Contents
Chapter 29
Overview
In Jem’s room, Sheriff Heck Tate confirms Bob Ewell is dead and presses Scout to recount the attack. Scout explains how footsteps shadowed them, her ham costume deflected a knife, and a mysterious man intervened. The stranger proves to be Boo Radley, quietly revealed when Scout recognizes him.
Summary
Gathered around injured Jem, Aunt Alexandra withdraws while Sheriff Heck Tate asks Scout to describe the attack. Atticus, shaken and aging before Scout’s eyes, struggles to process that Bob Ewell is dead. Heck Tate insists Ewell won’t harm the children again and keeps the conversation in Jem’s room to examine injuries.
Scout recounts leaving the pageant, realizing someone followed them, and thinking it was Cecil Jacobs. She explains her ham costume and how visibility and noise were limited. Heck Tate inspects the crushed costume and concludes its wire frame likely saved Scout by deflecting a blade, noting punctures and scrape marks that show Bob Ewell “meant business.”
Scout continues: under the tree, someone grabbed and crushed her costume; a struggle ensued; Jem tried to pull her away; Bob Ewell yanked Jem down; a “funny noise” marked Jem’s broken arm; then Ewell tried to squeeze Scout. Another man pulled Ewell off, followed by staggering and harsh coughing. Scout searched for Jem, thinking the helper might be Atticus.
When Heck Tate asks who helped, Scout points to the pale, thin man standing silently against the wall. As she studies his colorless eyes, feathery hair, and nervous manner, recognition dawns. Moved to tears, Scout gently greets him: “Hey, Boo.”
Who Appears
- Scout FinchNarrator; recounts the attack in detail and recognizes their rescuer as Boo Radley.
- Heck TateSheriff; confirms Bob Ewell’s death, questions Scout, and deduces the costume saved her.
- Atticus FinchShaken father; listens to Scout’s account and grapples with the night’s violence.
- Boo RadleyReclusive neighbor; silently present in Jem’s room, revealed as the children’s rescuer.
- Jem FinchInjured; his broken arm is discussed as Scout recounts the struggle.
- Aunt AlexandraDistressed; briefly present, withdraws to her room, blaming herself for the night.
- Bob EwellAttacker; tried to kill the children, found dead with a knife after the struggle.