Journal #3-Chapters 8 & 9 Perspective: Uncle Jack

Journal #3-
Chapters 8 & 9
Perspective: Uncle Jack


Dear Diary,

This is the week of christmas. I as I always do have come down to have christmas with the rest of my family at Finch's landing but first on Christmas eve I arrive in Maycomb and stay with Atticus, Jem, and Scout for the night. The next day we head up to Finch's landing. I got two gifts, one for Jem and one for Scout. They are from their father but I had to go get them. The first thing Scout said when I got off the train was, whats in the packages. I told her it was none of her buisness. Jem asked me about my cat, Rose Aylmer. That cat is the only female I will ever be able to stand living with for she can not torment me.

Scout has began to cuss. It's not a good thing and I told her that she should not be using bad language like that. She used that language during dinner so I asked her to talk to me after dinner. When dinner was over we talked. I told her that young ladys should'nt use that language unless provoked.


The next morning was Christmas morning. Jem and Scout loved their air rifles but were pointing them in the house. I told Atticus he needed to teach them how to shoot. He told me this was my Job.


When we all arrived at the Landing my sister Alexandra her husband Jimmy and thier grandson Francis greeted us. Alexandra complained a lot about Scouts clothing and ways to Atticus and told him he wasn't doing a very good job. I was tired of all her tiranny. Scout said that she couldn't do anything in a dress and Alexandra said that anything she couldn't do in a dress, she shouldn't be doing. That night at Christmas dinner Scout was placed at the little table in the dining room while all the rest of us were seated at the dining table. Alexandras coooking was absalutly amazing that night.


I heard a commotion outside a little wile after dinner. I came outside and saw Scout and Francis. Scouts left hand was bleeding and so was Francis's face. I ran up and grabbed both of Scouts hands just as she began to swing her left arm at Francis. I yelled at Scout to stand still and then at both children "who started this." Francis said that Scout had called him a whore lady and jumped on him. Scout said that this statment was correct and I told her that she wasn't sapposed to use that language and that now she was in trouble. It was unanimous. between me and Alexandra she was deffinantly in trouble. She told me she wouldn't speak to me ever again and that she hated me, despised me and hoped that I would die tomorrow.


We went back to Atticus's home and Scout went strait to her room. Scout was very upset she desguised herself not wanting to be seen in her room like a chameleon. I wanted to talk to her so I knocked on her door. At first all she said was go away. She ket me come in and when I did she told me I wasnt fair. I asked her how I wasn't fair. She said "Your real nice Uncle Jack, an' I recon I still love you after what you did, but you don't understand children much. I told her "And why do I not understand children, Miss Jean Louise? Such conduct as yours required little understanding. It was obstreperous, disorderly, and abusive-" She Then asked if I was going to give her a chance to tell me what she thought. She began telling me that I didn't let her tell her side of the tory and that this was not fair. She then said that I said she should only use bad words under extreme provocation and that Francis provoked her enough to where she knocked his block off. I asked her what her side of the story was.

I asked her what her side of the story was and she began to tell me what happend. She said that Francis called Atticus something and that she didn't like it and wasn't about to take that. I wanted to know hat he called Atticus so I asked. She sais that Francis called Atticus a "nigger-lover" I was shocked that Francis called him that. Scout said that she wasn't about to let him talk about Atticus like that. She also told me that Francis said other things about Atticus too. Like that he was the ruinin of the family and that he let Jem and her run wild. This made me very angry. Scout looked scared for a minute until i said "we'll see about this, I have a good mind to go out there tonight." Scout told me to just drop the subject and not to tell Atticus. I told her that I was upset that Francis could get away with something like that but she tolfd me he didn't and mentioned her hand. This made me remember that he got his. She asked me to tie up her hand and I did. Before I left the room she asked me what a "whore lady" was. I just went into a story about an old prime minister. I didn't want to tell her. I left the room.

Later that night when the children were asleep I was talking to Atticus. I told him that I didn't want to have childrem and that Scout gave me a lesson on children. I apoligized for how i treated her and Atticus just said that she earned it and not to feel to remorsefull. I felt weird knowing that she did what she did for Atticus and yet he was the one saying she deserved my malignant behavior. I wanted to tell him about what Francis said but I had made a promise and I needed to keep it. We talked about his case and how he was defending a negro and how hard this would be. Atticus spoted Scout listening in and told her to go to bed. I was proud of myself for not spilling Scouts secret. Especially since she would have heard if I had. This was the end of my christmas.

Well I will write again soon, till then,

Jack