Chapter 3 Analysis Plot Events Scout bullies Walter

Chapter 3 Analysis

Plot & Events Scout bullies Walter Cunningham at school, because ‘he didn’t have any lunch. ’ P 25 Scout is represented here as a tomboy. She may have been angry because Walter was partly to blame for her getting into trouble in class. Jem comes to his aid, tells Scout to stop it. Jem invites Walter for dinner. They walk past the Radley place. p 26 and talk about Boo Radley.

Characters Walter Cunningham – description p 25: “Walter looked as if he had been raised on fish food: his eyes, as blue as Dill Harris’s, were redrimmed and watery. There was no colour in his face except at the tip of his nose, which was moistly pink. He fingered the straps of his overalls, nervously picking at the metal hoods. ” Walter poured molasses all over his dinner… Scout made a comment about it. p 26. /27 Calpurnia was furious – “Atticus said Calpurnia had more education than most coloured folks. ” p 27 She says: “Hush your mouth. Don’t matter who they are, anytboyd sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, anddon’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty! Class Theme / Moral: Everybody should be treated with respect and dignity regardless of their education or socio-economic background. Scout says she hates Calpurnia p 28 but later in the chapter, Calpurnia is more affectionate and caring towards Scout.

Characters Chuck Little – description: “Little Chuck Little was another member of the population who didn’t know where his next meal was coming from, but he was a born gentleman. ” p 29 He gets Miss Caroline some water after she sees the cootie crawl out of Burris Ewell’s hair. When Burris gets a cootie out of his hair: “Miss Caroline watched the process in horrid fascination. ” p 29 Burris Ewell’s description: “He was the filfthiest human I had ever seen. His neck was dark grey, the backs of his hands were rusty, and his fingernails were black deep into the quick. ” P 30 The Ewell kids are truants – absent from school. “He’s a mean one, a hard-down mean one. ” When Burris storms out of the room, making the teacher cry, the other students crowd around her, saying “…them ain’t Maycomb’s ways, Miss Caroline, not really…”

Themes / Ideas Ghosts – Boo Radley, the ‘haint’ p 26 Rumours: Walter explains how people in the town think that Boo Radley put poisoned pecans over the fence. P 26 Class /Education – Calpurnia scolds Scout for making fun of Walter for his lack of etiquette at the table. When Scout tells Atticus about how Miss Caroline doesn’t want her to read at home, Atticus tells her: “First of all, ’ he said, ‘if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view –… - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ” p 33 Hint – Very significant quote!!! Question: What is the message the author is trying to convey through this quote with regard to the characters introduced so far in the novel?

Themes / Ideas The Law: Scout tells Atticus that she doesn’t have to go to school because Burris Ewell only goes on the first day of school and “the truant lady reckons she’s carried out the law when she gets his name on the roll –” p 33 Atticus tells her: “You can’t do that, Scout, ’ … ‘Sometimes it’s better to bend the law a little in special cases. In your case, the law remains rigid. So to school you must go. ” Scout says she doesn’t see why she has to go to school when Burris doesn’t. Atticus explains that because the Ewell’s “were people, but they lived like animals. ” p 34 , and Scout was “of the common folk, ” … she “must obey the law. ” Atticus goes on to explain that the common folk turned a blind eye to some of the activities of people like the Ewell’s, like truancy, hunting and trapping out of season. He also says that to prevent the Ewell kids from starving, the town lets Bob Ewell hunt out of season- his relief checks go on green whiskey. Atticus infers that compromise is necessary in this special case. He persuades Scout to continue to go to school, and in exchange the family continues to read at home. P 35 Question: Do you agree with Atticus’ position on this legal issue? Why or why not?

Setting When Scout walks home from school, she likens the house to her emotions: “When I passed the Radley Place for the fourth time that day – twice at a full gallop – my gloom had deepened to match the house. ” p 31 This positions the reader to view the Radley house as a symbol of all that was wrong in Maycomb – according to Scout’s perspective. This connection is made explicit by the fact that her emotions, her frustration, and feelings of dejection as a result of Miss Caroline’s ‘outsider’ view, her lack of understanding of the town’s young people, is directly linked with the feelings of isolation and alienation surrounding the Radley house. Question: What part of the quote communicates Scout’s fear of the house?

Language The poor students’ language is indicative of their lack of education with missing sounds at the ends of words. Eg: ‘em, ain’t, sendin’, leavin’. The effect of this language technique is to position the reader to keep in mind the kids’ lack of education. The contrast with Miss Caroline’s speech also works to highlight the disparity in education between the teacher and students / the counties: Maycomb Vs Winston