To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 6-11

Chapter 6 Spying on Boo

Adventure at Night It is Dill’s last night in Maycomb before he returns home to Mississippi The kids decide to spy on Boo Radley Why do they wait until this night? No one could see them at night Atticus was involved in reading a book It was easier to see into a dark house in the dark If Boo killed them, they’d miss school instead of summer vacation

Danger Awaits Scout warns Jem and Dill that it is too dangerous Jem’s reply (page 52) “I declare to the Lord you’re getting’ more like a girl every day!” Scout takes this statement as an insult They go to the Radley backyard. The gate is stuck so they spit on the hinges to prevent it from squeaking The yard is full of chickens—this poses a problem as they could set off an alarm

Behind the Radley House There are two doors in the back and a window Scout and Jem boost Dill up to look in the window. He can’t see anything They go to the back step; it squeaks. They see a shadow of a man with a hat on They run off and gun shots are fired over their heads

Stuck in the Fence Jem’s pants get caught in the barbed wire fence. He ends up leaving them there All the neighbors are out front. Nathan Radley (Boo’s older brother) is standing with his shot gun. He thinks he shot a Negro trying to steal collard greens from his garden Jem has no pants on (Miss Rachel notices). Dill makes up a story that he won Jem’s pants in a game of strip poker After everyone goes to bed, Jem gets up and goes back to get his pants

Chapter 7 Pants and Presents

Jem’s Pants School begins. Scout is now in second grade. Not much has changed Jem relates what happened when he went back to get his pants They were mended, but like a child would have done. They were folded over the fence like they were waiting for Jem to come and get them Who fixed Jem’s pants?

Presents in the Tree Jem and Scout find more presents in the knot hole in the tree: a ball of twine (string), a package of gum, a spelling medal, 2 soap dolls that look like Jem and Scout and a pocket watch that does not work with a pocket knife attached Who is leaving things in the knot hole for Jem and Scout? Scout and Jem decide to write a thank you note

Message Center Averted When they go to leave it in the knot hole, the knot hole is filled with cement Nathan Radley plugged up the knot hole with cement Nathan Radley says he is filling up the knot hole because the tree is dying. When Jem asks Atticus he tells her it is not because the branches have new shoots

Chapter 8 Fire and Ice

Snow in Maycomb Unusual occurrence in Alabama—it snows! School is canceled and the kids make a snowman that looks like Mr. Avery (a large man who lives at Miss Maudie’s boarding house). Atticus tells them to change it They make it into a woman

Fire at Miss Maudie’s Miss Maudie’s house burns down that night Atticus sends Jem and Scout to stand in front of the Radley house for safety All the adults are helping out with the fire

A Blanket for Scout Someone put a blanket around Scout as she stood looking at the fire—who? Atticus says “. . . looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight in one way or another. “ (72)

Racial Slurs and Christmas Chapter 9 Racial Slurs and Christmas

A Talk with Atticus Scout fights with Cecil Jacobs at school because Cecil said Atticus defended Niggers (racial slur) Atticus scolds Scout for fighting He explains he is defending a Negro man named Tom Robinson

Working on the Case Most of the town believe that Atticus should put no effort into defending Tom Robinson The case has been postponed until the summer Gives Atticus time to build a defense Atticus is not prejudiced like the rest of the town He tells Scout to back down from another fight with Cecil

Christmas Christmas comes and Uncle Jack (Atticus’s brother, a doctor) comes to stay Scout and Jem get air rifles for Christmas The family goes to Finches Landing for Christmas

Finches Landing Aunt Alexandra (Atticus’s sister) and her husband Jimmy are running the family farm Their grandson Francis (a snotty little boy) stays with them Aunt Alexandra believes that Scout needs to act and dress like a girl

Telling Her Side Francis calls Atticus a Nigger Lover He and Scout get into a fight Uncle Jack punishes Scout without getting the whole story. She does get to tell her side once they get back to Maycomb. Scout tells Uncle Jack he is unfair Scout needs to learn to control her temper. She is very proud She has a strong love of family

Troubles Ahead Atticus and Jack talk about the case Atticus knows he is going to lose because of the racial prejudice that exists in the town. It is a black man’s word against a white woman’s word He knows the jury will be prejudiced Atticus also knows the case will affect Scout and Jem

Chapter 10 “One-shot Finch”

Boring Dad Children’s perspective of their father is presented in this chapter: Atticus is old (almost 50) He wears glasses He won’t play tackle football like the rest of the fathers He works in an office (not exciting) He doesn’t hunt or fish He doesn’t play poker He reads every night in the living room

Symbol and Theme Atticus would not teach them to shoot their air rifles. He wants them to shoot at tin cans He tells them they can shoot blue jays but not mockingbirds Symbol: mockingbird Theme: “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird” Who are the mockingbirds in the novel?

Theme “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Miss Maudie Atkinson

What Atticus Can Do Miss Maudie tries to convince Scout that Atticus can do things: He can make a will airtight (unbreakable) He is the best checkers player He is the best jew’s harp player

Waiting for the Kill Incident with the rabid dog (Tim Johnson is the dog’s name) The dog is twitching and walking slowly down the road Calpurnia calls the neighbors and Atticus Atticus and Sheriff Tate arrive

One-shot Finch Sheriff Tate tells Atticus to shoot the dog Atticus shoots the dog in one shot The children learn Atticus’s nickname when he was young was “One-shot Finch” This impresses Jem and Scout. Jem states he wants to be just like Atticus when he grows up.

Chapter 11 Mrs. Dubose

Mrs. Dubose Mrs. Dubose is the mean, old lady who lives on Jem and Scout’s street She has a Negro housekeeper She is very ill (dying) She always taunts Jem and Scout Tells them they will never amount to anything Atticus tells them to ignore her

Taunted by Mrs. Dubose Jem gets money for his twelfth birthday and decides to go to town to spend it. As they pass by Mrs. Dubose’s house, she tells them that “they’ll never amount to anything except waiting on tables” She taunts them further by telling them Atticus is “lawin’ for niggers”; this shows her prejudice

Trashing the Garden On the way home, Jem takes the baton he bought for Scout and trashes the camellias in her garden Jem knows he will get in trouble for his actions

Reading as a Punishment As his punishment, he must go daily (except Sunday) for two hours/day for a month to read to Mrs. Dubose At first she pays attention, but as the days go by, she begins to pay less attention. At the end, she is back to paying attention again

Morphine Addict Mrs. Dubose finally dies We learn she was a morphine addict and did not want to die addicted to the drug. She was using the reading sessions to wean herself off the morphine She wanted to die beholden to nothing or no one

Forgiveness She sends Jem a boxed camellia to tell him she forgave him Atticus considers her one of the bravest people he knows