Question

Pick one of the gifts left in the tree in front of the Radley house and explain why it would be valuable to Jem and Scout.

Answer 1

Answer: The gifts that are left by Boo Radley for Jem and Scout in the knothole of the Radley oak are meant to be a message of friendship from the most mysterious man in Maycomb. Boo has been watching the children play in front of his house, and the gifts serve as an ice-breaker between them. Some of the gifts have specific significance; some do not. The chewing gum found by Scout, with its shiny outer foil wrapping glittering in the sunlight, is the first gift. It seems to have no significance other than being an irresistible treat for Scout--and which Jem determines is not poisonous. (Remember, the Radley pecans are believed to be deadly.) The Indian-head pennies are probably just some coins Boo had laying around the house, but to Jem, they are "strong magic... good luck." The carved soap images are meant to be likenesses of Jem and Scout, and the "tarnished medal" was probably the spelling bee medal won by Boo himself when he was a child. As for the watch, chain, and knife, Boo may well have seen Jem playing with his grandfather's watch, which Atticus let him carry once a week; now he would have one of his own. And the knife seems to be author Harper Lee's way of foreshadowing the knife that Boo uses to save the children at the end of the story.