The story is narrated by Scout, a young girl who lives with her father, Atticus, her brother Jem, and their cook Calpurnia in Maycomb, Alabama. This chapter introduces Dill, the friend with whom Scout and Jem share adventures, and the mystery surrounding Arthur Radley (whom the children call Boo). The children try to make Boo come out of his house.
Scout’s first day at school does not go smoothly. She is scolded by Miss Caroline Fisher (the new teacher) for knowing how to read and write, and for speaking out in Walter Cunningham’s favour. The morning ends with her standing in the corner, her hands slapped.
Burris Ewell arrives for his annual day of attendance at school, and Miss Fisher finds out about his ‘cooties’. Walter Cunningham visits the Finch house for lunch and Scout is taught an important lesson by Calpurnia about politeness to guests. Scout also learns about the Ewells in Maycomb. Atticus tries to teach his children tolerance and to see things from the other person’s point of view.
A whole year passes, and Scout is disenchanted with school life. The mystery of the Radley place deepens as the children begin to find small gifts in a tree outside. As yet, Scout does not suspect that these come from Boo. Dill arrives, and the children invent a new game re-enacting the drama of Boo Radley’s life. Scout rolls inside a tire into the Radley garden. Afterwards, Scout is apprehensive partly because she sense that Atticus disapproves of their game, partly because - unknown to the boys –she heard laughter coming from behind a shutter at the Radley place.
Scout, having been edged out of the boys’ games for a while, spends her time with Miss Maudie Atkinson. Miss Maude is their friendliest neighbor, kind and generous to the children. She is critical of the local gossip, Miss Crawford, and of religious bigots like Mr Radley. She has tremendous sympathy for Boo Radley, whom she feels has been cruelly treated. The children’s last attempt to communicate with Boo fails when Atticus catches them using a pole to push a note through one of the Radley’s shutters. He forbids them to torment Boo any more, and urges them to look at their behavior from Boo’s point of view.
Despite Atticus’ ban, the children try a final time to make contact with Boo. They go at night and catch sight of a shadowy figure in the Radley backyard. Before they can discover its identity, the sound of Nathan Radley’s gun frightens them off the premises. As they escape, Jem loses his trousers on some barbed wire. It takes all Dill’s quick wits to make up a possible reason for their disappearance – he says that he beat Jem at strip-poker. Jem, fearing Atticus’ anger more than Mr Radley’s shotgun, goes back that night to retrieve his trousers.
Jem tells Scout that he found his trousers mended and hanging neatly on the fence. He guesses that Boo was responsible. He also suspects that the gifts in the tree are from Boo. Jem’s suspicions are confirmed when Boo’s brother Nathan cements up the hole – sadly, before Jem can write a thank-you note. The knowledge that Nathan wants to prevent any friendship between Boo and the children reduces Jem to tears. Scout has not understood where the presents have come from or the significance of the cement, yet the narrator (the older Scout) is able to convey Jem’s understanding to us at the same time that she illustrates Scout’s ignorance.
Mrs Radley dies. The children see snow for the first time. The winter is the coldest since 1885. The children make a snowman which is a caricature of Mr Avery but Atticus, with his usual tact, makes them change its shape so as not to offend Mr Avery. While the children watch the fire which burns down Miss Maudie’s home, someone puts a blanket around Scout’s shoulders. It is later realised that this must have been Boo Radley.
Atticus knows that defending Tom Robinson will have a deep effect on his family. He already sees this with Scout; he has to persuade her not to let it bother her when people insult him. Uncle Jack (Atticus’ brother) arrives for Christmas and Jem and Scout get air-rifles from Atticus. They all go to Finch’s Landing for Christmas Day. Scout manages to control her behaviour until she meets cousin Francis, but he provokes her into a fight with him. She is punished by Uncle Jack – unjustly, she feels, because her side of things has not been heard. When the children have gone to bed, Atticus explains to his brother that he is worried that Scout will not be able to cope with the pressure put on the family while he is defending Tom Robinson. During this conversation, Atticus knows that Scout is listening from the hall.
The children explain that they are disappointed with their father’s accomplishments compared to those of their friends father’s. By the end of the chapter, they feel deep pride and admiration for him. Atticus shows courage and skill in shooting the mad dog. In this chapter, Atticus mentions the mockingbird. He explains that it is wrong to kill something that does no harm, and gives only pleasure with its song.
Acting quite out of character, Jem loses his temper with the outspoken, cantankerous old neighbor, Mrs Dubose. In retaliation for the names she calls Atticus, Jem knocks off the heads of her camellias. Atticus is angry at Jem’s behavior. As punishment, Jem has to read to her for a month. Scout goes with him and realizes that these reading sessions increase daily in length. When Mrs Dubose dies, Atticus explains the important part Jem and Scout have played in helping her overcome her morphine addiction.
Jem is growing up, and to Scout’s disappointment, is unwilling to play with her any more. While Atticus is away, Calpurnia takes the children to church. It is as memorable experience for them. They meet hostility from one person, Lula, but the majority are welcoming. Scout attends the service with interest and notices many similarities with their own church. A collection is made in the church for Helen Robinson and her children. Calpurnia tells Scout that Tom Robinson is accused of raping Mayella Ewell. Aunt Alexandra arrives.
Aunt Alexandra comes to stay indefinitely because she feels that the children need feminine influence during their crucial years of growing up. She is obsessed with ‘good breeding’ and fits in well with the neighbors, but not with the children because she demands different standards of behavior from those they are used to. Atticus is torn between being courteous to his sister and raising Jem and Scout as he sees fit. After one attempt to try and impose his sister’s standards on the children, he gives up.
Having Aunt Alexandra living with the Finch family requires some adjustments, but Atticus has to refuse his sister’s request to get rid of Calpurnia. Atticus has high regard for their cook, and his sister’s arrival does not change that. Scout dislikes Jem’s new maturity, and when he tries to talk to her as though he were an adult she fights him with her fists. Sent to her room as a punishment, Scout is amazed to find Dill hiding under her bed. Jem shows that he has left childhood behind when he decides to tell Atticus of Dill’s presence. Atticus is understanding and, after informing Dill’s aunt, allows Dill to stay the night.
Dill is allowed to stay. The peace of summer is broken by troubled events. Scout fails to see the significance of these. Firstly Heck Tate, the sheriff, and some of Atticus’ friends advise him to give up Tom Robinson; they are worried about the possibility of Tom being lynched. Atticus refuses. A lynch mob from Sarum, bent on killing Tom, arrives at the jail – which Atticus is guarding. Unknown to Atticus, the children have also made their way to the jail because Jem is worried about Atticus’ safety. Unwittingly, Scout diffuses the explosive situation by chatting innocently to Mr Cunningham, one of the mob. The men see sense and leave.
It is not until they reach home that Scout understands the full danger and potential violence of the evening. Atticus tries to explain how people change when they are part of a mob so that men like Mr Cunningham, who are usually friendly, can become a threat. The next day all the people of Maycomb County attend the trial, acting as if they were going to a carnival rather than to se a man on trial for his life. Disobeying their father, the children go to the courtroom and find seats amongst the black community in their balcony, next to Reverend Sykes. There they can witness the proceedings without being seen by Atticus.
Mr Tate testifies that on being summoned by Mr Ewell he found Mayella with injuries mainly to the right side of her face. Mr Tate also verifies that no doctor was called. Mr Ewell testifies next, and stirs up the court by the crude language of his accusation. He shows his ignorance and stupidity and does not understand the implication of revealing that he is left-handed. Jem understands that a left-handed person would be likely to cause injuries to the right side of the face, rather than the left.
Jem is outraged at the verdict and Atticus does not attempt to shield him from his new-found awareness of the injustice of Maycomb people. The next day, the black community send gifts to show their appreciation of Atticus, and he is visibly moved. The majority of the neighbors accept the verdict without surprise and feel Atticus was foolish to defend Tom. Bob Ewell insults Atticus by spiting in his face, and threatens future trouble.
Predictably, Atticus reacts calmly to Bob Ewell’s assault, and dismisses the children’s fears for his safety by making them look at the situation from Bob Ewell’s point of view. But Scout and Jem are still worried. Aunt Alexandra feels that Atticus is too optimistic about Bob Ewell. Atticus explains to Jem that there can be no fairer system of justice until people’s basic prejudices are changed, and that will not happen quickly. Atticus reveals that it was a Cunningham who caused the jury to take longer in making up its mind. Initially the Cunningham wanted Tom to be acquitted.
Aunt Alexandra holds a missionary tea and the ladies of Maycomb attend. They reveal their hypocrisy as they talk with sympathy about poor Africans but with no sympathy for the local black people. Mrs Merriweather talks about the poverty of the Mrunas and about how she cannot understand them. She also cannot understand why Atticus should want to defend. Scout is puzzled and unimpressed by their insinuations and leading questions – which make her the but of their amusement. She comments that she prefers the openness of men to the company of ladies. However, her opinion changes when she sees how Aunt Alexandra conquers her emotions on hearing of Tom’s death and manages to continue normally in company. Atticus relates the events surrounding Tom’s death in a matter-of- fact way which conveys little emotion; the only clue to his feelings is the comment that Tom had seventeen bullet holes in him and that ‘they didn’t have to shoot him that much’.