With regard to Harper Lee's To Kill a
Mockingbird, when you refer to "stationary objects," I expect you are
referring to elements/essential parts of the story, regarding the literary "landscape,"
that are unchanging, in Chapters 1-8.
The first object
would be the Radley house. It does not change, and neither does the
activity outside of the house, with regard to its inhabitants. When Mr. Radley dies, the
Jem and Scout expect Boo will finally come out, but his brother Nathan arrives and
nothing changes.
In terms of what
remains unchanged, perhaps I could suggest the community, and its long-standing members
such as the Cunninghams, the Ewells, the Radleys (especially Boo), as well as Dill, Miss
Stephanie and Miss Maudie.
Another stationary item in the
story would be the oak tree on the Radley property in which Boo leaves "presents" for
Jem and Scout, in an attempt to make a connection with them—and the outside world. Later
the knot hole in the tree is cemented up when Mr. Radley attempts, once again, to close
off Boo from the rest of the world.
An additional constant
that appears several times in Chapters 1-8 is the school. Here learning takes place, or
does not. Scout navigates new waters socially, both with her teacher and fellow students
in the play yard. It is a source of irony, and a keyhole through which the reader can
look to discover the underpinnings (undercurrents/inner-workings) of this
town.
Throughout the story, there are certain constant
elements that run into view and out again, appearing in one chapter and later in another
or several others. These are essential to creating the setting and "landscape" of the
plot and the characters.
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