Plot Summaries

Chapter 6

Summer is once again coming to a close. It is Dill's final night in Maycomb and he and Jem decide to have a peek in the Radley's house through the loose shutter. Scout protests against the idea, but when Jem accuses her of "gettin' more like a girl every day" (page 69) she quickly shuts up and joins them.The children approach the house through the backyard, being careful not to a single sound. However, they are spotted by Nathan Radley who fires a shotgun, mistaking them for intruders. During the escape, Jem gets his pants stuck while trying to slip under the fence. He kicks them off in order to escape. When they return, there is a group of adults crowded in front of the Radley's house. Ms. Maudie claims that Nathan Radley shot at an intruding Negro.The adults are alarmed to discover that Jem isn't wearing any pants. When they question him, Dill comes to the rescue, saying that he won Jem's pants in a game of strip poker. Later that night, Jem ventures back to the Radley's house to retrieve his pants. When he returns to his bed, he is trembling.

Chapter 7

Jem is strangely quiet for the rest of the week. Mean while, school starts up again for the children. Jem is now in the sixth grade and Scout in the second. As they are returning from school one afternoon, Jem reveals something about the night he went to retrieve his pants from the Radley's yard.  He tells Scout that the pants were neatly folded across the fence and the tear in them had been sewed up. As his confession comes to an end, the children notice a ball of grey twine in the hole of the Radley's tree. Thinking the owner will return to claim it, the children decide to leave grey twine inside. When no one takes it, then claim it for themselves. Later, they discover two soap carvings of a boy and a girl, chewing gum, a medal from a spelling bee and an old pocket watch that doesn't work. Scout suggests they write a letter to whoever is leaving them the presents in the tree. However, they are devastated when they learn that Nathan Radley filled up the knothole with cement.

Chapter 8

It is the coldest it has been since 1885 in Maycomb. Because of the rare event school is closed for the day. Jem and Scout are determined to make a snowman, even with the meagre supply of snow. They build a small figure out of dirt and then cover it with snow. Adding wood chips for facial features. When it's finished the snowman looks like Mr. Avery, an unpleasent man who lives down the street. Atticus notices this and demands that they change it. Jem takes Ms. Maudie's hat and clippers and adds it to their snowman.

Later that night, Atticus wakes up Scout and ushers her and Jem outside. Ms. Maudie's house is on fire. Despite everyone's efforts, Ms. Maudie's house is completely destroyed by the fire. During the commotion, Scout doesn't realize when someone drapes a blanket over her shoulders. They later discover that it was really Boo Radley.  When everyone is back inside the house, Jem reveals everything about the presents in the Radley's tree and the pants to Atticus. Atticus warns the children to mind their own business. The next morning Ms. Maudie seems fairly cheerful despite the fact that her house was destroyed.

Character Development

Miss Maudie:

At a first glance, Miss Maudie appears to be just a normal next-door-neighbour. A shallow, static character who remains the same throughout the whole story. However, Miss Maudie is in fact a rather dynamic character. Because Scout and Jem's mother has died, she has become a mother figure for the children.  To begin with, it's the fact that she bakes cakes for the children. Although this may seem like just a friendly gesture, Miss Maudie goes beyond this. She isn't only there to bake, but also to comfort Jem and Scout.  For example, during Jem and Dill's games, in which Scout was excluded from Miss Maudie is there to listen.  This is magnified to a great extent in chapter eight, when the children confront Miss Maudie in terms of her burning house.  Rather than expressing worried and distressed feelings, she puts on a good face, just like a mother would, trying to protect her children from reality.

Scout: 

Throughout chapters six, seven, and eight we learn about the great insecurity in Scout that comes from the fact that she's a girl. In chapter six and throughout the entire book, whenever Scout is accused of "gettin' more like a girl everyday!" (page 69) she makes senseless decisions that lead her into bad situations.  For example, in chapter six, Jean makes the irrational decision of going to peak into the Radley house.  As a result she gets herself in trouble which leads to her downfall.  It makes the reader wonder what may happen to the plot, due to this insecurity.
    The audience, also notices a growing maturity in Scout as she applies what she learned from Atticus, by saying, "I tried to climb into Jem's skin and walk around in it"(page 77).  This shows a positive change in the protagonist, in a society where change is suppressed.  

Boo Radley:
In the novel, To Kill A Mocking Bird, Boo Radley is portrayed as a flat character: stereotyped, shallow, and often symbolic. At the beginning of the story the children only perceive Boo Radley as a scary figure, often referred to as a ghost, hence the name "Boo". However, as the plot advances the reader can infer that Boo Radley may not be such a terrifying character after all, but rather a kind spirited person. This is proved valid by his actions, such as putting the presents that interest the children(i.e. gum) in the tree. Thus, creating a friendly connection between Boo and the children.
  This may also be Boo Radley's cry for help. He is trying to regain what he never had: a childhood. Everyone is making assumptions about him, except for himself. However, this is him taking a stand, trying to get the children see him for what he really is. In a way, he is voicing his opinions, trying to change how people see him. This could foreshadow what happens in later chapters, someone else will take a stand towards change as well.


Nathan Radley:
The character of Nathan Radley develops in chapter seven. There is the first dialogue in the book with him (between him and Jem). From this dialogue, it is evident to the reader that he is lying about the tree “dying”. We can infer that Nathan is the “villain” rather than Boo, and is in fact depriving Boo from the outside world.

Literary Devices in Chapter 6

Imagery:
"Then I saw the shadow. It was the shadow of a man with a hat on. At first I thought it was a tree, but there was no wind blowing, and tree trunks never walked. The back porch was bathed in moonlight, and the shadow, crisp as toast, moved across the porch towards Jem. Dill saw it next. He put his hands to his face. When it crossed Jem, Jem saw it. He put his arms over his head and went rigid." (page 71)

• At this point the children believe that the shadow of Nathan is really Boo Radley, he is the mysterious shadow hovering over them. Harper Lee uses this image to reinforce how terrified the kids are of one image that they themselves have created of Boo Radley. This also shows how this one man's existence has affected their well-being.  

Symbolism and Foreshadowing:
 "There was a lady in the moon in Maycomb.  She sat at a dresser combing her hair." (page 67)  

• In the Maycomb society, shadows in the moon represented conflict.  Therefore, by using symbolism, Lee is suggesting that there is impeding conflict.  Furthermore, the dresser in which the lady is combing her hair, represents distress, where the mirror in the dresser represents an impending inner conflict. This is proved valid later in the chapter as Scout, Jem and Dill are almost shot at by Nathan Radley.  Therefore, the meddling with the Radely's has been bothering Jean, the speaker of this quote, for awhile. 

Symbolism:

"Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal"(page 75)

• This quote is said by Scout after Dill covers for Jem in pants incident.  In this quote, Harper Lee is reminding us that in this uptight and religious society, to be caught gambling at all would invite punishment, but to be caught actually using cards would bring far more severe consequences.  To be playing with matches, even when an element of gambling is involved, symbolizes a certain naivete and lack of sophistication, but to be gambling with actual cards simbolizes the actual act.  

Theme:  
"It's like this, Scout," he muttered.  "Atticus ain't ever whipped me since I can remember.  I wanta keep it  that way."(page 75)

• In this quote, the theme of childhood is brought up.  Although Jem wants to rebel, against his father, he still wants to be the apple in his eyes.  All children experience this feeling.  Although, they grow up and begin to rebel at some point in their life, they will always want to be praised by their parents.  Jem never wants Atticus to see him in a bad light, which is why he goes to retrieve his pants from the Radley's; he doesn't' want his father to know of what he had done.  

Literary Devices in Chapter 7

Juicy Bits, Humour and Theme:
"He went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me --he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other.  He declared Egyptians walked that way" 

• On page 79, Scout says that Jem danced like an Egyptian (was learning about Ancient Egypt in school). This humour shows that even though Scout expresses about how much she dislikes school, Jem is rational by trying to encourage her by telling her that it gets better as an adult would do.  Moreover, it reminds the audience of the theme of child-like behaviour, which further contributes to the humour. 

Pathetic Fallacy: 

“There…summer drifts into autumn, and autumn is sometimes never followed by winter…again” (page 79). 

• This idea of no defined seasons, is comparable to the town on Maycomb. The weather having no new beginnings and major changes reflects the fact that the town of Maycomb is slow-paced, uninteresting and the fact that you don’t get new beginning (such as the Radley’s) because of the fact that everyone is so familiar with everyone.

Imagery:

“He held them down to me. They were almost perfect miniatures of two children. The boy had on shorts, and a shock of soapy hair fell to his eyebrows. I looked up at Jem. A point of straight brown hair…before” (page 80). 

• This quote is from chapter seven and paints the reader a vivid picture of the soap figures, making us picture them as very artistic and detailed. This quote is effective because it gives us insight in the sense that Boo Radley is not monstrous as the civilians of Maycomb see him as; indirectly, this is character development as well. I think Harper Lee used this imagery/quote to help us as well as the characters begin to change thoughts about Boo.

Literary Devices in Chapter 8

Pathetic Fallacy, Allusion and Foreshadowing:
"We had two weeks of the coldest weather since 1885, Atticus said. Mr. Avery said it was written in the Rosetta Stone that when children disobey their parents, smoked cigarettes and make war on each other, the seasons would change: Jem and I were burdened with the guilt of contributing to the aberrations of nature..."(page 85)

• In this quote there is a clear link between the weather and the plot.  This is because in this chapter, a fire burns, Miss. Maudie's home.  As we noticed, this tragedy is one that follows the the two weeks of the coldest weather in Maycomb since 1885.  The community blames this unnatural weather on the children, by saying: "it was written in the Rosetta Stone that when children disobey their parents, smoked cigarettes and make war on each other, the seasons would change".  In this quote Harper Lee makes an allusion to The Rosetta Stone, a monument, found by Napoleon in Egypt written in three different languages.  This allusion to the Rosetta Stone is referring to the snowman the children build. The snowman itself resembles the Rosetta Stone to which could foreshadow events to come later on in the plot.

Metaphors, Foreshadowing and Personification: 

"At the door, we saw fire spewing from Miss Maudie's diningroom windows.  As if to confirm what we saw, the town siren wailed up the scale of a treble pitch and remained there, screaming." (page 92)

• "Spewing" a word often associated with water. By using this word Harper Lee compares fire to water, two completely different elements. In a bigger picture, Lee may be associated fire with the evil and the water is what quells it. In this particular battle of the elements fire triumphs and completely destroys Miss Maudie's house. This may foreshadow upcoming events in which evil will prevail. Lee also uses personification through her choice of words: "wailed" and "screaming". These describe human qualities, appealing to the human senses.  

"We stood watching the street fill with men and cars while fire silently devoured Miss Maudie's house." (page 92)

• The use of the word "devoured" creates a vivid image for the reader. The picture of fire eating up Miss Maudies house comes to the reader's mind. This is also personification because "devour" is a human quality.

Extra Information

Plot Graph:
The link below will lead you to a website that has a plot graph of the entire novel. This will increase your understanding and knowledge of the story altogether.
http://msfairbairn-eng1d.wikispaces.com/file/view/TKAM-Plot+Graph.pdf


Setting: 
This is a picture of setting, in order to help you understand where everything takes place.

Video:
This video is a summary and analysis of the entire novel. Enjoy!