TKAM #5 Chapters 13-15 Perspective-Atticus

It wasn’t really my choice. Alexandra had talked me in to it. She talked me in to letting her come lives with the family and me for a while. She had told me that the children needed a ‘Feminine Influence’ in their lives. I thought they were just fine as they were. Everyone in the neighborhood seemed to love her though. People baked cakes and invited her to have coffee. In no time she was part of the towns social life.

A lot of the time Alexandra talks about the finch family values and how great they are. So, since Jem and Scout aren’t too big on the whole Finch family pride, she made me tell them about all of our ancestors. I was dreading it just as much as they were. But there was no way around it. And in the end, the only thing I succeeded in was making Scout cry.

Scout told me when I got home from work that when she and Jem had walked to town people had been staring and whispering things to them. I told her not to worry what other people say. After diner she asked me what rape was. I was shocked by her question, so I asked why. She had said that when they had been coming home from Cal’s church she had asked Cal, but Cal had told her that it was a question for me. I told her, but she didn’t think much of it. When Aunt Alexandra had heard that Scout and Jem had been at a black church, she all but threw a fit. Scout had snapped at her and i told her to apologize immediately. Of course, Alexandra would not allow scout to back to where calpurnia lives.

Later that night I found Scout and Jem attacking each other, so I had to break it up then send them to bed right away. Jem came and told me that they had found Dill under Scout’s bed. Dill ran away from home because his mom and new dad did not pay enough attention to him. So, he took a train from Meridian to Maycomb Junction, and covered the remaining distance on foot and on the back of a cotton wagon. I told Scout to get food and I went a told Miss Rachel about Dill. Dill went to sleep in Jem’s bed but I know he ended up in Scouts. I knew they wouldn’t do anything.

A week after Dill arrived Heck Tate and some other men show up and tell me that Tom Robinson is going to be moved to Maycomb county jail; they also inform me that there are possibilities of a lynch mob. I had been arguing with Alexandra and she told me that I was a disgrace to the family.

I was sitting outside the jail reading the news paper when four cars parked nearby. Some men got out and told me to move from the jail. I refused, and all of the sudden Scout comes racing out followed by Jem and Dill. I told them to go home but they wouldn’t listen. Mr. Cunningham said I had 15 seconds to make my children leave. Scout told Mr. Cunningham to tell his son ‘hey’ and he said he would. Then he told the rest of the men to clear out. Then Mr. Underwood popped out from a window with a shot gun and told me he had me covered the whole time. At least some people will still watch out for me.