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.
No comments:
Post a Comment