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What happens in Chapters 7 & 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird?
In Chapter 7, on Scout’s walks home from school with Jem, they find gifts left for them in a tree knothole. In Chapter 8, Maycomb experiences a real winter, allowing the children to build a snowman that looks so much like their neighbor Mr. Avery that Atticus demands them to disguise it. That night, Scout is woken up to find that Miss Maudie’s house is on fire, and while outside someone drapes a blanket over her, which they later realize was Boo Radley’s doing. Jem reveals the whole story of the knothole and the presents, and Atticus tells them to keep it to themselves.
Read our Summary & Analysis of Chapters 7 & 8 of To Kill a Mockingbird. (3-minute read)
What is the significance of the gifts the children find in the tree?
In Chapter 7, Scout and Jem begin to discover gifts being left for them inside a tree on the Radleys’ property that are implied to be from Boo. These are significant because they represent Boo’s attempts to engage with the outside world, humanizing him and suggesting he isn’t as scary as the children think he is.
Read more about what Boo’s gifts represent in our Q&A section. (1-minute read)
Why does Jem cry when Nathan Radley fills the knothole in the tree with concrete?
Though Scout is confused by Jem’s reaction, it’s implied to the reader that Jem cries when Nathan Radley fills the knothole with concrete because he recognizes the cruelty inherent in cutting off Boo’s connection with the outside world. His tears in these chapters also foreshadow his reaction to Tom Robinson’s trial later in the novel.
Read more about Jem’s reaction in Quotes by Chapter: Chapters 7 & 8. (1-minute read)
What important motifs from To Kill a Mockingbird are developed in Chapters 7 & 8?
Motifs in these chapters include Gothic details, as illustrated by the unnatural snowfall that blankets Maycomb, and small-town life, which becomes relevant when Miss Maudie’s house fire brings the community together.
