TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Scout would also like to learn to shoot. She’d like to learn to shoot her air rifle. Her dad won’t teach her. But her Uncle Jack teaches her to shoot. Jem is a very good shot. They shoot at empty cans.
“Soon you’ll start shooting birds, son,” says Atticus. “You can shoot as many bluejays as you want. But remember, it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.” Scout doesn’t understand what her father means.
She asks Miss Maudie about it later. Miss Maudie tells Scout that mockingbirds only exist to make beautiful music for people to enjoy. They don’t eat people’s gardens. They don’t make nests where they shouldn’t. They just sing for people to listen to. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.
Scout thinks Atticus is old. She thinks he’s boring. He doesn't do cool things. Other dads are younger. Scout thinks other dads do cool things. Her dad is fifty. He doesn’t farm. He doesn’t drive a dump truck. These things are cool. He also doesn’t drink alcohol. He doesn’t smoke either.
Then, something happens. A mad dog comes to town. It is sick. It's dangerous. It can bite people.
The sheriff goes after the dog. He has a gun. But he can't shoot well. He tells Atticus that if he misses the dog, he might shoot into the Radley house. He might hurt someone. The sheriff wants Atticus to shoot the dog. “I haven’t shot a gun in thirty years, Sheriff," says Atticus. But finally he takes the gun.
He takes aim.
He shoots.
He kills the dog in one shot.
Scout learns her father is the best shot in town. “One-shot Finch,” Miss Maudie calls him. Scout and Jem are amazed. They didn't know this about Atticus. Scout sees a new side of her father.
