The story begins during summer in Maycomb, Alabama. The children of Atticus Finch (a lawyer) Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill become interested in Boo Radley, a recluse. The children begin to act out plays and try to talk to Boo. On Dill’s last night in Maycomb, the children sneak into Boo’s yard, but Nathan Radley fires a gun when he hears an intruder. The children scatter, but Jem loses his pants. He goes back the next night, where he finds his pants on the fence and the tear sewn up. This is the children’s first real interaction with Boo. The next interaction occurs when Jem and Scout find presents inside a knothole of a tree. They decide to leave a note for the person, only to discover the hole has been covered by Nathan Radley. Miss Maudie's …show more content…
Atticus asks her at the house where it came from, but she does not know and realizes it must be Boo. Atticus takes a case defending a black man named Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white girl named Mayella Ewell. Because of this, the Finch family is treated harshly by their family and neighbors, but Atticus continues to fight for him. Jem also ruins the neighbor's garden after she disrespects Atticus and is forced to read to her as punishment. He later learns he is helping to distract her from her morphine addiction. Despite her death, Atticus explains how she was a true example of courage, and how you should always fight even if you can’t win. The night before the trial, Atticus leaves the house to go protect Tom from a lynching by standing guard all night. The children go after him and overhear the men threatening Atticus. Scout comes out to talk to the men and chases them away with her annoying chatter. At the trial, Atticus provides clear evidence for the charges against Tom, completely destroying Mayella’s accusation. Despite this, Tom is found guilty and later killed after trying to escape. Jem takes this decision badly and his faith in justice is