To Kill a Mockingbird — Week Two
July 12, 2010
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Posted by Heather
It’s funny, as many times as I’ve read this book, different things jump out at me every time. This time, I’m more interested in Atticus, possibly because I am reading Scout, Atticus and Boo! along with it. It has been fascinating to read the different impressions people have on the book, the characters, and Ms. Lee. The one thing that jumps out at me is the many mentions of Atticus’s bravery. To me, it doesn’t seem like Atticus thinks he is being brave. He is just doing his duty. I think in his mind, his children are the ones who will have to be brave.
“Scout,” said Atticus, “when summer comes you’ll have to keep your head about far worse things…it’s not fair for you and Jem, I know that, but sometimes we have to make the best of things, the way we conduct ourselves when the chips are down-well, all I can say is, when you and Jem are grown, maybe you’ll look back on this with some compassion and some feeling that I didn’t let you down. This case, Tom Robinson’s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man’s conscience-Scout, I couldn’t go to church and worship God if I didn’t try to help that man.”
At least Scout recognizes his bravery.
“It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.”
Another thing that jumps out at me is the creative discipline ways the elders used. Without raising a hand, Atticus teaches his children what is morally right and respect for others. Scout’s first reaction to anything is to fight, so when Atticus tells her not to, she has a hard time letting go.
I drew a bead on him, remembered what Atticus had said, then dropped my fists and walked away, “Scout’s a cow- ward!” ringing in my ears. It was the first time I ever walked away from a fight.
Scout loves her father and respects him enough to back down.
Somehow, if I fought Cecil I would let Atticus down. Atticus so rarely asked Jem and me to do something for him, I could take being called a coward for him. I felt extremely noble for having remembered, and remained noble for three weeks.
Although, family is another thing for Scout, particularly her father.
After my bout with Cecil Jacobs when I committed myself to a policy of cowardice, word got around that Scout Finch wouldn’t fight any more, her daddy wouldn’t let her. This was not entirely correct: I wouldn’t fight publicly for Atticus, but the family was private ground. I would fight anyone from a third cousin upwards tooth and nail.
And so she pounds Francis, who in all likelihood was just repeating what he had heard his elders say.
How different would society be if we all claimed such respect from our children? And isn’t it fascinating how Harper Lee tied all of Scout’s coming-of-age to the trial and what is to come? For can’t all the leasons she’s learning here be applied to what the elders should already know, the way they should have handled things with Tom Robinson?
What do you think so far? Are new things jumping out a you? The novel’s association of children with fairness suggests that a sense of justice is innate, not learned, and therefore adults must have learned to be unjust.
If you wrote up a post for To Kill a Mockingbird this week, you can link to it here. And don’t forget to sign up to win a copy of the 50th annivesary edition of To Kill a Mockingbird and it’s companion book, Scout, Atticus and Boo: A Celebration of 50 years of To Kill a Mockingbird – which is a fascinating book!
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Categories: Books
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Tags: harper lee, to kill a mockingbird
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So true! I re-read it yesterday and was shocked by how many things I discovered for the first time! It’s one of the few books I can read over and over again!
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Great observations! I’m not making as much headway as I’d hoped because of all the bloggy goodness going on and Estella, but I’m loving your posts. They bring so much of it back (since I waited so darn long to read it!).
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I feel like I’ve been paying more attention to Atticus this time around as well. This is only my second time reading the book but about five years have passed since I last read it.
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What strikes me the most is just how important it is to have an adolescent narrator in regard to the complexity of the issues the novel deals with. Scout HAS to be the narrator, otherwise the perspective on the trial and dynamics of the community become completely skewed. Such a fantastic novel.
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As you know this is my 1st time reading it and Atticus is actually my favourite character.
I love how the reading to an elder was a form of discipline.
Those strategies are standing out to me also.
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I’m hoping to start this in the next few days. And I linked to your blog in my post! Thanks for putting this together!
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