Yes, Scout fights her cousin Francis for saying the ugly
things he says, but I think the issue is bigger than just the fight. We all know that
Scout is quick to fight and think later, but this time it is with a family member.
Francis doesn't mind telling Scout exactly what Aunt Alexandra has said about Atticus
and the way he is raising his children. He even makes fun of Dill, and this sets Scout
on edge.
"If
Uncle Atticus lets you run around with stray dogs, that's his own business, like Grandma
says, so it ain't your fault. I guess it ain't your fault if Uncle Atticus is a
nigger-lever besides, but I'm here to tell you it certainly does mortify the rest of the
family-"
"Francis, what the hell do you mean?"
"Just what I said.
Grandma says it's bad enough he lets you all run wild, but new he's turned out a
nigger-lover we'll never be able to walk the streets of Maycomb agin. He's ruinin' the
family name, that's what he's
doin."
After Francis tells
Scout just what the family thinks of Atticus, Scout fights him. In her young age, she
doesn't understand the ramifications of what has been told to her. Francis is just
repeating what his grandmother has said to him. This is the first time Scout is hearing
these horrible things being said about her father by his own family. It is a shock to
her, and she has a hard time understanding it. This whole event takes place to set up
the way the town is going to feel about Atticus and the things Scout is going to
hear.
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