Reflection About the Novel

            Throughout To Kill a Mockingbird, there were various themes, messages, symbols, and details that Harper Lee included in each and every sentence. The way that each chapter ended in suspense, and how nothing was fully resolved until the ending, or near it, showed how carefully Harper Lee spent planning the map of the story. For me, this was one of the main reasons I preferred this book to any other I have read for English class.

            One reason that this novel is superior to others, is the timeless factor. Whether you read this book just as it came out, or you read it in two hundred years, Scout, as well as many of the other characters, will always be relatable. No matter what time period you live in, everyone knows that feeling of growing up, and coming to realizations you hadn’t before, just as Scout shows in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee wrote about Scout’s transition so slightly and gradually, with lots of descriptions and great detail, yet still showing what’s happening, and not telling. As you’re reading the book, it makes you feel like you are inside of it, living it. This is one of the many reasons that make To Kill a Mockingbird such a fantastic novel.

In most books we have read, the symbols are obvious and forced, whereas in To Kill a Mockingbird, they are clever, making the reader have to think after each paragraph was read. The symbols were more hidden, such as the glasses falling off as Atticus shot the dog, but were brought up at least twice, showing that it was no accident these details were put into the novel. This way that the author includes symbols makes the book that much better than others.

            Out of all of the themes and symbols evident throughout this book, I found the most interesting one to be the contrast between light and dark. The symbol of the light representing good, hope, and wisdom, and the symbol of dark representing evil and fright was clear throughout the novel. From the first chapter, where Scout explained how “people said he [Boo Radley] went out at night when the moon was down, and peeped in windows (10),” to the last where Scout explained that “when Boo Radley shuffled to his feet, light from the livingroom windows glistened on his forehead (371).” At the start of the novel, Scout was frightened of Boo Radley, and thought he was an evil man who wanted to “peep in windows,” and kill everyone when “the moon was down.” Throughout the story, Scout sees Boo in different lights, and by the end, she describes him a completely different way, realizing that instead of killing her, he saved her life. From describing Boo using the darkness at the beginning, and using the light by the end, Harper Lee shows how Scout had matured throughout the novel. I think that Scout also realized that Boo Radley, in some ways, was very similar to Atticus. The way he was different from the Maycomb community, and how he let “light” travel from him, were two observations that could also be made about Atticus.

            Overall, I found To Kill a Mockingbird to be the greatest book we have ever read in English class. Not only were there symbols, themes, details, and suspense, but there was also that sense of emotion, and being able to feel everything Scout was going through, as if it was you.

Was this ending surprising to you? Why or why not?

Did you like this book better than others? Why or Why not?

I liked this book better than others because it contains detail, suspense, action, and symbolism all in one. Harper Lee does a wonderful job of blending symbols with a page turning novel. Throughout the book I was constantly saying "ohh" when I realized an important metaphor or symbol. To Kill A Mockingbird was a book that has been popular for fifty years and now that I've read it, know exactly why. Harper Lee addresses the current issues as well as maturing issues in detail, and in symbolism. She achieved this incredible feat in only 322 pages. Harper Lee is truly an ingenious writer.

Reflection

     The writing style of Harper Lee is very thoroughly layered with details upon details. In every section of the book, especially around the climax, nothing is fluff. All of it matters, in order for Harper Lee to put together this masterpiece. One of the many examples is when Scout, Atticus, Mr. Tate, and Mr. Radley are walking out to the porch. "I led him to the chair farthest from Atticus and Mr. Tate. It was in deep shadow. Boo would feel more comfortable." (364)

     This has multiple details combined in one paragraph. Out of the darkness, is Atticus and Mr. Tate, full-grown men. When we think of Scout and Boo, we have connotations of childish and innocence especially. Scout is growing up, but still in the darkness, and not able to fully see it from the outside, as Atticus and Mr. Tate can see. Boo is in the darkness for a few reasons. Harper Lee first puts him the the Radley house, and he is never shown. Noticed how all the trips to see Boo Radley are at night. Boo Radley stays in the dark, came out in the dark, and would prefer the dark. Scout understands that having lived in the dark house for so long, he would prefer to be in the shade. This shows a level of understanding, empathy, and maturity from Scout. 

     Another important part of the climax is why Jem isn't there. Jem, unconscious, is gone from the learning it seems. The main reason for this is because it's Scout's turn to learn. In these four chapters, it goes from Jem and Scout reflecting on being kids, showing their equality in maturity, to Scout understanding way beyond her years. Scout develops more than Jem here, and surpasses him in her coming of age. Jem was miles ahead back before the trial, realizing the evil of the cement in the tree, but Scout has come a long way, and jumped ahead. Harper Lee uses this contrast to enhance just how far Scout has come. From miles behind, to footsteps ahead.   

     However, the real beauty of the last four chapters is all twenty-seven chapters beforehand can be completely related. Darkness is a relevant theme everywhere. It is where the climax occurs, it is when all the Radley House trips happen. Also, the final judgement from the jury is during the nighttime. Another important part to realize is the oak tree. The gifts from Boo Radley came there, and culminated in one final gift. Although Scout shows the ultimate understanding from this quote "Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.", she really did give a gift. Scout and her family gave the gift of acceptance, the ultimate gift of understanding, and took Boo for who he was and not for Maycomb's connotations of him. Also, the oak tree is where Jem saw his first "real evil." Jem really was confused and wondered how someone could do that. The oak tree also showed the final and ultimate (I've used that word a lot) evil, the murder of innocence. The oak tree was also a lot more. The darkness under the tree represents being  stuck in the darkness of Maycomb, and not being able to see outside of it. Jem can see it clearly from the porch that night he was crying, but Scout was inside. But this time around, it's Scout who is there to witness it all; to see the tree from the porch.
     I'm going to use first person for a personal review/grade for this book. I loved the hidden symbolism,  meanings, and everything else under the real plain and simple journey. The journey was great when I read it in 5th grade, but now it's so much better embellished with symbolism. I learned so much from the book, about who I really am, what it really means to be a honest and good person, and so much more. This book is just good. There is no real words to describe how one can wrap so much meaning around the simple and commonly used plot of coming of age. My parents have not read the book, but my sister really enjoyed it. She said it taught her a lot, and she still remembers all the symbolism, and everything she learned about the book in class. 
    Who was your favorite character? What was your favorite part of the book? Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not? What did it teach you? Where is Scout in comparison to Jem now? Do you think you need a sequel? Would you want a sequel? What hidden symbols did you find? Do you think Harper Lee has created a masterpiece that people will be reading in a hundred years still? Did your parents read it? If so, did they enjoy it? Put yourself in Mr. Ewell's position. How do you feel after the trial? Why is the title what it is?

Harper Lee's Magnificence

First I'd like to say that Harper Lee's writing style is extremely thoughtful and layered, making this book all the more enjoyable. Both on the blog and in class we have been pointing out how every detail contributes to the story, in a strictly plot-based way. I'd like to make the point that some details, even if they seem embellished already, are referencing symbols. The start of this book was great, the middle was beautiful, but the end was pure genius. Chapters 30 and 31 tied everything together in the most perfect way. The message was clear, but Harper Lee threw in some things that readers picked up subconsciously. A line that illustrates the point I'm making occurred when Boo asked for Scout to take her hand. Lee described the way that Boo asked this as "in the voice of a child afraid of the dark"(319). This seems at first glance like a metaphor, and it is. But if you think deeper, these are things we've seen in this book before. "Child" and "dark" in To Kill A Mockingbird don't mean what they seem like they mean. Children are the symbol for uncorrupted innocence in Maycomb. They are the only people (besides Atticus/Maudie etc) who are not taken over by racist thinking and the 'Maycomb Way'. The darkness is all the hatred and racism in Maycomb. That is why Atticus takes the position of the 'light'. So when Lee says Boo's voice was that of "a child afraid of the dark," she is telling the reader that Boo fears, with the innocence of a child, the hatred directed towards him from Maycomb. My real point here: Harper Lee is BRILLIANT.

I'd like to point out how Jem didn't have to be knocked out for the Boo action. He could have been in a lot of pain but not unconscious, or he could have woken up to see Boo, but Harper Lee had him out cold for all of the Boo moments. Boo himself is a symbol for Scout and Jem's journey to becoming adults. The whole first half of the novel is purely Jem and Scout (and Dill) trying to get a glimpse of Boo Radley. Scout, after going through the moment in her life where she becomes and adult, gets to walk arm and arm with him to his house. Just like the point Lee made about the switch from being afraid of the imaginary monsters to facing the real ones, isn't there an unwritten rule that you can't see Boo until you don't really want to anymore. I mean, Scout was thrilled to see him, but she wasn't poking fishing poles through his window anymore! Maybe Boo is the light at the end of the tunnel for Scout's journey, the end goal. Boo was Scout's adulthood, and the more she tried to get at it, the more childlike she was. However you'd like to put it, Jem didn't get to see Boo, and that means he isn't at the point in his life that Scout is at hers. Maybe Jem will have his own "Boo", but all that matters is that Scout is a true adult and Jem is still a boy.

There were a lot of lines that made me stop and reflect on the beauty of Lee's message, but one particular paragraph at the end of this book was awe-inspiring. "Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad." This is amazing, tragic, heartbreaking, and utterly honest. It is easily my favorite moment in the whole book. Scout is so wise and adult-like here. She reflected on what happened. This was basically the whole point of To Kill A Mockingbird. It is something that every person should learn to incorporate in their life values. Upon reading it for the first time, I was breathless. I can't say enough to do it justice, so I'll leave it at this. When I first took out To Kill A Mockingbird, my mom looked across the room and told me, without hesitation, that it is her favorite book she has ever read. Surprised, I asked her why. I expected a speech, but all she said was, “It taught me everything I need to know about life.” In it’s entirety, that’s what To Kill A Mockingbird does. Scout’s pilgrimage, not just in the climax but it the entire book, is brilliant. Harper Lee captures the essence of adolescence magnificently. Change adolescence to life, and it still rings true.

Questions: Who is your favorite character? What was your favorite line/moment in the book? Do you think that Jem is already an adult, and that the court case was to him as Boo was to Scout, or do you think he still has to grow up? Can you relate to this book? How? What were some symbols you picked up on but we didn't discuss in class? How did you like this book? In your opinion, was it all good, all bad, or did it have it's ups and downs? If so, when was it at its best/worst?

Do you think this book, written in 1960, is still relevant to us and our current culture/time?

     To Kill A Mockingbird, though first published fifty-two years ago, is still very relevant to American society and culture. The book deals with issues still within the American psyche today, if not at the forefront, such as racism, innocence, and growing up. It touches on these issues in ways that no book had ever tried before, and still not many have tried since. As a Bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel), it resonates with America's children throughout every generation, and as a Southern Gothic, it deals with darker themes with which adults can identify. Even though this book is older that our current President, it arguably has had an effect of equal size, if not larger, on how we as Americans view ourselves and our community.

Do you disagree on whether TKAM is resonant still? Do you think any other books have impacted America the way TKAM did? What have you personally learned from TKAM?

What are the important themes/ideas you will take from this book?

T 

Throughout the book, Harper Lee expresses many themes. These themes and ideas help express her points more clearly about what she, Harper Lee stands for and her morals that is being taught through the book. There are three major themes in this book.

The first is the contrast between light and dark, is used in many scenes of multiple chapters. In every scene, it is safe to say that Scout and Jem uses their senses to sense darkness. After they sense the dark, something, whether it is a rising action or the climax, involving the darkness of Maycomb happens. At the end of each chapter (with the light and dark contrast), Scout and Jem take something out of that experience such as learning not to mess with Nathan Radley or about just growing up and understanding that there is not always light in the world and in everything they do.

Another theme in this book is about growing up. Harper Lee specifically places Scout as the narrator to show her progress from a innocent and somewhat ignorant girl to a understanding and more mature girl. For example in Chapter 30 after she places empathy toward Arthur Radley and visualizes that she is him... after, she reflects, she says  “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...As I made my way home, I felt very old.” This shows that she finally understands Boo and not just a mysterious person who is participated in a childish game. Scout and Jem have grown up so much throughout these chapters and they are expressed through a dramatic changes, physically and mentally.

The third theme is the Mockingbird. It is a symbol on its own in this book, but it represents the justice. The mockingbird is a innocent bird and is a crime to kill. This is just like Tom Robinson and others in this book who have been treated unfairly. Harper Lee makes Mockingbirds the cover of the book because it is what you should do (the right thing). This is a moral Harper Lee wanted to convey to the readers to teach others about an important lesson in life, don’t do the wrong thing and affect others in a negative way, but give justice to them and treat them fairly.

Is there any other themes that you can think of that are important too? What do you think would happen if the story was told in Jem’s point of view? Would you still get the same message that Harper Lee is trying to convey to you if Jem was the narrator?

Is it significant that Scout fell asleep and that she was a ham at the pageant

      If Scout didn't fall asleep behind the stage she may not have forgotten her shoes therefor Jem and Scout would not have had to go back and get them. If Scout hadn't fallen asleep and left her shoes behind the stage they wouldn't have waited and thought about going back and getting them allowing Bob Ewell to catch up to them. Also, this may be a blessing in disguise because it is very possible that Mr. Ewell would have attempted to murder Jem and Scout on a different occasion. "I sat down, listened to Mrs. Merriweather's drone and the bass drum's boom and was soon fast asleep," (346). This is where Scout most likely left her shoes and where she was not even aware of the fact she did not have her shoes. "Your fat streaks are showin," (349) If Scout had not dressed like a ham it is likely she would not have had glitter on her allowing "Bob Ewell" to identify where she and her brother were located. The lesson learned here from Harper Lee is that Boo Radley may have been watching over Jem and Scout for a long time, although they were unaware of it. Also, she is showing that Boo Radley is very shy and chose not to leave his house very frequently, but that he did so on occasions when he thought Atticus's kids might be in danger. 
    Do you Atticus know Boo Radley? If so how and are they friends? Do you consider Jem lucky to only have a broken arm and a bump on his head and for Scout to not be injured?