In the Tree (SDH's Class)

Chapter 3: Begin a list of items found in the tree. What do you think they mean?

So far, the items that Scout and Jem have found in the knot in the tree have included, chewing gum, two coins, a spelling bee medal, two soap carvings which quite closely resembled both Jem and Scout, and a pocket watch with an aluminum knife on the chain. Since there was two of almost everything I think this means that someone is putting these items in the tree deliberately knowing that there are two children and since the soap carvings resembled both jem and Scout, it means that whoever is putting these items in the tree is putting them out specifically for them. I think that Boo Radley has been putting out these items for Jem and Scout to try and communicate with them and the fact that he has put items such as gum into the tree means that he wants the children to enjoy them. When Nathan Radley comes along and fills in the hole with cement, they are no longer able to collect items from the tree. When they asked him why he had done this he had said that it was because the tree was sick and dying, but when they talked to their father he told them that the tree was perfectly healthy. If it was Boo Radley putting the items in the tree, I think that the reason his dad filled in the hole was to stop him from communicating with Jem and Scout.


~ sanhorn