- Atticus reiterates the importance of privacy and highlights the invasive nature of Maycomb as a community. The residents are obsessed with the goings on at Radley place, and here Atticus again shows he is different from the close-minded community of Maycomb

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Jem, Dill and Scout approach the Radley house at night QUOTATION- “Then I saw the shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a hat on…The back porch was bathed in moonlight and the shadow, crisp as toast, moved across the porch toward Jem.” (59) EXPLANATION- Lee creates an almost horror scene here in her description of the dark figure approaching Jem-emphasising the utter fear the children have of Boo, and heightening the tension as this figure approaches Jem

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- The community’s attitude towards gambling QUOTATION- “Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal.” (61) EXPLANATION- In reality, matches are clearly more dangerous than cards; however in religious Maycomb, cards and gambling are seen as signs of moral decay-demonstrating ridiculous priorities and beliefs in small-town Maycomb-they are more worried about the children playing cards than being out alone late at night

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout struggles to sleep due to thoughts of Boo Radley QUOTATION- “Every night sound I heard from my cot on the back porch was magnified three-fold; every scratch of feet on gravel was Boo Radley seeking revenge…insects splashing against the screen were Boo Radley’s insane fingers picking the wirse to pieces.” (62) EXPLANATION- Scout’s fear of Boo has been heightened after her frightening experience that night, and her warped perception of him causes her much distress-Lee adds to the monstrous portrayal of Boo and makes him seem animalistic and savage, dehumanising him completely

Key Quotation Analysis CONTEXT- Scout considering her relationship with Jem QUOTATION- “It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I began to part company. Sometimes I did not understand him, but my periods of bewilderment were short-lived. This was beyond me.”(63) EXPLANATION- Scout reminisces about her relationship-the idea of her and Jem drifting apart confuses her and she longs to be with him. The drifting is a sing of their age gap, and demonstrates the changes as the children age through the novel