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.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Can you analyze the poem "Absolution" by Siegfried Sassoon?

Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and... Sure! Siegfried Sassoon fought in World War I and was wounded in battle; he spent much of his life speaking out against war, and these pacifist feelings are easy to see in his poems. This one, "Absolution," was published in 1917, the same year that Sassoon was hospitalized for what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Absolution" is a short poem that contains three stanzas of four lines each. The word "absolution" means "forgiveness," and the v...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more