“‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—’ ‘Sir?’ ‘—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.’”(Lee 33)
This quote shows that Miss Caroline is new to everything around her including, being a teacher. She is introducing a new way of teaching and tells scout that her father is not to teach her how to read anymore because it will mess up her learning plan. Scout does not like that Miss Caroline said that to her, but Atticus tells her that she won’t understand a person until she climbs into their skin and walks around in it. She is trying to convey to Scout that her reading makes it difficult for her to teach, I infer that this is because that Scout is smarter than the other kids and that makes it hard for Miss Caroline to teach things on equal levels. This quote helps me better understand Miss Caroline because it gives the perspective of an important time in Scout’s life, her time in school, which means knowing why Caroline does and says things is important because her actions and such will affect the life lessons Scout is taught and how Scout views the world and town.
The conflict in this part of the story is Scout’s reading ability. Miss Caroline does not like that Scout is able to read more than the other students because she says it will throw off her learning plan.
In chapter 2 of To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem takes Scout to school, which a parent usually does, but Jem can show Scout her room. Jem informs Scout not to bother him during school hours. Jem then asks, “You mean we can’t play anymore?” I asked.
“We’ll do like we always do at home,” he said, “but you’ll see—school’s different.”(Lee 18). Jem appears to put on a different persona at school than at home. He is another person at school compared to home. It’s like he is more popular and relaxed and doesn’t want Scout to ruin that. The conflict I see is that this might separate the two and their relationship.
In the book To Kill A Mockingbird, Chapter 2. It says “Miss Caroline went to her desk and opened her purse. “Here's a quarter,” she said to Walter. “Go and eat downtown today. You can pay me back tomorrow” (Lee 21). In the end, it goes on to say that Walter will not take the quarter. Because he would not be able to pay Miss Caroline back. Due to his family not being able to make money. Scout says that he is a Cunningham is why he is not taking the money. It can be seen that he does not take the money because Cunningham is poor. Also, you can tell that Miss Caroline is not from the country. This could be an issue where the kids do not like the teacher because she is not used to the way they have lived.
“Walter Cunningham’s face told everybody in the first grade he had hookworms [because of working/living on a farm]… if Walter had owned any shoes he would have worn them the first day of school… [after being asked if he had forgotten lunch] Walter looked straight ahead. I saw a muscle jump in his skinny jaw.” (Lee 21).
This quote is showing the first Cunningham that is seen in the book. It talks about how he doesn’t have lunch because he has hookworms from walking around barefoot in “barnyards and hog wallows” and that if he even had a pair of shoes to wear that he would have worn them to the first and only day of school he goes to, because he wore reasonably nice clothes to the first day of school, the teacher doesn’t quite understand any of this because she is not from around there and does not know the people from there, that is why she insisted on giving him money for lunch. Had she known who the Cunninghams were she would have known, that she would have never been paid back because the Cunninghams didn’t have a quarter to pay the teacher back with and she would have also realized that Walter had hookworms and couldn’t eat. Because Scout has lived in Maycomb all her life and because she knows about these people/things she better understands why Walter is like that and that is also why when she tried to explain that to the teacher she got in trouble. This helps me understand both Walter and the teacher better because it shows how the teacher is and what she grew up around and where she was from was a lot different than Maycome and she is not willing to see that, it also helps me understand Walter better because it tells about where he comes from and how he lives. The conflict is the misunderstanding and miscommunication between the young teacher and how her ways are different and more city-like, compared to Walter Cunningham who grew up poor on a farm in Maycomb where people like Walter are normal.
“Hush your mouth! Don’t matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house’s yo’ comp’ny, and don’t you let me catch you remarkin’ on their ways like you was so high and mighty!” (Lee 27)
Scout and Cal are talking in the kitchen because Scout was complaining about how Cunningham was ruining his dinner and this angers Cal how Scout is insulting a guest. This feels like a boundary cross as Cal fills a more parental role than just the “maid” she is, showing the wealth gap between Scout and Cal and how they view each other.
“There goes the meanest man god ever blew breath into” (Lee 15) Calpurnia believes that Mr. Radley is the meanest man to have ever lived. This quote better helps me understand Calpurnia because she says this to Scout to let her know that she doesnt think Mr. Radley is a good man. It shows an insight to Calpurnia's character and how she is willing to tell Scout what she thinks of people, despite the racial tension when talking about a white man and that she's secure in her opinions of others.
Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop . . .Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. (Lee 5,6) Scout explains the town is old and terribly conditioned, and that the town has nothing going on that special. Scout at this age may believe that the town has nothing to offer, as the people who lived there aged and have seen the same old people in their town. I believe that scout will learn that some people are who they represent and that some people aren't who they are.
“You're shamein’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you… ‘Youre Starting off on the wrong footin every way, my dear. Hold out your hand.’ I thought she was going to spit in it, which was the only reason anybody in Maycomb held out their hand.” (pg. 24)
Before this argument scout learned about walters poverty and her own, Maycomb is not a town of money makers, it consists of lower class farmers and whatnot, Scout wanting to enlighten Miss Caroline, told her about it which Miss Caroline finds insulting, to the dismay of scout, as far as inferences are concerned I believe that scout never really learned what school at this era meant, I do not believe that scout had ever been whipped in this fashion before, that's why she willingly put out her hand. It helps me understand just how oblivious she is to the world around her, but I think this incident with plant seeds in her mind, makes her more aware of
the unfairness that's around her, makes her look closer at the people around her and ask more questions to lead up to what I think the conflict is, Discrimination against the working classes
“Walter Cunningham’s face told everybody in the first grade he had hookworms. His absence of shoes told us how he got them.people caught hookworms going barefooted in barnyards and hog wallows.”(25 lee)imagery
This quote shows that Walter Cunningham’s family is poor while also showing the pain that Walter must go through because of his family's poverty to the extent of not being able to even buy shoes leaving him unprotected from his environment and him ending up sick in the process. Him being so poor that his family can’t even afford shoes shows that his family has struggles. Because of how descriptive I think the Cunningham's will have a greater impact on the story, with helping him or his family
“The misery of that house began many years before Jem and I were born. The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb.” (Lee 11).
In this moment, Scout is first introducing the Radleys in the novel. The Radleys have lived in Maycomb County for multiple years before Jem and Scout were born. The Radleys appear to sound like a family that is not very liked around town. The way Scout describes them, it seems like they are a snotty and wealthy family.
"Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me any more, it would interfere with my reading"(Lee 19).
This quote shows that Miss Caroline can tell Scout has been taught how to read. This shows Miss Caroline knows who is Scouts dad because why would she say father directly. Scout has to try to play down that no one taught her how to read but there is no way she would know how to by herself. The relationship between Scout and Miss Caroline is not going well so far and probably won't go well for the rest of the school year.
“You’re shamin’ him, Miss Caroline. Walter hasn’t got a quarter at home to bring you, and you can’t use any stovewood.” (Lee 22) in this quote Scout is telling her teacher that Walter cannot pay her back a quarter. Scout is telling the teacher this without any background information, so the teacher would have to read between the lines to understand it. This shows why Scout and the teacher don't get along. The teacher has just moved into town so she doesn't understand the people. Scout talks to her as she talks to other people in town. This is why these two don't understand each other.
“Miss Caroline told me to tell my father not to teach me anymore, it would interfere with my reading”(Lee 22).
Miss Caroline is being belligerent and is trying to say that her family wouldn’t know how to read without actually saying that. This shows the conflict Scout has with his teacher, because she is blatantly racist and is surprised by that fact she is literate. We can infer that throughout the rest of the school year, Scout and Miss Carloline will have many racially charged conflicts.
“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” (20 Lee)
This quote is said by Scout. She is the little girl in To Kill A Mockingbird who narrates the book. This quote was about how Miss Caroline thinks she should feel guilty for being able to read and doesn’t want her too. Scout is tom boyish so Miss Caroline acts as though she should feel guilty for liking things that males like. It is a way to show how sexist people like Miss Caroline can be.
“When it healed, and Jem’s fears of never being able to play football were assuaged…He couldn’t have cared less, so long as he could pass and punt” (Lee 3).
Scout is explaining how it was like to see Jem go through a badly broken arm. To her, he seemed like he didn’t care at all. I made the inference that Jem’s love for football was so great that he didn’t care what he looked like or maybe even felt like, as long as he could do what he loved, which was play football. The conflict could be inside of Jem himself. If he gets hurt and doesn’t heal from it before playing football, he could keep injuring himself more and more.
“I ran along, wondering what had come over her. She had wanted to make up with me, that was it.”(Lee, 32)
Calpurnia is trying to act nice she wants to act better towards scout so that she can scoop in and try to be that mother that scout no longer has so that scout turns out like a proper lady
My prediction is that someone is not going to be happy about Scout not acting like a proper lady
“Atticus said professional people were poor because the farmers were poor.” (Lee 23)
It’s saying how most people in this county are farmers that don't make very much money so that makes the whole county poor since they can’t keep the economy going. This shows how times are tough throughout the great depression. The conflict could be the U.S. is going through the great depression and they are just trying to survive.
“If didnt go to school tomorrow, you’d force me to”
“Let us leave it at this-you, Miss Scout Finch, are the common folk. You must obey the law” Atticus then goes on to explain to her the Ewells are different because they are the Ewells.
This brings me to the inference that Scout does not understand yet that in society, those who are wealthy have much more privileges and can bend their way around the law much more than Scout and her family can because they are not as high of standing as the Ewells. she , as most young people do, thinks rationally and she doesn't understand how some people can do things she and her family themselves cannot because of things that Atticus clearly understands but Scout cannot.
(Lee 34)
this can lead to Scout making judgements, and or poor decisions regarding the Ewells at school and her holding malice towards them over things she cant yet grasp or understand.
