Chapters 30-31, Book Reflection

     To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most timeless and coming of age book.  The book takes place in Maycomb County, a small town where rumors spread as fast as wildfire.  "Maycomb was an old town," (6) families ran deep within its people, and governed who they were, and who their children would become in the future.  Scout is the book's narrator, starting at a mere five years old and the readers see the child's innocent view towards very broad and important topics, which still occur to this day.  Her brother Jem is the older brother, and tries ever so hard to mature, acting as an important figure in Scout's life.  Atticus, the seemingly invincible father of Scout and Jem acts as a different kind of father.  He does not condemn different behavior, rather he accepts who the children are and tries to bring out their morals.  Giving them a sense of courage, Atticus tried in every way possible to teach them to stand for their beliefs, not hide behind others.  When the story begins, the children listen closely to the rumors spread around the county, believing the horrors about Arthur Radley, nicknamed "Boo Radley".  As the kids grow up, they realize how wrong some of the rumors are, learning from Mrs. Dubose, and most importantly the Tom Robinson case.  Throughout the book, many situations are thrust upon the children in which they are forced to judge another person, however looking from a non-prejudiced side which Atticus provides them with.  Aunt Alexandra showes Scout what the typical Southern woman was meant to be; racist, strict, and most of all, ignorant of their misdoings.  To most people in Maycomb County, a Ewell was to be the same as any other Ewell, however Mayella disrupted this ignorance with her diversity.  Soon the children were faced with racism. Tom Robinson's case from a child's uninfluenced point of view showed clearly that he was being framed, but the County who had grown accustomed to hating the African-American people would simply not give up their traditions.  The key theme in To Kill a Mockingbird, is finding who each person truly is, in a non-biased way.  Atticus in the beginning was invincible, but later showed glimpses of his weaknesses, almost utterly shattered after Jem and Scout were attacked by Bob Ewell. Arthur Radley began as a monster, but became a friend in the end, as Scout put aside rumors and looked solely at what he had done for the town.  She had matured in the end, stepping into the shoes of others, just as Atticus had taught her. What the children in To Kill a Mockingbird truly represented, was the view of someone who's just morals came only from a uninfluenced conscience.  Young and innocent, these children had not been grown up by a discriminant father, but someone who could look at both sides to an issue.  Racism in the 1960s was a major issue in America, and Harper Lee depicted what she saw in the form of a child's innocence.  Even now there is still racism and prejudice, judging people from an unfair viewpoint.

A few questions I have, are: Why did Atticus not believe in his fatherly figure towards the children?  Do you think that it is very realistic to be shattered like Atticus had been, even with his strong morals? And lastly, has Atticus changed (the very last page)?

Chapters 30-31 A Reflection on To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, is a wonderful example of fiction at its best. The novel is the story of Scout Finch, but it also the story of many other characters. Jem, Boo, Tom, Cal, Maudie, Atticus, Alexandra, and the Ewells all add to Scout's world, and our perception of them is essential in understanding the main themes of this book. Although many themes are provoked from this novel, the most prominent are love and hate, courage and weakness, the obvious and the hidden, the old and new ways, morals, maturity, and prejudice. The new way, morals, and courage are what motivate most of the actions of Atticus, the "conscience" of the book. The old way is what drives Aunt Alexandra to try to make Scout into a "southern lady." Bob Ewell, and the decision of the jury in the trial portray weakness and hate. Maturity is what Scout and Jem struggle with throughout the novel. Tom Robinson is in the book to enforce the extreme prejudices against blacks at the time. And while Cal and Maudie represent the obvious good in everybody, Boo represents the hidden good.
I think that although this book was written in the 1960s, the height of the civil rights movement, it is still very much applicable to the lives we all lead today. The aforementioned themes are always present. There’s always prejudice in the world, though it may not be to the same thing or for the same reason. Along with prejudices come the “new way,” in which we try to eliminate such thoughts, and it is always a slow change from old to new. Love, hate, courage, weakness, and morals are things that we all have inside ourselves, and we are always in an internal battle to make the love, courage, and morals conquer the hate and weakness. Another "battle" we all endure is the one to try to find the hidden joys of life, and to not just accept and enjoy the obvious but to be curious and find the hidden as well. For if we all settle for the obvious joys, the obvious problems, and the obvious solutions, we will never enjoy life for what it truly has to offer. And lastly, we all struggle with maturity. This struggle is one that starts the day we are born and does not end until the day we die; there is always something we can't understand yet, or someone who we can't connect to. There is not just one moment when we finally become mature, it is lots of little moments, little decisions, little realizations, and little actions that help us to mature. Harper Lee does an amazing job of showing us these little moments in all the characters' lives. There are still a few questions i have after reading this book. Why do you think Harper Lee chose to have Jem go through his moody and withdrawn phase? Also, why did Harper Lee make it so that only Scout meets Boo, when Jem and Dill spent so much time trying to meet him?

Chapter 28+29: What does Scout think of Boo after the fight?

I think Boo shares a connection with the children, after the gifts in the tree, and all the other measures that Jem, Scout, and Dill took to try and see him. Also, Scout still sees Boo as a part of her imagination, a legend. When Scout sees a man she thinks is Atticus carrying Jem, she has no idea it is Boo Radley. But, her understanding of Boo being a ghost totally changes when on page 362 she says “His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears. ‘Hey, Boo,’ I said.” Now she sees Boo as a real person, a person who saved her brother and herself from being murdered, and Scout now holds Boo in the highest standard.

Another point i would like to bring up is how Aunt Alexandra changes after such a scare. She immediately hands Scout the clothes that she despises to see Scout wearing. Now, she is showing the vulnerable, raw side of herself opposed to the ladylike shell she wears out in Maycomb. A couple questions;

1.How does Scout's opinion of Aunty change in this chapter?

2. Why does Scout keep asking, "is Jem dead?"

Also, check out this Lego version of TKAM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFwAxMLye4M

Chapter 28 and 29: List of mistakes Jem and Scout made when walking home.

During Chapter 28 and 29 of To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, Jem and Scout make multiple errors on their way back home from the Halloween pageant. As a result of these mistakes, Jem breaks his arm when being attacked by Bob Ewell.

• One error that occurred even before Scout and Jem began walking to the Halloween pageant was forgetting to bring a flashlight. Scout tells Jem, while the two are having trouble making there way in the dark, "You should have brought the flashlight, Jem" (342). If they had brought the flashlight they would been able to see the attack more clearly and furthermore, run in time before drunken Bob Ewell could have attacked Jem.
• Another mistake that occurred was rejecting a ride from someone who attended the performance. "'You all want a ride home?' someone asked," (347). In declining the invitation they walked home, giving Bob Ewell the opportunity to injure Scout and Jem.
• Yet another error Scout made was wearing the costume back home, even when Jem offered to help her take it off. She refused saying, "Naw, I'll just keep it on,"(347). Because she had not take off the costume "[she] could not keep [her] balance," and fell, giving Bob Ewell the advantage of the situation (351).

Although Jem and Scout screaming "He-y," may seem like a mistake that could have prevented their injuries, it may have been what saved the two, for it may have notified Arthur Radley of their presence, allowing him to save them.

Some questions that arise are what are some more mistakes that the Finch children made on their journey from the High School auditorium? How did the mistakes add to the progress of the story? What did Bob Ewell's death symbolize in the story?

Chapter 26: What is ironic about the lesson Mrs. Gates gives the class?

In Mrs Gates' lesson, she teaches the class that they live in a democracy. She says that in a democracy nobody is oppressed. "We don't believe in prosecuting anybody." p. 281 "Persecution comes from the people that are prejudice." She agrees with scout when she says that a democracy is a government with equal rights for all. When asked why the Jews are allowed to be oppressed, she replies that it's because they live in a dictatorship.

The lesson is ironic because oppression is ALL that is happening in Maycomb. As i said in my previous comment, the rumors keep the oppressed down, barely able to breathe as wave after wave of rumors smash them. "We are a democracy." p. 281 huffs Mrs. Gates. When in truth, under the image put up by the government, the prejudice keep the oppressed oppressed. The biggest symbol in this scene that i saw, whether Harper Lee meant it or not, was when Mrs. Gates said "Jews are the best people in the world." Not only did this shock me because of the pure amount of bias, but the fact that she says this about the Jews, while she is completely against black people, who, to me, represent the Jews in Germany. By saying this, i think H. L. meant to imply that black people are a fine, beautiful specimen. At last, i have found something to relate to my comment about Scout in the courtroom saying what a 'fine specimen' T Rob was.

Chapter 26/27: What is ironic about the lesson Miss Gates is teaching the class?

Ms. Gate’s lesson to Scout’s class is blaringly ironic as, in her attempts to hail American democracy and differentiate it from the oppressive German dictatorship, she blindly reveals uncanny and revolting similarities between the two. Miss Gates says, “That is the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship… Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudice.”(p.329). In Maycomb county, black people are restricted and prejudiced just like Jews in Germany. Black people are denied constitutional rights and white people have more privileges. Scout repeats Atticus’ definition of democracy, stating that it is, “Equal rights for all, special privileges for none.” (p.328). Ms. Gates approves of this definition, and goes on to say that the racially unequal community they live in is part of a democracy.

Harper Lee uses this irony to emphasize the hypocrisy and more importantly the ignorance of people in Maycomb. Ms. Gates is clearly unaware of the undemocratic state of Maycomb. She is capable of understanding the immorality and injustice in the persecution of Jews in Germany, but does not detect the slightest flaw in Maycomb racial affairs. In Germany, the persecution of Jews was sudden, violent and foreign to the people of Maycomb. The actions taken were blatantly wrong. When people are suddenly denied rights and treated wrongly, the injustices are immediately spread through the media. Taking away rights in this abrupt manner is never palatable and the distant nature of these injustices only makes them easier to criticize in the U.S. When rights are suddenly given, the attitude can be similarly skeptical, particularly in those who are negatively affected. Many people whose slaves were freed felt that this skepticism and hurt economically as a result. Because of the continuation of these feelings, black people were never fully awarded their rights. This racial inequality gradually carried on through generations, and because of this long history, this way of life, it is difficult for some traditional Maycomb people to see the mistreatment of black people from an inside perspective.

Scout has proved to have a relatively undisturbed understanding of equality, how do you think she will react to the increasingly more apparent inequalities? At this point, how do you think she would interact with a black family?

Chapter 26/27: What is ironic about the lesson Miss Gates is teaching the children?

Chapter 26/27: "What is ironic about the lesson Miss Gates is teaching the children?"

In chapter 26, Miss Gates teaches her third grade class about Hitler’s merciless actions towards Jews in European Countries abroad. In juxtaposition, Maycomb’s common practices are similar to the discriminatory treatment in the far away countries. As the children show clemency for the inequitable situation in other countries, Miss Gates reassures them that they are safe in a democratic country. It is ironic that the Maycomb children proclaim their democratic country while they are simultaneously exposed to the prejudiced Maycomb culture. In the classroom, Miss Gates simply states “We are a democracy…that’s the difference between America and Germany…Over here we don’t believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudice…there are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn’t think so is a mystery to me.” (p. 329) It is ironic that Miss Gates so blatantly states the corrupt prejudices in countries far away while she easily denies any prejudice feelings in the United States and acts in such racist manner towards blacks in Maycomb.

It is interesting that Scout innately recognizes the inconsistencies between Maycomb’s common culture and the idealistic morals that Miss Gates professes. In explanation to Jem on page 331, Scout describes Miss Gates, “…I heard her say it’s time somebody taught ‘em a lesson, that they were getting’ way above themselves, an’ the next thing they think they can do is marry us, Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an’ then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home---” In this quote, Scout acknowledges the irony in Maycomb’s culture. She expresses how ironic it is that the prejudices of Maycomb are neglected and instead overshadowed by concern for similar conflicts in distant cultures. Even at a young age, Scout is independently developing her own opinion on such complex problems.

I think that Miss Gates is a symbol of racist Southerners who easily profess ideals of an equal society, but fail to carry through with their idealistic teachings. This hypocritical attitude is also established in the women’s Missionary Society in Chapter 24.

Question: Do you think that Scout will eventually learn to express her opposition to racism in Maycomb, or do you think she will begin to conceal her true perspective regarding prejudice in the town like Aunt Alexandra does in front of the other Southern women?