Semester Dos, blog eight

To Kill a Mocking Bird, written by Harper Lee, told the story of two young children living in Maycomb Alabama whose father defended a black man in a rape case involving a white woman. The novel starts out when the main character, Jean Louise Finch otherwise known as Scout, tells the reader about her brother Jem's broken arm- Scout spends the rest of the novel explaining the events that led up to Jem's broken arm. Throughout the novel Scout introduces more and more characters, most of them living in Maycomb, except for one. Dill meets Scout and Jem one summer, and after that keeps returning. They have good fun together often making up games that revolve around Arthur "Boo" Radley, Maycombs 'crazy' shut-in. He dared Jem to go and touch the Radley house, came up with an idea of using a fishpole to stick a note that would invite Boo Radley to ice cream with them, even made up a 'game' where him, Jem, and Scout acted out the daily lives of Boo Radley. From day one, Dill was always very adventurous and creative (he made up very many stories in attempt to impress Scout and Jem) just like an innocent child. He represents the innocence and curiosity that children have. In a way, Dill almost represents Scouts state of childhood throughtout most of Part One of To Kill a Mockingbird. She asks many questions to her father Atticus Finch and to Miss Maudy who lives across the street as well about plenty of things. When she isn't asking questions, she is always out playing with her brother Jem, or in school trying to do right. Sometimes although she is only trying to do what she thinks is right, she gets into trouble. For example one of the poorer students, Walter Cunningham, came over to dinner and poured mollasses all over his vegetables. Scout tried to tell him his proper manners, not rudely, but got in trouble. In a way, I think her innocence has to do with this, because she hasn't been exposed to the evil of the world so she doesn't know what she is doing/saying could have a negative meaning depending on which way you interpret her actions. Scout finds herself facing the difference or wrong and right all through out the novel, especially when tension starts to rise in result of the upcoming courtcase. The kids at school jeer at her and tell her that her father Atticus is a nigger-lover and when she walked home from school an old woman named Mrs. Dubose harrassed Scout and Jem. Now Scout did not fully understand what exactly was going on, but she knew by the tone that it was nothing good. This is when she is first exposed to evil in the world and taking note of it. Jem and Scout both have a pretty hard time realizing that both evil and good coexist in the same world, but little by little they begin to understand, and they see the unfairness of it all. Their father Atticus Finch is the backbone of Scout and Jem's morals, often he guides them through a thought-process that leads them to what is right versus what everyone else thinks is right. When Atticus' brother gets Jem and Scout guns for christmas, Atticus even gives them a little piece of advice: “Remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. “Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy . . . but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” This isn't the exact quote, but what Atticus told his children was that whatever they do, do not kill a mockingbird. Later on in the book after Tom Robinson, the black man that Atticus defended in the rape case involving a white woman named Mayella Ewell, the jury of course voted guilty although it was most likely impossible for Tom to rape her because of his shriveled left arm. Anyways, there was a good chance to free Tom Robinson from prison but he tried to run and got shot. I think this was an example of them killing a mockingbird, Tom didn't do anything at all. He was always helping Mayella, free of pay, anytime she asked. He truly was a mockingbird, did not harm, and in the end people who knew but simply did not care did away with him- solely because of what everyone other white person in Maycomb would do- it was commonality for white people to go free in court when they were against black men. In court Mayella almost admitted that it was her father, Tom Ewell, who beat her while he was drunk. Bob Ewell had seven children, the oldest was Mayella who was 19. She had never had much schooling, but could read and write. Everyone knew the Ewells as the low-down dirty poor southerners who just didn't care at all. Bob Ewell used his welfare checks all on booze, and hunted in the woods even though it was illegal(there was an acception since he had no other means of getting food for his children). Even after Tom Robinson had gotten killed, and even though Tom Robinson never raped Mayella in the first place, Bob went down to Atticus' office in the town and told him he would get him. A long time passed and no one really thought Bob Ewell would do anything, but one night he caught Jem and Scout and tried to kill them. Luckily Boo Radley saved their lives. No one ever saw it coming, they hadn't seen or heard a peep out of him for as long as they could remember, but here he was. Boo turned out to be everything Scout didn't imagine, he was kind, caring, kind of awkward, but still had the best intentions. I think Boo was another mockingbird. In the midst of all the rumors that went about him and the violence and sadness he suupposedly spread, all he really was was an innocent caring person that tried to help in any way that he could when he could. He was a mockingbird in the midst of all the chaos.