To Kill A Mockingbird
Chapter 7
Summary
Scout and Jem have their first day of school, and Scout doesn't like the second grade more than she didn't like the first. Jem had told Scout something about that night. He said that when he went back for his pants they weren't tangled up anymore, that they were laying there folded on the fence as if the person knew he was coming back for them. On their way home from school they saw a ball of gray twine in the knothole of a tree. They thought it might be someone's so they left it, but when no one took it they kept it for themselves. Then later in the fall they found another present in the knothole; there were two images whittled in soap that looked liked Scout and Jem. That was followed by gum, a spelling bee medal, and an old pocket watch. The next day though they found that the hole had been filled with cement and when they asked Mr. Raddled about it he said he filled it because the tree was dying. When they asked Atticus though, he said that the tree looked perfectly healthy.
Plot
The plot was the Boo Radley mystery plot line. The reason is because Jem's conversation Mr. Radley said,
'"Yes," he said, 'I filled it up.'
'Why did you do it, sir?'
'Tree's dying. You plug'em with cement when they're sick. You ought to know that, Jem"' (pg 83), but after we find "Jem asks Atticus 'Is that tree dyin'?'
'Why no, son, I don't think so. Look at the leaves they're all green and full, no brown patches anywhere—'
'It ain't even sick?'
'That tree's as healthy as you are, Jem'" (page 84).