Day: December 9, 2014

Why is Jem crying?

Jem is traumatized because he has figured out that Boo Radley was the person who has been leaving the gifts for Scout and him. The hole that has been cemented up means that Boo’s only communication with the outside world has been cut off, and Boo has likely been punished, as this is a difficult concept for a child to interpret Jem cries because of this, likely as he is empathetic toward Boo Radley.

Source:  http://youtu.be/571BuZeeQjE

Summer is drawing to a close, and Dill is due to return home. Scout and Jem spend one last day with Dill, in which their curiosity over the Radley residence once again becomes the topic of interest. The three sneak into Mr Radley’s garden, trying their best to be quiet, however as they reach the front porch, they draw the attention of Mr Radley, who fires a shotgun round into the air to scare them off. This loud sound draws a crowd outside the house, meanwhile the three scamper away fearful for their lives. Scout and Dill are the first out of the garden, but Jem gets his trousers caught in the wire fence and has to part with them to escape. To avoid looking susicious, they rejoin the crowd, on which one of the Finch’s neighbors is suspicious as to why Jem is without pants. Dill however quick wittedl says that he won them off him by gambling, this was a shocking as gambling was frowned upon, but much less so than the activities they had been involved in. Jem however, tries to sneak back into the garden to retrieve his pants, as he did not want to break his trust with his father. This bewilders scout, as Mr Radley said the next time someone trespassed onto his property he would kill them. Jem shakes off this warning as his pride urges him to retrieve what he left on Mr Radley’s fence.

“Wordlessly, he held up his pants. He lay down, and for a while I heard his cot trembling. Soon he was still. I did not hear him stir again.”

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