To Kill a Mockingbird Chapters 1-4
We meet six-year-old Jean Louise Finch, known as Scout, the narrator and protagonist. She and her brother Jeremy (“Jem”) live with their father, who they refer to only by his first name, Atticus. The childrens’ mother died four years before, so while Scout does not remember her, occasionally Jem feels sadness. Atticus is a respected lawyer and part time state legislator. We meet their black housemaid, Calpurnia, who has taken on the role of mother to the children, to include the duties of discipline and guidance.
The Finch family history is mentioned, as the long dead patriarch of the family, Simon Finch, is described. He had left England, seeking relief from religious persecution, and eventually homesteaded a plot of land along the Alabama river, that came to be known as Finch’s Landing. Generations of Finches lived there, including Aticus, who broke tradition by leaving to study law in Montgomery.
Soon, we meet Charles Baker Harris, known as Dill, a boy of Scout’s age who will spend this summer, and the next few, at his Aunt Rachel’s house, next door to the Finch home.
We also learn of the frightening mystique presented by the Radley Place, two houses down, a source of fear and curiosity for the children. The kids are aware of the adult son living inside the house, who they’ve never seen, and only know as Boo Radley. The Radleys have always been strange, known by all for being reclusive and antisocial.
Boo’s history is rife with speculation and rumor, but it had been fairly well established that Boo, who is in his early 30’s in the story, had run into trouble as a teenager, for petty crimes. His father had been permitted to keep him under house arrest, instead of being sent away. However, a few years later, Boo had nonchalantly stabbed his father in the leg. The injury was not fatal, but Boo was then sent to be imprisoned in the courthouse basement for a while. Eventually though, he was sent back home. Boo’s father eventually passed away, and Boo’s older brother, Nathan, who had been away for a number of years, moved back into the house, and took over the duties of watching over Boo during his continued house arrest.
It is the childrens’ perception of Boo that is most significant. They believe him to be a terrifying beast of a man, one who eats cats and squirrels raw. The visions they have dreamed up of his yellow teeth and blood-stained hands fuel their fear that he’d surely kill anybody who dared come close to his house.
Dill dares Jem to touch the Radley house, a prospect deemed highly dangerous, probably even fatal. However, Jem finds the courage to run into the yard and touch it, before running for his life. His survival amazes all three kids.
The time is the 1930’s, as the United States struggles to recover from The Great Depression. The family lives in the segregated Deep South, in the Alabama town of Maycomb, a place where most people are related to most others, through marriage and/ or genealogy. It’s a rural town, surrounded by agricultural land for many miles, about 20 miles from the family homestead, Finch’s Landing.
We’re also introduced to the town gossip, Ms. Stephanie Crawford.
Dill goes back to his permanent home in Mississippi at the end of the summer, and when school begins its annual session, Scout begins the first grade. On her first day, she shocks the 21-year-old teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, with a number of revelations, including her own ability to read and write. These skills are deemed premature by the teacher, who then forbids Scout from reading and writing, telling her that she will learn them at an appropriate time, later in her education. The teacher is startled to learn of the stereotypes assigned to different children in her classroom, which, to the children, are simply well-known facts. The children, comically, believe that they are being taught under teaching guidelines called the Dewey Decimal System, a style they do not care for. Their teacher reads stories to the children that are far below their maturity levels, even for the first grade.
We meet Scout’s classmate, Walter Cunningham. He’s got no lunch, a fact that is never questioned by the other kids, as Cunninghams are known for being poverty stricken. When Scout volunteers to explain this to Miss Caroline, the teacher interprets her words as insulting to Walter, and as punishment, gives Scout six light and ineffective raps on the hand with a ruler, to the amusement of all students, including Scout. She then sends Scout to the corner as punishment.
Scout feels that naturally, she should try to beat up Walter on their lunch break, since he was the root cause of her punishment. However, Jem stops her, and upon hearing why she has attacked Walter, explains that the right thing to do is to invite Walter to lunch at their house. Scout agrees, so the three children are all fed there. Scout is disturbed by Walter’s unconventional behavior of pouring molasses on his meat and vegetables, but Calpurnia admonishes her, explaining that some folks do things differently, and that as a guest, it is rude of her to express shock or displeasure.
During the afternoon school session, Miss Caroline is apparently traumatized at the sight of a “cootie” seen crawling in one student’s hair. The children are amused and surprised at the teacher’s response, as cooties are a normality to the children.
We learn that children of the Ewell clan traditionally only attend school once per year. The first day is enough to satisfy truancy officers, who have simply accepted that Ewells are an uncivilized bunch with no hope of reform.
At the end of the day, Scout and Atticus talk. Scout has been frustrated by her first day of school, and requests that she not be made to attend again. She is having a difficult time understanding other people.
Atticus suggests that she learn the “trick” of empathy. He suggests that in order to understand another person’s perspective she should, “... climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Scout understands the analogy, and uses this to try to understand the thoughts and actions of others.
tells her father of the teacher’s order to discontinue reading, but Atticus agrees that the two of them will still spend time reading together. However, he adds that this should remain a secret from the teacher.
While walking home from school, Scout sees a piece of tinfoil in the knothole of a tree, as she is passing the formidable Radley place. She inspects further, and finds two pieces of gum there. In spite of believing that there is a strong possibility that this is poison, due to its proximity to the Radley place, she bravely decides to chew the gum. When Jem catches her, he demands that she spit it out, as it is widely believed that even nuts fallen from Radley trees will surely be deadly to consume.
Later, the same knothole yields further treasures, in the form of a small box containing polished Indian Head pennies. Scout and Jem consider the notion that perhaps somebody has lost the pennies, and they speculate upon ways to return them to the rightful owner.
The school year ends, and Dill arrives for the summer. He is noted for telling some outrageous lies, which are of little consequence, given that they tend to be mere boasts. His penchant for telling tall tales is simply accepted as one of his traits.
Scout crawls inside of a discarded tire, anticipating a fun ride, as her brother rolls her down the street. However, this activity becomes frightening when the tire rolls quite a distance, and inadvertently comes to a stop on the Radley property. Scout runs in terror, and Jem is forced to bravely retrieve the tire.
The three children often enjoy play-acting, with each of the three assuming a character, and performing skits for their own enjoyment. At one point, though, the children are acting out a scenario that includes Boo Radley, when Atticus catches them. They deny that Boo is a character, but Atticus warns them not to do so, anyhow.
Analysis: Here we are given background and setting for the story. The reader is introduced to the “world” of Scout, as seen through the eyes of a young, but very bright and kind, girl. We see her tomboyish ways, and develop an understanding of the close relationship she has with her brother, as well as her friend Dill. Evidence is presented that shows Atticus to be a true moral guide to the children, and to the community.
