Detailed Notes on Chapter 5 & 6

Miss Maudie’s Behavior

•Miss Maudie dislikes staying indoors, as she believes it is a waste of time.

•She is a widow who takes care of her flower beds wearing straw hats and men’s coveralls.

•She hates nut grass and uses a powerful poisonous substance to get rid of it.

•Miss Maudie was friendly with the children, Jem and Dill, and she made delicious cakes for them.

•She and Scout often sat on her porch in the peaceful evenings, watching the sky.

•Miss Maudie confirmed that Boo Radley was alive and found it morbid when Scout suggested that he might have been stuffed up a chimney.

Miss Maudie’s character and background

•Miss Maudie knew Uncle Jack Finch since they were children, grew up together at Finch’s Landing.

•Miss Maudie’s father was a neighboring landowner with a passion for growing things, but they stayed poor.

•Uncle Jack Finch showed his love for Miss Maudie by yelling across the street for her to come marry him every Christmas.

•Miss Maudie and Uncle Jack’s unusual dynamic made Jem and Scout think it was a strange way to ask for marriage.

•Miss Maudie knew the reason why Arthur “Boo” Radley stayed in the house, but Scout didn’t.

•Miss Maudie was a Baptist, but not a foot-washing Baptist, who believe pleasure is a sin, and they passed judgment on Miss Maudie’s love for flowers.

•Although Miss Maudie had an acid tongue, Jem and Scout trusted her, and she was their friend.

Miss Maudie on Mr. Arthur Radley and Foot-Washers

•Miss Maudie explains that foot-washers take the Bible literally and believe women are a sin by definition.

•She does not know why Mr. Arthur stays inside and agrees that it does not make sense that he would not come out on the porch.

•Miss Maudie’s views differ from the foot-washers as she believes that God loves people who love themselves and that some men are too busy worrying about the next world to enjoy this one.

•The rumors about Mr. Arthur being surrounded by colored folks and Stephanie Crawford are true. Miss Maudie even told Stephanie off once.

•Miss Maudie remembers Mr. Arthur as a child with good manners.

•She does not believe he is crazy, but the things that happen in people’s lives are often unknown.

•Miss Maudie defends Atticus as a great parent who is the same inside his home as he is outside.

•She offers the narrator fresh pound cake.

Kids’ Plan to Communicate with Boo Radley in To Kill A Mockingbird

•Scout tries to join Jem and Dill but faces resistance from them

•Jem and Dill tell Scout about their plan to communicate with Boo Radley

•Scout is scared of the plan while Jem and Dill explain how it would work

•Dill has the idea to write a note for Boo Radley and stick it through his window

•The note asks Boo to come out and promise that they won’t hurt him, and they would buy him ice cream

•Scout and Jem get into an argument over Dill’s exaggerated story about his father’s beard.

Jem and Scout’s Attempted Letter Delivery to Boo Radley

•Jem, Scout, and Dill plan to use a fishing pole to deliver a note to Boo Radley’s window.

•Jem struggles to attach the note to the pole and keep it in place.

•Dill rings the dinner bell, ending the delivery attempt prematurely.

•Atticus confronts Jem and demands to see the note.

•Jem hands Atticus a dirty piece of paper, and Dill confesses they wanted to give something to Mr. Radley.

•Atticus questions the intentions of the letter and the children’s behavior.

Atticus Stops Jem from Tormenting Mr. Radley

•Atticus sternly tells Jem to stop harassing Mr. Radley free from children’s attentions.

•Atticus compares their behavior to Mr. Radley barging in on them without knocking.

•Atticus advises them to communicate civilly through the front door instead of sneaking in through the window.

•Atticus warns them to stay away from Mr. Radley’s house, stop the game, and make no fun of anyone in town.

•Jem denies making fun of Mr. Radley during Atticus’s scolding, but Atticus puts his behavior in the right context.

•Jem realizes that his father used a lawyer’s trick to teach him a lesson.

•Atticus permits Jem to say goodbye to Dill for the summer, and they enjoy the hot night under the moon.

A Night Walk with Jem and Dill

•Jem and Scout were leaving Miss Rachel’s steps when Dill suggested they go for a walk.

•They walked to a street light and saw an arc of water descending from the leaves, which Dill attributed to Mr. Avery’s daily gallon of water.

•Jem and Dill planned to peep into Boo Radley’s window, and if Scout didn’t want to go, she could go straight home.

•They waited until night because they wouldn’t be seen, Atticus would be reading, and it was easier to see inside a dark house in the dark.

•Jem was not dwelling on past defeats and just wanted to take a look at Boo Radley.

Sneaking into the Radley house at night

•Scout, Jem, and Dill plan to sneak into the Radley house.

•They go under the high wire fence at the back to avoid being seen.

•Jem warns them not to make a sound and not step on the collards.

•They enter the back yard and discover a ramshackle porch with a hat-rack mirror that shines eerily.

•They hear chickens and dodge the unseen from all directions, spotted by Dill who spells “God” in a whisper.

•The trio reaches the window with the hanging shutter, and Jem helps Dill up.

•They see only curtains and a dim light in the distance but plan to sneak around the back window.

•Jem tests the porch steps and finds a silent one.

Strange shadow causes panic and danger.

•After seeing a shadow of a man with a hat on, Jem, Dill, and Scout panicked and ran for safety.

•The shadow moved in a crisp manner, stopping a foot beyond Jem, and then disappeared.

•Suddenly, a shotgun blast shattered the neighborhood and the kids rushed to escape.

•Jem got caught in a fence and had to kick his pants off to get free.

•The children walked casually to their front yard and encountered a group of neighbors at the Radley front gate.

•Mr. Nathan Radley was standing with his shotgun and had recently shot at a figure in his collard patch.

•Mr. Radley was now threatening to shoot anyone, including Jem, if they returned.

Jem and Dill Play Strip Poker

•Dill is caught in his shorts, having played strip poker with Jem by the fishpool.

•Miss Rachel yells at Dill for gambling and threatens to strip-poker him.

•Atticus saves Dill from punishment and warns Jem and Scout never to play poker again.

•Jem and Scout need to retrieve Jem’s pants from Dill’s house, but he has none of Jem’s size.

•Jem wants to retrieve his pants, but Scout tries to stop him.

•Jem threatens to go after his pants and kill Scout if she wakes Atticus.

Jem’s adventure in the night

•Jem plans to retrieve their lost guns before Nathan Radley shows them to Atticus.

•Scout urges Jem not to go as it could be dangerous, but Jem insists as he wants to keep his record clean of being whipped by Atticus.

•Jem and Scout argue as Jem insists on going alone, but Scout follows him.

•Jem creeps down the steps and heads towards the schoolyard and fence in Deer’s Pasture.

•Scout waits to worry and listens for Mr. Radley’s shotgun. She hears Atticus cough.

•She watches for his light to come on, but it stays off, and she hears the barking of dogs.

•Jem returns to Scout, having successfully retrieved both guns.

A moment of rest

•The man in question approaches the house and enters through the back door.

•He holds up his pants, suggesting a need to change or fix something.

•He lays down on his cot, implying exhaustion or a desire for rest.

•The cot trembles, potentially indicating discomfort or tension.

•After a while, the man becomes still and does not stir again.