Discussion Topic
Jem's Lost Pants and Dill's Explanation
Summary:
In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem loses his pants while sneaking onto the Radley property with Scout and Dill to catch a glimpse of Boo Radley. When Nathan Radley fires a shotgun to scare them away, Jem's pants get caught in a fence. Dill explains the missing pants by claiming they were playing strip poker, and Jem supports this by saying they used matches instead of cards. Later, Jem retrieves his pants and finds them mended and folded, hinting at Boo Radley's unseen kindness.
In chapter 6 of To Kill a Mockingbird, how does Dill explain Jem's lost pants and how does Jem retrieve them?
When Miss Stephanie and Atticus notice that his pants are missing, Dill quickly steps in and says, " We were playin' strip poker up yonder by the fish pond" (54). To their relief, "[t]he neighbors seemed satisfied" (55) with that answer; at least all were satisfied except Miss Rachel, Dill's aunt, who was about to go at him when Atticus stepped in suspicious that the kids had never played that before. Quickly thinking, Jem stepped in and said they ahd been playing with matches, not cards, realizing as Scout observes, that "[m]atches were dangerous, but cards were fatal" (55) in the disapproving eyes of adults.
Jem went back later to get his pants, yet upon his return seemed strange and said nothing to Scout about what he had encountered when he went back. It was not until a week later when school started that Jem finally spoke up and told...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
Scout " When I went back for my breeches -- they were all in a tangle when I was gettin' out of 'em, I couldn't get 'em loose. When I went back -- ... they were folded across the fence... like they were expectin' me" (58). This leads the reader to believe that it wasBoo Radley who had placed the pants on the fence for him, having been watching the kids' antics yet again, just like earlier when he was leaving gifts for them in the tree on the Radley property.
What story does Dill give to explain Jem’s missing pants in To Kill a Mockingbird?
Dill tells Rachel and Atticus that Jem lost his pants when they were playing strip poker.
When Dill comes to Maycomb, he is obsessed with Boo Radley. Dill understands what it is like to be lonely and misunderstood, and he believes Boo is not really a monster. If the children can just get him to come out, they can be friends with him. Dill, Scout, and Jem engage in a campaign to make contact with Boo. While sneaking on the Radley porch, Jem accidentally loses his pants. They get snagged and he takes them off because he doesn't want to be in the range of Nathan Radley's gun.
Dill comes up with a story to tell the adults to explain why Jem shows up with no pants.
Dill’s hand sought the back of his head. He brought it forward and across his forehead. “We were playin‘ strip poker up yonder by the fishpool,” he said.
Jem and I relaxed. The neighbors seemed satisfied: they all stiffened. But what was strip poker? (Chapter 6)
When Miss Rachel becomes upset at the thought that the children are gambling, Jem explains they were playing with matches and not cards, which satisfies the adults.
“Just a minute, Miss Rachel,” he said. “I’ve never heard of ‘em doing that before. Were you all playing cards?”
Jem fielded Dill’s fly with his eyes shut: “No sir, just with matches.”
I admired my brother. Matches were dangerous, but cards were fatal (Chapter 6).
Atticus tells Jem to go get his pants, and tries to explain to Rachel that Dill and the other children do not mean anything by it. They clearly have no idea what strip poker is, and were just playing around and making things up. He tells her it isn’t serious.
For Jem, it is serious. He can’t just go get his pants, because he left them by the Radleys' house. He knows he will be in trouble if he tells Atticus he was there. He also doesn’t want to tell Atticus he was there because that would be admitting that he was still harassing Boo Radley. He wants Atticus to trust and believe in him, so that is out of the question.
Jem decides to sneak back at night and get his pants. He finds them folded on the fence, sewed up inexpertly. Jem finds this a little disturbing because he is unsure who did that for him. Scout does not want Jem to go because she does not realize it is more important for him to risk angering Nathan Radley by going to get the pants than to let Atticus find out he let him down.
In To Kill a Mockingbird, what secret does Jem reveal to Scout about his lost pants?
There are many secrets that Jem reveals to Scout on the night of the fire. He also reveals them to Atticus. It is interesting that it takes so long for Jem to share his thoughts. The implication is that Jem was mulling things over in his mind. When he came to certain conclusions, he finally shared them, or perhaps when he could hold things in no longer.
Jem seemed to have lost his mind. He began pouring out our secrets right and left in total disregard for my safety if not for his own, omitting nothing, knot-hole, pants and all.
“...Mr. Nathan put cement in that tree, Atticus, an‘ he did it to stop us findin’ things—he’s crazy, I reckon, like they say, but Atticus, I swear to God he ain’t ever harmed us, he ain’t ever hurt us, he coulda cut my throat from ear to ear that night but he tried to mend my pants instead... he ain’t ever hurt us, Atticus—”
Atticus said, “Whoa, son,” so gently that I was greatly heartened. It was obvious that he had not followed a word Jem said, for all Atticus said was, “You’re right. We’d better keep this and the blanket to ourselves. Someday, maybe, Scout can thank him for covering her up.”
From this long quotation, we can learn a few things. First, Jem is certainly maturing. He is beyond his childish ways. Second, Jem is developing a moral compass, like his father. In the beginning he would poke fun at the Radleys and Boo, but he realizes that this is wrong. Moreover, he realizes that Boo is a good person who is misunderstood.
Jem, Dill, and Scout are curious about Boo Radley. In chapter 6, they decide to sneak onto the Radley property and look in the window to see if they can get a glimpse of Boo. While they are near the house, the children see Mr. Radley's shadow, and they see that he is carrying a shotgun. As they are running away, Jem's pants get caught in the wire of the fence and he has to leave them behind.
The neighbors are gathered outside the Radley front gate as a result of hearing the shotgun. In an effort to avoid being seen as suspicious, Jem, Scout, and Dill join the neighbors. During the conversation, Miss Stephanie notices that Jem is missing his pants. Dill explains that he won Jem's pants in a game of strip poker.
That night, Jem makes plans to get his pants back. Scout fears for Jem's safety, but he returns safely with the pants. In chapter 7, Jem finally discusses his pants with Scout. He explains that his pants were in a tangle when he left them. However, when he went back for them, they were, "folded across the fence . . . like they were expectin' me." They had also been mended but not neatly. Jem then says, "Like somebody was readin' my mind . . . like somebody could tell what I was gonna do."
Jem takes his time before he tells his sister that his pants were mended when he went back to get them. By taking his time before telling his sister, he is showing that he is growing up. He is taking time to think about things that happen to him and trying to put them into perspective. Scout notices this change in Jem and says, “It was then, I suppose, that Jem and I first begin to part company.”
How does Dill explain Jem's loss of his pants?
Mr. Radley shoots his gun in the air to scare away whoever is in his collard patch. This happens to be Dill, Jem, and Scout. They run and Jem holds up the "wire" fence so that the other two can wiggle under. He then gets his pants caught in the barbed wire and has to take them off to escape.
When everyone gathers, having run out their houses in response to the gunshot, Atticus asks Jem what happened to his pants. At this point, Dill pipes up and explains that he won them from Jem in a game of strip poker.
This quick thinking saves the threesome from having to explain why they were on the Radley property. However, it gets them into trouble for gambling, even though they say they were only gambling with matches.
Later, the pants are returned, but sewn up crookedly, as if repaired by an inexperienced sewer.
In chapter six of To Kill a Mockingbird, the gunshot from the Radley place brings all the neighbors out into the street, where the children also show up, Jem without pants.
As the dust settles and smoke clears, Miss Stephanie is the first to notice Jem's lack of clothing. Dill comes to his rescue when he explains that they were playing "strip poker" with "matches" in Miss Rachel's yard (54).
This story of Dill's is a plausible yet still punishable offense for the kids, but as an alternate to the truth a relief for Jem.