in Chapter one of to kill a mockingbirds scout the narrator opens the novel by recalling the events that lead up to her brother Jim breaking his arm she starts by giving a brief backstory of her family history a long line of southerners the finches date back to an English fur trader named Simon Finch after fleeing religious persecution in England Simon settled on the banks of the Alabama River with his three slaves he established a cotton farm called Fitch's Landing most finches including her father Atticus grew up on finches Landing Atticus was one of the first finches to start a life outside of the farm studying law and choosing to raise his family in Maycomb Alabama Scout then takes us into present-day make'em where she lives with her widowed father Atticus brother Jem and the house cook Calpurnia the story starts in the summer time when six-year-old scout and 10 year old Jim put on plays and run around near the house Scout describes her neighborhoods geography which includes the mysterious Radley place the Radley's are a reclusive family that lived three doors down from the Finch home one of the neighborhood legends centers on Arthur Boo Radley legend has it that many years ago boo fell into the wrong crowd one evening they got into enough trouble that boo was sentenced to state school mr. Radley asked the judge if boo could be released into his custody when they left the courthouse it was the last anyone saw of Boo for 15 years one night mrs. Radley ran from the house screaming that Boo was trying to kill them apparently glue had stabbed mr. Radley in the leg with a pair of scissors the police were called and Boo is locked in the courthouse basement eventually Boo is transitioned back home where he'd been imprisoned since when mr. Radley died the other son Nathan returned from Florida keeping Boo locked inside over the years stories surrounding Boo and the ratleys grew more ridiculous but Makem residents were scared of the Radleys nonetheless scout and gems fascination with boo becomes more intense when Charles Baker Harris or dill comes to stay next door with his Aunt Rachel Haverford he becomes instant friends with Scott and gem and they make plans to lure boo out of the house chapter 1 builds a framework introducing not only several characters and settings but also the themes of class race and equality versus inequality we learn the Finch family's position in society has its roots in slavery although Scout demonstrates no awareness of race or class at this time as a child her sense of morality appears limited to simply good and evil in her mind boo radley is terrifying she and the others are curious to see what evil looks like [Music] you