Folded Pants

Jem is startled to find that his pants are folded on top of the Radley’s fence, and is worried that something or someone is out to get him. On Dill’s last night in Maycomb the two boys (Dill & Jem) decided to sneak onto the Radley’s property. When they reached the back porch of the Radley’s, a dark ominous figure scares them away. Upon leaving the Radley property they hear a loud gunshot, causing them to hasten their escape. Unfortunately Jem has snagged his pants on a nearby fence. Scared out of his wits he slips out of his pants and leaves. Early the next morning Jem hopes to retrieve his missing trousers. Unfortunately this is where he makes the scary revelation that someone has been watching him. This is indicated by the quote “Someone knew you were coming back for ‘em,” Jem shuddered, “like someone was reading my mind.” This specifically relates to the fact that Jem had found his pants as if someone meant for him to. When we begin reading chapter 7 we find Jem, who is normally self confident and self asserting to be quiet and unspoken. “There was something I didn’t tell you. This was Jem’s first words in several days.” As you can see our usual Jem now has shrunken into himself with fear. This is a part of this book that allows us to discover what lies within our characters, rather than just what we can infer from their exterior appearances.