To Kill A Mockingbird Discussion Questions

TKAM Major Grade Discussion
Question One: When Jem loses his pants at the Radley house, he goes back to retrieve them so he will not get in trouble; What does this tell you about Jem and Atticus’s relationship and why does Jem want to keep it that way?
Answer: Jem always wants to keep on good terms with his father because he feels as though Atticus trusts him and treats him like an adult. “Atticus ain’t ever whipped [him] since [he] can remember. [He] wants keep it that way,” (Lee 63). Atticus has never caught him doing anything bad and he doesn’t want Atticus to catch him this time and Jem then realizes that they should not have gone to Radley house that day. When Scout tells Jem that Atticus will only angry, Jem tells her, “‘ That’s why [he’s] goin’ after ‘em,’” (Lee 63). Jem takes the risk so Atticus will not be angry with him. He recognizes that if Atticus caught him doing something bad, their

As the book progresses, Boo leaves objects for the children, such as the gum, twine, and figurines to show that he is a true person and his growing affection Jem and Scout. Nathan Radley filled up the hole because he wants Boo Radley to stop talking to the kids and stop leaving Jem and Scout gifts, but he tells the children that he filled up the tree to stop the tree from dying even though the leaves are all “green and full, no brown patches anywhere,” (Lee 71). Nathan Radley filling up this tree relates to Boo Radley because Boo Radley is also perfectly alive, but is restricted and said to be sick by the people of Maycomb and even implied by his own brother. The cement symbolizes him being bound by the myths surrounding Maycomb like how he is a “malevolent phantom,” (Lee 9). It is significant that Nathan Radley filled up the hole, because he is Boo’s brother and caretaker; he thinks that he is protecting him, but he is actually cutting Boo Radley off from a chance at