Love And Hate Both Hang On The Same Thread

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch´s childhood and is narrated through the eyes of none other than Scout. She lives in Maycomb with her father Atticus, her brother Jem and also Calpurnia, her maid. On the summers, both Jem and Scout hang out with their friend Dill and plan adventures throughout their time together.

Scout has turned eight years old and Jem is twelve, and they are facing obstacles that are beyond their years. Their father, Atticus, is defending a black man in a trial and has to go out of town; which causes Jem and Scout to go with Calpurnia (the Finches´ black maid) to her local church. When they come back, Jem and Scout find out that their Aunt Alexandra will be living in Maycomb for a while since she believes that both Jem and Scout need a feminine influence in their lives considering that their mother passed away. Scout later overhears Atticus and Aunt Alexandra fighting about the presence of Calpurnia, but Atticus convinces his sister to let Calpurnia stay. That night, Scout and Jem find Dill hiding under Scout's bed and find out that he escaped his home, took the train and came to Maycomb to stay with his aunt. Now reunited, the three friends go visit Atticus in his office and randomly save his (black) client from being hurt by several men in town. Scout was quick to stand up for her dad and persuaded the men into being sympathetic towards Tom and Atticus. Aticus´s trial later takes place in town and everyone in Maycomb attends since it isn't common for a black man to be defended. Turns out that Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, member of the Ewell family, who are known for being lazy and uneducated. Atticus tries to defend Tom by trying to prove that it wasn't his client who abused Mayella, but that it was her father who caused the bruises in her body.

“I know now what he was trying to do, but Atticus was only a man. It takes a woman to do that kind of work.” (Lee, 179)

When Aunt Alexandra arrived to Maycomb to stay with the Finches, it wasn´t only because she wanted to be a feminine influence to Jem and Scout. I think that Aunt Alexandra wanted to become the mother that Scout and Dill never had and the mother that she could never be to her real son. She tells Atticus to tell his children that they should start behaving better and they start honoring the family. Sadly, Jem and Scout get upset with Atticus but he  tries to make them laugh by making jokes about a cousin, Scout realizes that it is not in Atticus's nature to nurture and care for his children like a mother does. I can remember countless times when my mom has left my sisters and I with our dad. I guess it wasn't entirely his fault but, my dad could not take care of my sisters and I the same way my mom did. Perhaps women possess the ability to care for children in a way that men can't.

“´Dill?´

Mm?´

´Why do you reckon Boo Radleys never run off?´

Dill sighed a long sigh and turned away from me.

´Maybe he doesn't have anywhere to run off to.´ ” (Lee, 192)

This is part of a conversation Dill and Scout have the day Dill runs away from his home and goes to Maycomb. I realized that, even though Scout, Jem, and Dill haven't bothered Boo Radley in a while; they still care for him. I felt so grateful when I read this quote because I realized that, if I went crazy and run away from my house, I would still have somewhere to go. Perhaps it was only the fact that Boo Radley is lonely and, sadly, fictitious; but I was nevertheless thankful for my family's existence at the moment. If I was to run away from home, I would probably escape to my grandparents´ house. They would probably run away to my house, too.

"Give me reasons to believe that you would do the same for me
And I would do it for you, for you"

I have realized that I am already more than half way through the book and that Boo Radley is still as invisible as he can possibly be. I hope that he can come out of his house sometime in the near future of the book. Something else that I find curious, and that I didn't take so seriously until the Atticus's trial took place, is the enormous amount of discrimination towards black people in the book. But, considering that this book was published in 1960, I should have had in mind that discrimination and abuse was a part of people's everyday lives. I am also anxious about how the trial is going to turn out, I want Atticus to win (but I honestly don't think he will. Not because he is a bad lawyer, but because he is defending a black man). I seriously do not like Mayella Ewell and her family and I think that it would be a disgrace towards morality if they won the case against Atticus.  

Everything That Is Crazy Once Started With Innocence

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee tells the story of Scout Finch and her brother Jem´s life during the 1940’s. The story is narrated by Scout´s point of view as she tells the story about living in Maycomb, Alabama with her father Atticus and her maid Calpurnia. When Scout and Jem's friend Dill comes over in the summers, the three friends try to make the mysterious Boo Radley come out of his house.

After Dill goes back home and leaves Scout with the promise of marrying her when he comes back, Scout and Jem continue to find gifts inside a whole in a tree near the Radley place. Scout and Jem decide to leave a letter thanking whoever it is leaving them the gifts but are very disturbed when they find out that the whole in the tree has been filled with cement. The next winter, Scout wakes up one morning convinced that the world was ending, but finds out it was just starting to snow. Jem and her try to make a snowman, but end up creating a mass that looks a lot like Mr. Avery; their neighbor. That night, Miss Maudie's house catches on fire and causes a lot of commotion in the neighborhood. Jem and Scout are told to stand in the sidewalk so they are out of danger but Scout begins to freeze due to the cold winter air. Scout then finds out that someone put a blanket on her shoulders so that she wouldn't be cold. Back in school, Scout is being insulted by her classmates due to the fact that Atticus is defending a black man in a trial. Atticus tells Scout not to be bothered about mean comments regarding his case defending Tom Robinson, and advises her to stay out of trouble. 

For Christmas; Uncle Jack, Aunt Alexandra, Uncle Jimmy, and their grandson Francis all came to spend Christmas with Scout, Jem, and Atticus. At the Christmas dinner, Aunt Alexandra constantly tells Scout to behave like a lady and wear dresses, but Scout never listens to her since she thinks pants are more comfortable. After dinner, Francis insults Atticus for defending a black man in a trial, which causes Scout to punch him in the face. Atticus later tells Uncle Jack that the black man he is defending was accused of raping a member of the Ewell family, who are known for being lazy and uneducated.

That summer, Dill doesn´t come visit Jem and Scout since he is spending time with his dad. Scout and Jem stop tormenting Boo Radley but instead have to pass by Mrs. Dubose´s house to get to town. The old lady is constantly insulting Atticus for defending a black man, which causes Jem to get mad and cut off all of her flowers. Jem later apologizes but is ordered to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month. When he finishes reading to the old lady, Atticus tells Jem that Mrs. Dubose passed away but that she conquered her addiction of morphine with the help of Jem's reading.

“Atticus told me to delete the adjectives and I’d have the facts.” (Lee, 60-61)

When Jem tells Scout about how he is studying the Egyptians in school, Atticus is quick to bless Scout with some wise words. I genuinely think that Atticus is someone we should all have as a role model. I also think that Harper Lee was very aware that creating a character whose morality simply not match his time would create some faked expectative for people in reality. Atticus's words go beyond my knowledge of honesty and truthfulness, but also make me see the world in a completely different way. With his words, I realized that people's lies are not always far from the truth; but are instead so similar to the truth that it can't be differenced easily. I think that his words could also apply to every day gossip in school. Perhaps what I am hearing from my friends is, at some extent, true; but has been exaggerated with adjectives. I have also concluded that adjectives are tricky words. They can be used to create imagery of a perfectly described scenario, but they can also create perfectly detailed lies.  

“I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Lee, 93-94)

For Christmas, Jem and Scout got air rifles from their Uncle Jack. I was surprised when I realized that shooting birds or tin cans with real guns is something that people actually do. I was also wondering about the symbolical significance of a mockingbird, but then the book answered my question. Unlike blue jays, mockingbirds only sing their hearts out for us and don't eat other people's gardens. Perhaps they symbolize innocence. I genuinely think that the author wanted people to reflect on their lives and think about their possibility of killing a mockingbird in any way possible. Since Atticus was the one who said this, I wonder if he has ever killed a mockingbird. Why does he want his children to behave well in order to maintain mockingbirds alive? Does it has to do with their innocence? Does he want to preserve it and treasure it?

"Look at all the children we can change"

This book has been so much better than I expected it to be. This is the only book that I have read that actually gives me a look inside American life during the 1940's, something that I found rare based on other books I've read. Something that I really want to happen next is the appearance of Boo Radley, he did not appear once during the six chapters I read for this week. I still hope that he will have a positive impact in the story and I hope that he will help Jem, Dill, and Scout mature as individuals. I also missed Dill during this part of the story, even if he is just a fictional character that doesn't actually exist. I also found out that Dill was probably inspired by Harper Lee's childhood friend Truman Capote (whose book I read for my last blog posts). Anyway, I am really looking forward to the rest of this book since the title is just beginning to make sense to me.

Every Moment Will Become A Memory

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is narrated from Scout Finch´s point of view and tells the story of Scout (whose real name is Jean Louise) and her brother Jem´s new found friendships and adventures regarding Boo Radley, the mysterious man living in their town. The Finches live in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Scout and Jem (who is four years older than Scout) live with their dad Atticus (who loves to read and is a lawyer) and with their maid Calpurnia since their mom died when Scout was two years old. Scout and Jem were first curious about Boo Radley the summer they met Dill. He is one year older than Scout (who at the time was six) and came to visit his aunt for the summer. Scout and Jem told him the story about how the Radleys had always lived in Maycomb but when the younger son Arthur (Boo) decided to join a gang, they became secluded from their neighbors. When Mr.Radley refused to send Boo to a school that would help him become disciplined, Boo had to stay at home and wasn't seen for the next fifteen years. One day, Boo was cutting some pictures for a scratch book when he attacked his dad with the scissors, which causes Mrs.Radley to leave the town. Years later, Mr.Radley passed away and his elder son, Nathan came back to Maycomb to live with Boo.

The following September, Scout enters the first grade but gets in trouble with the teacher for knowing how to read and write. When coming home from school, Scout finds chewing gum placed in a tree near Boo's house, but when she comes back with her brother Jem to the tree; they find two pennies left in the tree. The next summer when Dill comes to Maycomb; Jem, Scout and him try to leave a letter to Boo Radley but are unsuccessful to deliver the letter. Atticus later tells the three children that they should stop tormenting Boo since whatever he decides to do, is no one else's business but Boo´s.

 

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”

(Lee, 18)

This is said by Scout once she realizes that her teacher, Miss Caroline, might take away her time and ability to read. I think that the fact that she is comparing reading to breathing, already tells a lot about her priorities. I think that, although Scout read quite a lot, she never considered the option of it being taken away from her, and I think it is brilliant of her to think of it as the same way as breathing. I personally never thought about “loving” breathing, but I realized that it will one day be taken away from me and there will be nothing I can do about it. Even if the lack of breathing is directly connected to death, I will still consider it something so regular that I won't notice when it's gone. Perhaps Scout will learn how to cope with the lack of reading, but not with the lack of breathing.

“What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children, which was a mild term for the likes of us.” (Lee, 50)

This is said by Atticus Finch to Jem, Scout, and Dill in hopes of stopping them from tormenting Boo Radley. I think that this quote tells a lot about Atticus like the fact that he respects people as much as he respects himself, or that he considers other people's situations before making any comments. I really think Atticus is a very wise, middle-aged man, that can certainly be a good role model for Jem, Scout and Dill (even if he is not his son). I still wonder about his privacy at home. Atticus states that Boo should be free of the attention of children, but he has children of his own. Why does Atticus care so much about Boo? Is Atticus ever bothered by the lack of privacy he has at home? Does he ever tell Jem or Scout about it? Will he ever tell them?

I am honestly so excited to read To Kill A Mockingbird since I've heard about it before but was never able to read it. I think that this book fascinates me so much because it is narrated from a six-year old's point of view (unlike other books I've read that are narrated by adults or even Death). The only thing that I really want to happen in the book is for Jem, Scout, and Dill to meet Boo Radley in person. I really hope he comes out of his house and contributes to the story in a positive way (because for all I know, he is a convicted murderer responsible for homicides in the other side of the world). I also want to find out about Scout's other adventures (or misadventures) in school since they will tell if she definitely gave up reading or not.