To Kill a Mockingbird | Chapter 2

In Chapter 2 of "To Kill a Mockingbird," Scout is excited to start school for the first time. However, her first day of first grade does not go as she expected. Scout’s teacher, Miss Caroline Fisher, is new to Maycomb and unfamiliar with the local customs and children. When Miss Caroline discovers that Scout can already read, she becomes annoyed and tells Scout to stop learning from her father, Atticus. This frustrates Scout, as she loves reading with Atticus and feels punished for being ahead of her classmates. During a class activity, Miss Caroline notices that Walter Cunningham, a boy from a poor farming family, has no lunch. She offers him a quarter to buy something to eat, promising he can pay her back the next day. Scout tries to explain that Walter won’t be able to repay the money because the Cunninghams are too poor to accept anything they can't return. Miss Caroline misunderstands Scout’s intentions and scolds her for speaking out of turn. Scout is unhappy with her first day of school and feels that she’s being unfairly treated. She begins to question the value of formal education compared to the lessons she’s learned at home. This chapter highlights the social and economic disparities in Maycomb and sets the stage for Scout's growing awareness of the complexities of her community.