something interesting or fun; but when it has to do with Boo Radley, or the Radley home, things get intense (plot).

The first event that surprises the children is Jem pushes Scout so aggressively in the tire that she rolls down the street and right up to the Radley front porch. Legend says that the Radley place means death, so Jem yells at Scout to get out of there quickly, but also to bring back the tire with her. She runs, but leaves the tire and tells Jem to go get it. 

"'Go on, it ain't far inside the gate. Why, you even touched the house once, remember?'
Jem looked at me furiously, could not decline, ran down the sidewalk, treaded water to the gate, then dashed in and retrieved the tire.
'See there?' Jem was scowling triumphantly. 'Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl it's mortifying'" (38).

Tensions are high between brother and sister because of their relationship, but also having to face the Radley house. In an effort to further show how brave he is, Jem declares that they will play out the life of Boo Radley in their yard--like a game. They end up playing out the story of when Boo supposedly stabbed his father in the leg with scissors, which the whole neighborhood knows about. Scout is afraid that Boo will see them playing out his life's story and haunt them during the night (the plot thickens). 

The story that the kids play out gets more dramatic as the summer goes on. Jem always runs into the house and gets the real scissors in order to play the part where Boo stabs his father. One day, Atticus comes home and asks why they are playing with scissors (climax). He asks Jem if they have something to do with the Radleys and Jem lies. Atticus says, "I hope it doesn't" and goes in the house (40). The kids aren't sure after being caught by their dad if they should continue playing the Radley story. Scout doesn't want to, though, because the day that she rolled into their yard, she heard Boo Radley in the house laughing (resolution). Scout knows that Boo watches them play and she doesn't want to offend him and make him want to haunt her during the night.

Lee uses a parallel plot structure to illuminate her central theme about prejudice.

Prejudice emerges most fully in the trial of Tom Robinson, who is pre-judged as guilty of rape from the start because he is black. In the racist society of Maycomb, the word of a white person is always believed before the word of a black person, so Robinson's guilt is assumed.

Likewise, the young Scout simply believes that the exaggerated stories she hears of the reclusive Boo Radley as bogeyman, and consequently, she responds to him with fear and dread.

Both Tom and Boo are pictured in the novel as mockingbirds. The mockingbird is an innocent creature that it is a sin to kill because it harms nobody and sings a beautiful song. Tom tries to help Mayella Ewell just as Boo tries to help Scout and Jem. In Tom's case, prejudice prevents the community for acknowledging his goodness just as prejudice prevents Scout from seeing the goodheartedness of Boo.

The parallel structure allows Lee to interweave lighthearted childhood stories with the more dire story of Tom Robinson's predicament, relieving some of the darkness and gloom that surrounds his fate.

Lee also structures the plot to seemingly lead naturally to the final climax, in which Bob Ewell tries to kill Jem and Scout, again weaving a lighthearted narrative about a Halloween pageant around a darker central core.

Harper Lee's coming-of-age novel, To Kill a Mockingbird follows the traditional plot structure outlined by Gustav Freytag's pyramid.  This involves the common patterns beginning with the exposition that has an inciting incident, the rising action in which a complication occurs, the climax, or point of highest emotional intensity, the falling action which often has a catastrophe, and the denouement or resolution of all conflicts.

Exposition - The introduction of characters, the setting, and basic situation.

In the beginning of the novel the innocent voice of Scout introduces her family, maid, and neighborhood, friends and schoolmates and teacher--her world. In this little world of Maycomb, Alabama, Scout explains that there is a "haint," Boo Radley. The inciting incidents of  the  stressful day that Scout has with her new teacher and the inconsiderate games revolving around Boo Radley that Dill devises for Scout and Jem indicate how different points of view about people can lead to conflicts.  Atticus attempts to ameliorate situations for Scout by encouraging her to perceive things from the point of view of others by

"climb[ing] into his skin and walk[ing] around in it."

Rising Action - The complication of the novel is initiated by Atticus Finch's acceptance of acting as the defense attorney for Tom Robinson, who has been accused of rape. This act of Atticus gives rise to invectives against him by several townspeople, and it causes Jem, especially Scout, stress. In fact, they find themselves trying to protect their father from physical harm as, for instance, a mob smelling "like whisky and pig sty" comes to the jail to take the law into their own hands by dragging Robinson out and hanging him. It is in this jailhouse scene which Scout diffuses through her intervening with Mr. Cunningham that she learns the meaning of her father's words,

"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

Climax - The high point of suspense and emotional intensity.

Without question, the trial of poor, kind Tom Robinson is a very emotionally charged part of Lee's novel.  The false testimony of Bob and Mayella Ewell shocks Scout and Jem, among others. And, when Tom inadvertently lets it slip that he has "felt right sorry" for Mayella, he seals his fate among the jurors who cannot allow such a breach of racial conduct.

Falling Action - After the trial is over, Bob Ewell spits tobacco in the face of Bob Ewell; the wrongly convicted Tom Robinson panics and tries to escape the jail. In a catastrophic act, he is shot multiple times by the police. And, the children are attacked by Bob Ewell until Boo Radley intervenes. 

Denouement - The conflicts with Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell are resolved by their deaths, after Dill runs away, he is returned to his mother, and Scout learns that Boo Radley has done much more for her and Jem than they have for him. Standing on his porch, she finally sees things through his eyes. "Just standing on the Radley porch was enough."

The exposition of the story is where the town of Maycomb (as well as its many interesting characters) is introduced:

"Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Somehow, it was hotter then . . . bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of he live oaks on the square . . . People moved slowly then . . . Maycomb county had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself" (ch. 1).

This passage reveals important setting information. It reveals the exact city, Maycomb, Alabama, as well as clues to the date. We know that President Hoover was recently in leadership, with the references to the Hoover carts, and we know that FDR told the people that they had nothing to fear but fear in 1933. Additionally, it brings up one specific building, the courthouse, which seems to hint at its future importance.

Much of the rising action pertains to Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill, as they use their imaginations and create childish adventures. Some of those adventures include spying on the town's infamous Boo Radley (and even trying to get a glimpse of him) and interacting with their friends and neighbors, including Calphurnia, Miss Maudie, Miss Rachel, and a grumpy old lady Mrs. Lafayette Dubose. One of the most important themes in the first part of the book is growing up. All of the children learn important life lessons about innocence, guilt, and justice.

The climax of part one is hard to identify. There are a couple of important scenes that could be climaxes, including the scene when the town comes together to help Miss Maudie when her house catches on fire, or the scene when Atticus shoots the rabid dog, a creature that was not innocent or harmless. In these situations, when someone or something is not innocent, Atticus brings justice. In this situation, he raises his gun to protect the innocent. Otherwise, Atticus never raises a gun; he always defends the innocent.

One of the most important events that happens in the falling action of Part I is Mrs. Dubose insulting Atticus in front of Jem and Scout. She says to him,

"Your father's no better than the niggers and trash he works for!"

On the way home from their errands, Jem, in his anger and resentment about Mrs. Dubose's words, attacks her flowers with Scout's baton. Atticus requires that Jem apologize to Mrs. Dubose; he ends up having to return to read with her regularly. At first, Jem and Scout can only see a mean old woman. However, as time goes on, they learn to put themselves in her shoes and to see the hardships that she goes through.

Finally, I'd suggest that the resolution occurs in a conversation between Atticus and Jem. After Mrs. Dubose's death, Atticus explains to Jem that Mrs. Dubose was a strong and brave person, despite her physical appearance. He explains:

"She was [a lady]. . . I wanted you to see something about her-- I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. . . . Mrs. Dubose won, all ninety-eight pounds of her. According to her views, she died beholden to nothing and nobody. She was the bravest person I ever knew" (chapter 11).

Mrs. Dubose had been a morphine addict; she had been prescribed morphine to help with her pain. Yet, she didn't like being dependent on anyone or anything. Though she knew she was dying, she did not want to be addicted to a pain killer. Atticus claims that she died victorious, since she overcame her addiction. Through this experience, Atticus tries to teach his children (particularly Jem) a lesson on bravery. He wants his children to stand strong for what they believe in, just as Mrs. Dubose did. He also does not want his children to retaliate when wronged. Jem thought he could fix his problems by taking his anger out on Mrs. Dubose's flowers; Atticus teaches Jem that getting revenge when angry is not the right answer.