To Kill a Mockingbird

“Jem gallantly walks Scout to the pageant carrying her costume. As they walk across the school yard, they discuss Boo and comment that Haints, hot steams...vanished with our years: above them a mocking bird sings.”

The above written lines are from Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee successfully creates a spooky atmosphere for the children as they walk to the pageant. The children talk of "Haints, Hot Steams, incantations, secret signs," but the reader acknowledges that while Jem and Scout laugh at their childish fears, there are still real things to be scared of. Fear itself is ...