Skip to main content

Why does Jem tremble when he comes back from getting his pants in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird?

By the end of Chapter 6, Jem trembles because he has experienced a shock retrieving his pants from the barbed wire fence surrounding the Radleys' house. In the beginning of Chapter 7, Jem explains to Scout that his shock stemmed from feeling constantly watched.

In Chapter 7, Jem explains to Scout that, when he returned to the Radleys' property to retrieve his pants, he did not find them as he had left them. When his pants caught on the barbed wire fence, Jem had to get them off as quickly as possible and leave them in a tangled heap under the fence. When Jem went back that night to retrieve them, however, he found them "folded across the fence. . . like they were expectin' me." His feeling that someone had expected him to retrieve his pants makes him tremble that night.

Jem continues to explain that, not only had someone folded them neatly and laid them on top of the fence, someone had also sewn up the tear but in a crooked, disorderly fashion. Because Jem found his poorly-mended pants waiting for him, Jem felt like someone, namely Arthur (Boo) Radley, has been watching him:


Like somebody was readin' my mind. . . like somebody could tell what I was gonna do. Can't anybody tell what I'm gonna do lest they know me, can they, Scout?



If Arthur has grown to know Jem to the extent that he can predict that Jem will retrieve his pants to hide the evidence from Atticus of his misdeed, then Arthur could only have gained this knowledge by observing Jem and closely watching and listening to his conversations. This realization makes Jem feel spooked to the point that he trembles the night he finds his pants.

As the chapter progresses, however, Jem and Scout begin finding more and more things in the knothole, and Jem comes to realize they are gifts from Arthur. The realization that Arthur is leaving them gifts helps Jem see that Arthur is not observing Jem out of some malicious intent but because, in his own quiet way, Arthur wants to know the children and be involved in their lives.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...

In A People's History of the United States, why does Howard Zinn feel that Wilson made a flimsy argument for entering World War I?

"War is the health of the state," the radical writer Randolph Bourne said, in the midst of the First World War. Indeed, as the nations of Europe went to war in 1914, the governments flourished, patriotism bloomed, class struggle was stilled, and young men died in frightful numbers on the battlefields-often for a hundred yards of land, a line of trenches. -- Chapter 14, Page 350, A People's History of the United States Howard Zinn outlines his arguments for why World War I was fought in the opening paragraph of Chapter 14 (referenced above). The nationalism that was created by the Great War benefited the elite political and financial leadership of the various countries involved. Socialism, which was gaining momentum in Europe, as was class struggle, took a backseat to mobilizing for war. Zinn believes that World War I was fought for the gain of the industrial capitalists of Europe in a competition for capital and resources. He states that humanity itself was punished by t...

Where did Atticus take the light and extension cord in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with... Atticus brings the light to the courthouse jail so that he can protect Tom Robinson.  Atticus learns that Tom Robinson, his client, is in danger.  A group of white men want to prevent the trial and lynch Robinson. He is warned by a small group of men that appear at his house.  He refuses to back down.  Atticus knows that the Cunninghams will target his client, so he plans to sit up all night with Jim if that’s what it takes to protect him.  Atticus tells the men that he will make sure his client gets his fair shake at the law.  “Link, that boy might go to the chair, but he’s not going till ...