If You Fall Three Times, Make Sure To Stand Up Four

Introducing Boo´s Random Act Of Kindness

As Halloween approaches, Scout participates in a play in school but when Jem and Scout are going back home from the play, they are attacked by an unknown person who tries to suffocate Scout and breaks Jem arm (but Jem is later taken home by a mystery man). Once at home, Scout gets rid of her destroyed ham costume and finally meets Boo Radley (who turns up to be the one who saved Jem and Scout). Mr.Tate investigates these events and tells Atticus that it was Bob Ewell who tried to kill Jem and Scout, but that he later slipped on his own knife and killed himself. Boo Radley asks Scout to take him home across the street and this was the last time Scout ever saw Boo Radley and, while standing in his front porch at night, Scout imagined life from Boo's point of view. Boo then describes situations like watching three children make up a play in the garden, a man shooting down a dog in the street, two children running up to their father, and two children looking up at gifts in an oak tree (all of which are moments from Scout's childhood in Maycomb).

Some Well Organized Words

“He raised his eyebrows, and I protested: "Least ways not till I started telling Mr. Tate about it. Jem wasn't scared. Asked him and he said he wasn't. Besides, nothin's real scary except in books." (Lee, 375)

Once Mr.Tate and Boo Radley leave Scout's house, she is quick to spend time with her father and brother. I don't think she lied to Atticus about being scared, but I think that adrenaline and instinct stopped her from being scared. This quote also makes me remember something Scout said at the beginning of the book about how she didn't love reading and compared it to breathing. I think that this thought from Scout has a great influence in her definition of fear. Her love for reading has taken her to understand fear as an emotion that can only be felt by things we don't see, but by things we imagine. Based on this, I now think that Scout is a very imaginative person who is creative and wise beyond her years. She is able to enhance imagery from books in order to define her emotions, and I think that is amazing. 

“When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . .” His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He woul d be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning.” (Lee, 376)

I think that this quote is one of Atticus's many teachings to his children (and to the world in general). I think that this quote is much like those “don't judge a book by its cover” type of stuff, but it doesn't replace a better image for something bad but it rather creates a positive image for something unknown. I also think that Atticus is trying to tell Scout about not inferring anything about anyone based on information that is not even true. My mom is constantly telling me to know a person before I judge them or talk about them, and I think this also applies to Scout and her opinion on Boo.

This Is The End

So, I'm done with the book. And let me tell you, I'm not one bit disappointed. I had wanted to know the reasons behind people who praised this book so much, and now I understand them completely. To Kill A Mockingbird is an excellent example of the existence of racial and social inequality, it shows the importance of the presence of morality in an individual, and portrays innocence in the most beautiful way. Throughout the book, I also learned about Boo's portrayal in reality. He is everything that is good in the world and helps others without getting anything in return. This book made me look at the world in a complete different way by showing me the childhood of a girl who doesn't even exist. It showed me both injustice and love, two words that are not usually related to each other. Scout's representation of a girl who wasn't into things that are considered girly also showed me that stereotypes could also be fought in the 1930’s. But most of all, To Kill A Mockingbird has taught me that the shyest ones are also the kindest ones, and that bravery is relative when an act is made with love.

 "And we can't reach any higher, 
If we can't deal with ordinary love"

If There Were More Laws, Then There Will Be Less Justice

Previously On Scout´s Childhood...

Atticus is assigned the case of Tom Robinson, a black man who is blamed for raping Mayella Ewell and wants to prove to the jury that Mayella's father beat her up and blamed Tom for it. Later, Tom is questioned by Atticus on the events that supposedly happened, but he just says that he was trying to help Mayella when she tried to kiss him (not to mention that Tom's left arm was severely damaged and wasn't useful, hitting Mayella would've been extremely hard). Sadly, Tom is taken to prison but Atticus promises Tom to keep trying to set him free. Jem cries because he thought that the jury would be fair, but is only comforted by the sadness he shares with his dad. One day, Atticus arrives strangely early from work and tells Calpurnia, the maid, that he needs her help in order to tell Tom Robinson's wife that Tom was killed while trying to escape prison.

 

My Thoughts On...

“´I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.´” (Lee, 304)

This quote is said by Scout to Jem while they are discussing the types of people Maycomb. It all started when Aunt Alexandra prohibited Scout from bringing Walter Cunningham home, she said he was trash. I think that, since Scout is young and innocent, she does not understand that society has always been organized in social classes that don't usually mix with one another. I felt strangely pitiful for Scout, she lives in a time and place where poverty existed among everyone and where everyone was extremely judgmental and condescending towards others. I guess I didn't expect the 1930´s to be such a socially divided period of time, but then again; the 21st century is a socially divided time. Also, I don't think that I can totally understand Scout since her living arrangements and traditions are way different than mine. I also think that Scout does not understand the prejudice that exists in the different social classes or in colors of the skin. Honestly, I think that social hierarchy should not be defined by money or race, but should instead be way to organize society equally and fairly.

“´But there is one way in this country in which all men are created equal- there is one human institution that makes a pauper the equal of a Rockefeller, the stupid man the equal of an Einstein, and the ignorant man the equal of any college president. That institution gentlemen, is a court.´ ” (Lee, 274)  

These are some of the last words of Atticus Finch in his trial in which he defends Tom Robinson. I think that the words that Atticus tells to the jury are not completely true since not even the court gave justice to Tom. The law is supposed to be enforced in a court, but morality and an individual's beliefs also interfere in a court. Justice was not granted to Tom because of the racial inequality and discrimination of his time , but hopefully it would've been granted today. Until what extent does law influence the final decision of the jury in court? Is prejudice present in every jury in a court? Is justice controversial or different for everyone, even though it shouldn't be?

To Be Continued...

So, I'm back. Honestly, this blog took me awhile to complete since I haven't written anything about the book in about a month (but I still enjoyed it so that is good). In other news, I just found out that Harper Lee passed away two days ago (February 19th, 2016) and it actually made me very upset since I didn't even finish her book while she was alive. Anyway, I literally have no idea of what could happen next in the book since I was looking forward to the trial and that already happened. I'm still waiting on the appearance of Boo Radley, I miss Jem, Scout and Dill talking about him and trying to get him out of his house. In the last chapters that I read, I learned that the good not always wins, I learned that life can sometimes be unfair.