The burning of Miss Maudie's house was the tense part of this section. Not only has Miss Maudie lost her house, Boo Radley comes back into the picture with his blanket. This man must be mad; he's too creepy not to be. Strangely enough, Maudie doesn't seem too concerned that she doesn't have her own place to live now. Personally, I would be distraught.
The family problems that Atticus' court case presents strikes me as half-suspense, half-hilarity. Aunt Alexandra is a living nightmare, as is Francis. I caught myself going "Yeah!" when Scout punched Francis in the teeth. The suspenseful side of the predicament: Atticus probably will not win the case, and the family is already embarrassed. I found the fact that they were distasteful. Go Atticus, for sticking up for a man of a different color! But I am raised in a different day and age as Harper Lee.
We see another side of Atticus in Chapter 10, when he is forced to kill Tim Johnson (a.k.a. the mad dog). He obviously has talent with a gun, and yet he hasn't shot one in no less than thirty years. At first, Scout is ashamed of Atticus for some reason, one I couldn't discern. I thought Atticus was doing a fine job raising children and juggling his career as a lawyer at the same time, especially since he's getting on in his age. But, like someone flipped a switch, when Scout finds out that Atticus used to be the "best shot in Maycomb in his day," she is suddenly very proud of him. Why the change in heart? And why is she proud when Atticus himself is not proud of his ability?
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