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But Scout still remembers the gifts he left for them in the tree, and keeps an eye UT for him each time she goes by the house. Scout mentions to Attic’s that she’d still like to set eyes on Boo Raddled sometime, and he tells her to cut it out, and mentions the time they almost got shot in the Raddled yard – the first time he’s let on that he knows what really happened that night, which seems so long ago to Scout now. Boo Raddled seems positively tame after the events of the last year; Scout’s still worried about the blowback from the Robinson case, but Attic’s thinks that time will bring forgetfulness.
Forgetfulness is long in coming, however, and Gem and Scout are racketing their gentleman and lady skills in the schoolyard, where most of their classmates share their parents’ prejudices. Scout wonders why if everyone disagrees with Attic’s they still re-elected him to represent them In the state government, and concludes that people are Just plain weird. Every week, Scout’s class has a Current Events assignment: kids are supposed to report on an article from a newspaper, except the poor kids don’t have access to newspapers, except one they call The Grit Paper which the teacher doesn’t deem acceptable for the assignment.
Even the town ids have problems with the assignment, though: one reports on an advertisement instead of an article, while another starts out calling Hitler “Old Doll. ” Miss Gates, the teacher, seizes on the moment to teach her about the difference between democracy and dictatorship, and about the persecution of Jews. Miss Gates, the teacher, seizes on the moment to teach her about the difference between democracy and dictatorship, and about the persecution of Jews. Later she asks him why the people Hitter’s persecuting don’t Just persecute him Instead, since there’s lots of them ND only one Hitler, and Attic’s answers that he doesn’t know.
Scout asks Attic’s If hating Hitler Is okay, and he tells her that hating people Is never okay, even If It’s Hitler. Scout still can’t quite formulate the question that’s bugging her, so she goes to Gem, whiffs eaten his way through several bunches of bananas In an attempt to bulk up so he can play on the football team. Scout tries to explain what’s bothering her: It’s bad to persecute people, and MISS Gates seems really upset at the way Hitter’s persecuting the Jews, but she remembers MISS Gates coming down the courthouse tepees after the trial saying “It’s time somebody taught them a lesson” .
Scout finally figures out her question: “how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home[? ]” Gem Interrupts her before she can finish and tells her never to mention the courthouse to him again. Scout goes back to Attic’s and tries to climb In his lap, though she doesn’t really fit there any more. Attic’s says he heard her conversation with Gem, and that she shouldn’t let her brother’s crabbiness get near down – he’s still trying to process what happened with Robinson, and once he gets through it he’ll be all right.