In To Kill Mockingbird, how is tension created when Jem and Scout get attacked by Bob?

It is in , which
concerns before, during and after the pageant, that narrates the attack onand . Note how this
represents a new moral "low" for Bob Ewell, as, to cowardly to attackdirectly, he
decides to move against him indirectly by attacking those who are most vulnerable and unable to
defend themselves - his children.

Lee is very skilful in how she creates
suspense in this chapter - note how it is given a falsewith Cecil Jacobs jumping out on Jem and
Scout in the pitch black. This has the effect of lulling us into a false sense of security, much
as in horror movies there is a false climax before the "real" horror begins.

It is when Jem and Scout are returning to their house after the pageant that Bob Ewell
strikes. Note how tension is created immediately by the fact that Jem and Scout are alone and
isolated in the dark. When Jem thinks he hears something and stops Scout and makes her listen,
note how Scout describes the silence:

This was the
stillness before a thunderstorm.

This sentence clearly
indicates that the "storm" is just about to break and danger is going to come upon the
children.

Tension is also raised by the sound of their pursuer, who Scout
names "Shuffle-foot." The sound he makes allows them to tell when he stops merely
following them and begins to run after them:

Shuffle-foot
had not stopped with us this time. His trousers swished softly and steadily. Then they stopped.
He was running, running toward us with no child's steps.

"Run, Scout!
Run! Run!" Jem screamed.

Thein the swishing of the
trousers and then the realisation that their pursuer is not a child, but an adult, combined with
the screaming of Jem serves to greatly heighten the tension as we wonder what will
happen.