TKAM Chapters 7-8 Discussion
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Passage #1 – Opening paragraph of chapter 7
“Jem stayed moody and silent for a week. As Atticus had once advised me to do, I tried to climb into Jem’s skin and walk around in it: if I had gone alone to the Radley Place at two in the morning, my funeral would have been the next afternoon. So I left Jem alone and tried not to bother him” (78).
I agree with Zoe because scout is putting himself in others people persecutive about what they talked about.
I agree with Megan, Scout is trying to be nicer and more empathetic. She does not know what happened to Jem. Jem has been acting weird and Scout wants to be there for him.
Scout is beginning to branch off and realize things for herself without relying on Jem.
Passage #2 – Jem’s reaction to the knothole being filled by Nathan Radley
“Is that tree dyin’?”
I think Jem is asking the question to further find out who was leaving things in the tree. When Atticus tells him it doesn’t look like it, Jem starts to put together the pieces in his head. He’s hiding something from Scout, and I think it has to do with with whoever is leaving the gifts in the tree.
he is putting the pieces together concerning the tree and whoever is leaving the gifts.
“Why no, son, I don’t think so. Look at the leaves, they’re all green and full, no brown patches anywhere-“
“It ain’t even sick?”
“That tree’s as healthy as you are, Jem. Why?”
“Mr. Nathan Radley said it was dyin’”
A common theme throughout the book has been a fear of the Radley Place. The kids find it very suspicious when cement has covered the hole that they have found many small treasures in. When they find out the tree is not dying, they get very suspicious and fearful of why Mr. Radley would want to cover the hole up. They suspect that he must know more about the small treasures left in the tree than Scout and Jem know.
No one has ever been sure about the Radley place.Once they found out a tree has been covered up they suspect something else has happened including treasure.
She’s asking more questions and making more observations with what she sees.
“Well maybe it is. I’m sure Mr. Radley knows more about his trees than we do.” Atticus left us on the porch. Jem leaned on a pillar, rubbing his shoulders against it.
I agree with what you said Natalie. Even in previous chapter we see how Atticus sees the best in people. For example, Atticus gave sympathy to Miss Caroline when she forced Scout to stop reading at home
“Do you itch, Jem?” I asked as politely as I could. He did not answer.
I agree with Zoe, Jem is slowly drifting away from Scout. He hides all of his emotions from Scout and won’t tell her whats wrong.
“Come on in, Jem” I said.
“After while.” He stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying, his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heard him (84).
Jem is the kind of boy who follows “social norms” so I believe he didn’t want anyone to know he was crying, so he told her he’d be inside after a while and had a moment to himself. Also, he looks up to Atticus, and Atticus has many moments alone. Maybe he is learning that it’s okay to be alone.
I think Jem is starting to mature a lot and he wants to appear the same way to Scout. He may not want to give up the childlike fun he has with her, but he is also being exposed to more real world problems
Passage #3 – Passage from Chapter 8 - After the fire, when Atticus questions Scout about the blanket she is holding
As we drank out cocoa I noticed Atticus looking at me, first with curiosity, then with sternness. “I thought I told you and Jem to stay put,” he said.
“Why, we did. We stayed-“
“Then whose blanket is that?”
“Blanket?”
“Yes ma’am, blanket. It isn’t ours.”
“I looked down and found myself clutching a brown woolen blanket I was wearing around my shoulders squaw-fashion.
“Atticus, I don’t know sir, . . . I-”
I turned to Jem for an answer, but Jem was even more bewildered than I. He said he didn’t know how it got there, we did exactly as Atticus had told us, we stood down by the Radley gate away from everybody, we didn’t move an inchJem stopped.
“Mr. Nathan was at the fire,” he babbled, “I saw him, I saw him, he was tuggin’ that mattress-Atticus, I swear . . .”
I think this point in the book supports the common theme of mystery because you don’t know if Jem is making up stuff because he is a kid, or if he is telling the truth about seeing Mr. Nathan at the fire.
“That’s all right, son.” Atticus grinned slowly. “Looks like all of Maycomb was out tonight, in one way or another. Jem, there’s some wrapping paper in the pantry, I think. Go get it and we’ll-“
“Atticus, no sir!”
Jem seemed to have lost his mind. He began pouring out our secrets right and left in total disregard for my safety if not for his own, omitting nothing, knothole, pants and all.
He starts letting everything out at once because when you hold things in sometimes it builds up and only becomes worse which is what he did so he had to let it out.
“. . . Mr. Nathan put cement in that tree, Atticus, an’ he did it to stop us findin’ things- he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead . . .
I agree. I think people often make assumptions about others based on limited knowledge. This knowledge is sometimes not true.
Atticus said, “Whoa, son,” so gently that I was greatly heartened. It was obvious that he had not followed a word Jem said, for all Atticus said was, “You’re right. We’d better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.”
“Thank who?” I asked.
“Boo Radley. You were so busy looking at the fire you didn’t know it when he put the blanket around you” (95-96)
I see where you get your opinion from on Boo Radley. In my opinion, I think Boo Radley is a man who has been judged harshly by his community. He naturally resorted to hiding when he was shunned for being “psycho.” When he sees Jem and Scout, it reminds him of his childhood so he attempts to brighten their day with treats.
I think when we become distracted like, Scout, we focus on other things in life that we often lose sight of the sincere compassion of others by example of Boo Radley.
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I agree with what you said Meagan. Ever since the beginning of the book, Boo Radley was described as a monster. Unexpectedness is a good choice of words because not only did the characters expect compassion from Boo Radley, but the readers did not either.
After she learned that Boo Radley was covering her up with one of his own blankets for Scout’s own good, she must have changed her perspective on Boo’s heart at least a little bit. He was doing good for her and not at all being the monster that the kids heard he was. I believe this is another form of her gaining some empathy for people other than herself.
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