Small Town Childhood

"Our summertime boundaries (within calling distance of Calpurnia) were Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose's house two doors to the north of us, and the Radley Place three doors to the south." (from chapter 1)

"Our tacit treaty with Miss Maudie was that we could play on her lawn, eat her scuppernongs if we didn't jump on the arbor, and explore her vast back lot, terms so generous we seldom spoke to her, so careful were we to preserve the delicate balance of our relationship." (from chapter 5)

One of the things about the book so far that is very reminiscent for me is the way Scout and Jem and Dill have the run of the neighborhood. It was much the same for me growing up in a small KS town. Our cousins lived two houses over, and we were always using the intervening backyard to get from house to house. We had friends at the end of the block and across the street. There was no such thing as privacy fences because we played running and chasing games all through the area. Property boundaries didn't mean much to us. I walked to school, the library, etc. and lived on my bike in the summer. We may have been a bit sheltered and lacked diversity in our town, which is a loss, but there was a real sense of freedom and safety and community.