The previous Halloween, evidently some pranksters hit Tutti and Frutti Barber’s house and vandalized some furniture belonging to them. In order to keep these “criminals” in check and off the streets of Maycomb, Miss Merriweather writes a play that chronicles Maycomb’s agricultural history and contributions to society. It is performed in the school gymnasium, but there is also a “haunted house” in one of the classrooms and treats for the children. In the play, Scout plays the role of a ham and misses her cue to go on stage because she fell asleep waiting for her part. The play ends, and the children head home on this spooky Halloween night only to be attacked by Bob Ewell.
The trip to the Halloween pageant sets up a foreboding mood, and we as readers can feel that something bad is going to happen. Lee describes the night as “moonless” and dark. Scout and Jem must once again pass the Radley house to get to the school, and during their walk, they are startled by Cecil Jacobs who jumps out of the bushes to scare them. The Halloween pageant is used as a device to foreshadow the danger the children will be in by the end of the episode.
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