The Last Mockingbird

Harper Lee did a really nice job with the ending. On Page 279, Scout recaps everything that happened over the past few years, but from Arthur Radley’s perspective.

Brief excerpts:

“It was fall, and his children fought on the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Dubose’s. The boy helped his sister to her feet and they made their way home. Fall, and his children trotted to and fro around the corner, the day’s woes and triumphs on their faces. They stopped at an oak tree, delighted, puzzled, and apprehensive. “

“Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.”

The book often contrasted Jem’s newfound “maturity” with Scout’s naivety, but this quote demonstrates how much Scout has grown through the book. Before, Jem had to explain to her why she couldn’t brag about Atticus’s shooting abilities at school. But, later, she is able to understand that Boo Radley killed Mr. Ewell, and that they must conceal that with the lie that Mr. Ewell killed himself. Scout is able to put herself in Arthur Radley’s shoes, and understand his perspective, from the secret life she’s always been curious about.

I also found it interesting how, on page 278, Scout mentions, after walking Boo back to his house, “I never saw him again.” I would think that this might be the beginning of Boo’s return to society, but I suppose that might be against his brother’s wishes – and, as Jem noted, he wanted to stay inside, only coming out when his children needed him.

Through the several years, Jem evolved –  from a child, to a teen, and finally to a young adult. His core characteristics have been bravery and moral righteousness, though the latter sometimes came across as arrogance, especially in his interactions with Scout, in which Jem often tells her what she should do. However, near the end of the book, Scout notes that, “Jem was becoming almost as good as Atticus at making you feel right when things go wrong “ (pg 259). This shows that he is gradually moving away from that arrogance, and is getting better at empathizing with people.

Compared to the other characters, Jem was affected significantly by the Tom Robinson case, perhaps even more than Atticus was. He legitimately believed that the jury would evaluate the evidence just as Jem did, and make a decision in a manner he considered “fair”. Ong pg. 212, “It was Jem’s turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as we made our way through the cheerful crowd. ‘It ain’t right, ‘ he muttered.” Having been raised by Atticus, and being around people like Miss Maudie, Jem was probably under the impression that more people were fair (availability heuristic type thing), i.e. evaluated evidence without regard to race – it came as a nasty shock to him that most people in the town didn’t think like he did. This came as a challenge to his innate sense of what is good. Previously, he alludes to the fact that he wants to become a lawyer, just like Atticus. I wonder if this’ll inspire further him to join Atticus in doing what the rest of the town is too afraid to do.

In class, we discussed who killed Bob Ewell. The general consensus was that it was Boo Radley. On page 276, Mr. Tate says, “Mr. Finch, taking the one man who’s done you and this town a great service an’ draggin’ him with his shy ways into the limelight – to me, that’s a sin. It’s a sin and I’m not about to have it on my head. If it was any other man it’d be different. But not this man, Mr. Finch.” The “shy ways” part really points to Boo, as opposed to, say, Jem. Furthermore, Atticus thanks Boo for his children before he leaves.

We also discussed why To Kill A Mockingbird is considered a “simple love story”. Some of us suggested that it showed how love was shown in many forms – between Atticus and his children, Scout and Dill, Atticus and Aunt Alexandra, Scout/Jem and Calpurnia, etc. But, also, the book could be considered a lovestory between Scout and Boo Radley. Scout is shown fantasizing about seeing him – “Maybe someday we would see him. I imagined how it would be: when it happened, he’d just be sitting in the swing when I came along. ‘Hidy do, Mr. Arthur.’ “ Much of her (and Jem and Dill’s) childhood is spent drawing him out of his house. And in the end, Boo saves her life. Ultimately, it’s Boo that teaches Scout true empathy, just as it was Mrs. Dubose that taught Jem empathy.

In our second discussion, we also introduced the ideas of William James’s  “On a certain blindness in human beings.” We’re blinded by feelings – whenever we evaluate something, the feeling it evokes dominates our judgement, perhaps afterwards we rationalize it with seemingly logical arguments. We’re also blinded by our inherently biased perspective in life – everything is juxtaposed with our own experiences and what we feel is important, making it difficult to truly empathize with others. To Kill a Mockingbird was narrated by a child, and, as Mr. Dolphus Raymond noted, “Because you’re children and you can understand.” As a child, Scout is more accepting and understanding of others. Furthermore, because of this fact, people like Boo and Mr. Raymond tend to be more open with them.

This blindness, however, permeated the society in several forms  – first, in the form of inaction. In HPMOR, Professor Quirrell mentions, “When you are older, you will learn that the first and foremost thing which any ordinary person does is nothing.” This is especially true in Maycomb, where the citizens depend on Atticus to do what is right. Whether they subscribe to the Jim Crow ideas ingrained in society, or live in fear of breaching that very code, they rationalize their lack of action or advocacy in racism in some way, that is likely not consistent with their morals. Even today, James’s blindness persists. Perhaps it’s even become enhanced, as our lives become more well-documented with the rise of social media, and it becomes ever-important to shield yourself with a facade as you become visible to millions of others, making true empathy a difficult task.

Mockingbirds #2

Throughout chapters 10 to 14, inclusive, in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, I found Atticus’s character intriguing. He seems uncommonly sane, especially in the way he handles Jem and Scout (e.g. keeping certain aspects of himself hidden from them, having Jem read to Mrs. Dubose, etc.) This is further shown in his insistence of defending an African American as a lawyer, despite the negative response to that move. This section also revealed the meaning of the title, on page 90: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Jem experiences a lot of growth in these few chapters, and his maturity is reflected in his ability to understand events that his sister fails to be moved by. For instance, on page 98, after learning that their father was the “deadest shot in Maycomb county”, Scout is eager to have something to tell her schoolmates about her father, but Jem stops her, realizing that Atticus probably had his reasons for keeping that to himself. And later on, after Atticus forces him to read to Mrs. Dubose for a month, and learns of her condition, he begins to empathize with her, understanding how brave she actually was. This is shown in the last sentences of part 2: “ “Jem picked up the candy box and threw it in the fire. He picked up the camellia, and when I went off to bed, I saw him fingering the wide petals.” (The camellia was sent to Jem by Mrs. Dubose, shortly before she died.)

But, despite his shows of maturity, he is still a pubescent pre-teen, and starts to grow distant from Scout (pg 135, “he was positively allergic to my [Scout’s] presence in public”), and he also grows arrogant in thinking himself more adult-like, which was shown by his revealing Dill to Atticus, when he was trying to remain hidden. Also, on page 99, Jem says, “Atticus is a gentleman, just like me!” This seems to imply that Jem looks up to Atticus, “gentleman” perhaps referring to Atticus’s ability to uphold his morals, and his uncommon sanity in a town of many lacking in that area. The latter part refers to Jem’s belief that he, too, knows what is right, and is demonstrated by the many times he tries to tell Scout what to do.

In class, our discussion brought up the Mockingbird quote at the beginning, and some suggested it might refer to African Americans, who weren’t harmful to anyone, yet were looked down upon by some in the town. This might also refer to Boo Radley, who, while he did actually harm someone, seemed to be trying to connect with the outside world in a positive manner (giving Scout the blanket), but was constantly thwarted by his brother. Also, Boo Radley’s character hasn’t played much of a role in these chapters, I wonder if he will return? Dill is back, after all, but Jem will likely choose not to partake in any of Dill’s Boo Radley schemes. We also discussed Atticus’s character in Chapter 10. In the beginning, he was emphasized as feeble and old, yet it was revealed that he had a talent in shooting. Scout is impressed by this, and wished to share this knowledge with her schoolmates. However, we came to the conclusion that Atticus likely kept this hidden from them to separate the ideas of strength and courage from a man with a gun. I think Jem recognized this lesson, with his ending comment on Atticus being a gentleman, recognizing Atticus’s mental fortitude, especially concerning his sense of righteousness.

I am curious, however – the mockingbird quote is definitely foreshadowing, and I think it might relate to Jem’s broken arm. But will Jem be contributing to killing the “mockingbird”, or protecting it? Also, will Jem continue to look up to his father as a gentlemen, or might his arrogance grow to the point that he starts to contradict Atticus?

 

To Kill A Mocking Bird #1

We recently started reading To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee in English class.

One of the major themes of this book is personal growth via greater understanding and development of yourself, and perhaps more important, greater understanding of other people. Atticus explains this idea to Scout (on pg 30), “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” There are a number of characters that Scout disagrees with. For instance, her teacher Miss Caroline (didn’t let her read/write), Walter Cunningham (poured molasses all over his food), and most notably, Jem (this happened often, one example was when he and Dill decided to go look through the Radley’s window).

In all of these cases, looking from that person’s perspective would’ve allowed Scout a greater understanding – e.g. in the case of her teacher, being new and in an unfamiliar state, as well as being forced to teach with, as Jem calls it, the “Dewey Decimal System”, if any child acts as an outlier in any manner (e.g. being able to read/write before they are taught in school), the simplest solution is to pretend that that is not the case (i.e. by forbidding the child to do such). Of course, this is a terrible solution, but Scout might understand that this was the result of the school system itself, and Miss Caroline’s lack of experience in teaching, as opposed to an attack on her person.

(^from the To Kill a Mocking Bird movie)

In class, we were each assigned a character to keep track and and empathize with – I kept track of Jem. Jem is Scout’s older brother (by 4 years). One of the things I found most interesting was Jem’s “obsession” with the Radley’s. This “game” of trying to make Boo Radley come out of his house was inspired by Dill, though Atticus eventually forbade it – on pg. 49, “I’m going to tell you something and tell you one time: stop tormenting that man.” However, soon after, on pg 51, “Dill and Jem were simply going to peep in the window with the loose shutter to see if they could get a look at Boo Radley.” However, later, Jem goes back to the Radleys to retrieve his pants, so his father wouldn’t know he went back to the Radleys.  And he knew that Nathan Radley had a nonzero probability of shooting him. In fact he stated, “Atticus ain’t ever whipped me since I can remember. I wanta keep it that way.”

It is clear that Jem admires Atticus, and would rather die than disappoint him – then what inspired him to go back to the Radleys in the first place? Certainly Dill isn’t that convincing. Later on, after the incident, he and Scout find a number of items in a knothole of a tree at the Radley place, which he likely knew were placed there by Boo Radley. After Nathan fills the whole, “He [Jem] stood there until nightfall, and I waited for him. When we went in the house I saw he had been crying; his face was dirty in the right places, but I thought it odd that I had not heart him.” I think Jem was drawn by the secrecy of Boo Radley’s life, and his curiosity got the better of him. But, with the presents, and later the blanket Boo placed on Scout, he gradually understood what Boo’s life was actually like – with emotional abuse by his father, and Nathan continuing his isolation (e.g. filling up the hole with cement), and Jem began to feel sympathy for him.

In class, we had a discussion about this section of the book, and I was intrigued by the idea that all the characters, not just Boo, led secret lives. Both Jem and Scout hid things from their father – we only know them because the story is told from Scout’s perspective. More interestingly, while Atticus remains open and transparent with his children, it is likely that he has the “largest” of the secret lives. Being a lawyer, he is skilled in controlling what knowledge he imparts to others – at the end of Chapter 9, Scout reflects back on her realization that her “eavesdropping” on Atticus and Uncle Jack’s conversation wasn’t what it seemed – Atticus intended Scout to hear the words he said, demonstrating his great control over what he reveals to his children. This therefore would imply he has a very skilled control in hiding things from them, appearing open and transparent while doing so.

Now, I have a few questions. First, Jem and Scout have been noticeably drifting apart – e.g. with Jem and Dill becoming closer friends, and leaving Scout out. How will Jem’s entrance into his teen years impact their relationship? Secondly, perhaps Boo was kind toward Jem and Scout because they expressed interest in him, and he saw that as an opportunity to connect with the external world. How will he do that now, as Jem and Scout will likely follow their father’s advice now, and with the knot hole filled up?