To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee copyright 1960 Pulitzer Prize winner

I first read this book when I was about 16, and it was an eye-opener. Having grown-up in virtually all-white Cache Valley, I had never really been privy to out-and-out racism and its implications. I was shocked and grieved over the idiocy of people such as the Ewells who assume that simply because they are white and Tom Robinson is black that they can lie and threaten and ultimately attempt to have a black man killed through the judicial system. Remember that the setting of the story is in rural Alabama 1935. Ms. Lee could have easily set her story later, more closely to the time of writing, but likely knew the kind of backlash that she would get from Southern whites. It's a brave theme for the time period.

Using Scout as the narrator of the story is pure genius and delight. She tells things in her matter-of-fact way to her understanding. Delight and genius, I tell you! I get a smile within the first few lines and am hooked until the end. Jem, Atticus, Dill, Calpurnia and a host of other background folks emerge in sleepy little Maycomb with the authority of real people that one might find. Atticus is awesome. Full of integrity and subtle, gentle wisdom he urges every reader to be better, be honest and stand up for those who need your protection. Atticus' closing speech to the jury at the end of the Tom Robinson trial captivates and inspires. Additionally the views expressed on the theme of "all men are created equal" raises my hopes and trust in our judicial system. That although one may be born with or earn greater opportunities than another, all men are equal before the law. Sadly, men are imperfect and often disappoint. This holds true for the people of Maycomb despite Atticus' best efforts to defend an innocent man.

Ms. Lee juxtaposes the intensity and seriousness of the Tom Robinson trial with Scout and Jem's attempt to draw Boo Radley out of hiding. Reminding the reader that children are children and develop their own "prejudices" that are largely products of their imaginations. I really feel that she is trying to get the reader to see that the racial prejudice going on in Maycomb, and ultimately the nation, is also a product of imagined differences and fears perpetuated over time. It's kind of a "those who have ears to hear will hear" method of storytelling.

The final scene of the book ends with Scout falling asleep snuggled next to Atticus at Jem's bedside. He's reading to her from one of Jem's books and when he helps her get ready for bed, she protests that she fallen asleep and attempts to tell him about the story he's been reading to her recalling all she's heard:

"An' they chased him 'n' never could catch him 'cause they didn't know what he looked like, an' Atticus, 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 arround me. "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them."

Moral of the story: Yes, most people are "real nice" when we finally "see" them.