Harper Lee creates tension in the chapter through her use
of mood. First of all, the Halloween Pageant is something out of the ordinary. For
years, children always trick or treated in their neighborhoods until some pranks against
Tutti and Frutti Barber causes such a commotion that it is decided that an organized
activity would be best. So, simply by changing tradition, Harper Lee begins to create a
mood in the chapter. She also creates a change of mood earlier in the novel when a
sudden snowstorm blankets Maycomb and causes Miss Maudie’s house
fire.
In addition, she has set up a dark, scary mood with
shadows, a lone mockingbird calling out in the night, and a moonless sky. Jem and Scout
are alone and talking about “haints” (ghosts) right before Cecil Jacobs jumps out of the
bushes and scares them.
After the pageant, Scout is
barefoot and vulnerable walking home in her restrictive ham costume, and when Jem hears
footsteps rustling behind him, the tension rises until after the death of Bob
Ewell. Harper Lee's choice of words in describing the setting as well as foreshadowing
the attack of Scout and Jem through Cecil Jacobs and their talk about ghosts creates a
tense mood in the chapter.
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