Student Question
Which chapter in To Kill a Mockingbird does Atticus warn the children to avoid the Radley property?
Quick answer:
Atticus warns his children to avoid the Radley property on multiple occasions. In Chapter 1, he threatens to spank them if they bother Mr. Radley. In Chapter 4, he disapproves of their play about the Radleys, and in Chapter 5, he explicitly tells them to stop tormenting Boo Radley. However, in Chapter 8, he tells them to seek safety at the Radley house during a fire.
Atticus warns his children on several occasions to stay away from the Radleys and "stop tormenting them in Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In Chapter 1, Atticus tells them he'd spank them (of course, he never does) if they bothered the dying Mr. Radley.
... he'd wear us out if we made any noise in the yard and commissioned Calpurnia to serve in his absence...
Atticus looked down upon the children's dramatic presentation of the Radleys in Chapter 4:
"... Does this by chance have anything to do with the Radleys?"
"No, sir," said Jem, reddening.
"I hope it doesn't," he said shortly...
In Chapter 5, Atticus catches the kids trying to deliver Boo a message.
"Son," he said to Jem. "I'm going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man. That goes for the other two of you."
But, in a minor about-face, Atticus actually tells them to seek safety and refuge at the Radley house in Chapter 8 following the unseasonable snowfall and then the fire that destroys Miss Maudie's house.
"... Now listen, both of you. Go down and stand in front of the Radley Place. Keep out of the way, do you hear?"...
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