Scout, the narrator, introduces the reader to her familial circumstances and provides an introduction to Maycomb society. Atticus Finch studied law and did not remain at the landing as his sister did. Jem, Scout and Dill are fascinated by their neighbours’ estate, especially by Boo Radley, who has never been seen in public. When the children learn that Boo is locked in the basement because he committed a crime and only comes out at night, they are fascinated and it becomes even more attractive for them to see him. Their fascination becomes a game.
As summer is coming to an end, Dill goes back to Mississippi and Scout starts first grade. Arguing with her teacher that she is already able to read, Scout gets quite disappointed about Mrs. Fisher’s way of teaching. At school, Scout provides an insight into Maycomb society as she explains to her teacher that renting money to one of the Cunninghams means you would not get it back because farmers like the Cunninghams have been hit the hardest through the stock market crash and the Era of the Great Depression.
In school, the children represent their families: Walter Cunningham is polite and unwilling to accept charity [dt.: Almosen], he is the image of the poor Cunninghams. Burris Ewell represents his unsavoury [dt.: unangenehm] family through his dislikeable character. The reader can assume the teachers position and is able to learn the structures of Maycomb society.
Scout gets into a conflict with Walter Cunningham. She pushes and hits him as a kind of revenge for feeling embarrassment in class. Her older brother stops her and invites Walter for lunch. Completely destroyed and angry, Scout talks to Atticus and begs him to let her leave school. Atticus explains to her: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view […] - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it”. She makes an agreement with her father to return to school.
In this chapter, Atticus already functions as a peacemaker when he mediates his daughter’s situation. This chapter shows that Scout’s education takes place outside of school, as Atticus teaches her human values, like dignity. His way of dealing with struggles is clear; he finds a compromise with Scout instead of confronting Mrs. Fisher, the teacher.
When Scout passes the Radley house on her own as she walks home from school, she recognises two pieces of dried chewing gum inside a knothole [dt.: Astloch]. After she returns with Jem, they find coins as well. The children keep playing the “Boo Radley” game, even though Atticus explains he does not want them to. At the same time, Dill and Jem start to exclude Scout. At first, Jem is afraid of the Radley place, but by turning the real mystery into a game, he shows Scout that he is not afraid of the Radleys. While Jem is only able to touch the Radley house in the beginning, he becomes bold enough to retrieve a tire from their yard. This kind of climax illustrates Jem’s development and increasing bravery.
Although they are not allowed to enter the Radley place, the children do so to get a look at Boo Radley in the night. When they get scared because of a shadow, they run out of the yard, and Jem gets stuck in a fence and loses his pants. At the same time, someone fires a gun and the neighbourhood discusses the situation. Jem decides to go back for his pants because he would rather risk his life than admit that they had been at the Radley place because Atticus has told them to stay away. When the neighbours talk about the gunfire, the neighbour Miss Stephanie says: “Next time he won’t aim high, be it dog [or] nigger” (page 60). This statement makes the social conditions quite clear; African Americans are considered to be on the same level as animals.
As school starts again, Jem tells Scout that it seems like the Radleys were expecting him when he went for his pants which were folded across the fence. The mystery about the Radleys continues when the siblings pass the Radleys’ tree on their way home and start to find things in the knothole where they had previously found the chewing gum and the coins. After receiving several valuable treasures, Jem and Scout decide to leave a message in the knothole. Before they can deliver the note, the knothole is filled with cement by Boo’s brother. Accepting this loss and understanding that they will not receive any more treasures marks one more step on Jem’s path to adulthood.
It is very uncommon for it to snow in Maycomb County, so when it does, Jem and Scout try to make a snowman, which ends up being made of mud more than snow. The mud-snowman [dt.: Schlammschneemann mit weißem Schnee überdeckt] is analogous to the way African American people were regarded at that time. The mudman is not something to be admired until he is covered with snow and is deemed to be a snowman. Because of a fire at Miss Maudie’s house, Jem and Scout are told to wait in front of the Radley’s house until the inhabitants of Maycomb put out the fire. The children are so astonished while watching the disaster down the street that they do not recognise Boo Radley putting a blanket around freezing Scout. Neither cold weather nor fires are usual for Maycomb yet the fire wakes the citizens from their slumber and the situation foreshadows the upcoming conflicts the community will soon have to face.
A boy named Cecil Jacobs confronts Scout and says her father would defend a “nigger”, which makes Scout quite angry. Atticus explains to Scout that she is going to be confronted with such ugly talk, but she should not use the word “nigger” and she should try to fight with her mind, hold her head high and “keep those fists down” (page 84). Although Atticus answers Scout’s question whether they’re going to win the trial with a simple “No” (page 84), he still wants to try to win.
Around Christmas, the family spends time with Aunt Alexandra and Scout gets into an argument with Uncle Jack. Their situation can be compared with the Tom Robinson trial. One side (Scout/Tom Robinson) is not able to present their own point of view and is punished without the other side (Uncle Jack/racist Maycomb community) listening to them. The only difference is that Scout wins when she says to her uncle: “Well, in the first place you never stopped to gimme a chance to tell you my side of it – you just lit right into me. When Jem an’ I fuss Atticus doesn’t ever just listen to Jem’s side of it, he hears mine too” (page 95). The author intends for Scout’s situation to be a clear parallel to how Tom Robinson feels. A child experiencing the same situation and emotions helps the reader to understand Tom’s position.
The children think their father is weak and because of his age he is not able to do things other fathers do. However, when Atticus has to kill a sick dog and shoots him with only one shot from a distance, Jem and Scout change their opinion. Jem destroys Mrs. Dubose’s (neighbour) flowers because he is angry. As a punishment, he has to read to Mrs. Dubose every day for one month. Lady Dubose dies after about five weeks and Atticus explains that she has been very sick.
The last two chapters of part one offer all of the background information for the trial, which takes part in part two. Through Scout and Jem, the reader comes to know Atticus and the Maycomb community’s rules and values. Chapter 10 refers to the title of the novel "To kill a Mockingbird" when Atticus explains that “it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird” (page 99. This scene is the eponymous scene, i.e. when a scene makes reference to its title). Scout finally understands this statement when Miss Maudie asserts that “mockingbirds don’t do one thing but sing their heart out for us” (page 100).
In the story, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both mockingbirds because they are actually innocent, weak and do nothing wrong. Because of his last name ‘Finch’, Atticus is characterized as clever as a finch bird, whereas the Maycomb community acts like the mad [dt.: tollwütig] dog Atticus has shot. The dog is mad and consequently dangerous. Although the dog’s behaviour is odd, he does not look mad to the children. Another important aspect is that by the time the dog enters the neighbourhood, even the mockingbirds become silent.
Atticus’ reservation [dt.: Zurückhaltung] to use a gun is mirrored in his defense of Tom Robinson. Using a gun means having an advantage, but Atticus does not want to take advantage of the weak, so he defends a helpless black man against the rifles of prejudice wielded by the town.