Monday, June 28, 2010

To Kill A Mocking Bird

As I started to read this novel I wasn't very engaged to it, until I continued to read on. The narrator of the novel, Jean Louise Finch kept me entertained as I finished part one of the novel. Jean Louise Finch, who is known by her nickname Scout has that spunk to her personality. Growing up without a mother by her side and only with a brother and father, she never really adapted to how a young lady should act and present herself. As she grows older, she faces many criticisms. Such as she shouldn't be in overalls, she should be wearing a dress and be playing with dolls rather than sunning around wild. Scout never really lets it get the best of her she dosen't try to change herself, and loves herself the way she is.

One thing I love about Scout and what we have a lot in common, is the way she stands up for her father Atticus. Her father has a different view from many of the people who live in Maycomb, Alabama. Especially in the racial issues that come up throughout the novel. Atticus agrees to defend a black man, and to many people around their neighborhood also to their family is quite a disgrace. He is frquently called a nigger-lover. But, Atticus becomes the bigger person and dosen't let it get to him. In which he continues to teach his two children. Yet, they still make some mistakes along the way. On Christmas Day, after dinner Scout and her cousin, Francis have a little conversation. In the end gets out of hand because Scout could no longer control herself. Francis repetitively calls Atticus a nigger-lover and she punches him in the mouth. But, other times she just stands up and walks away.

What also kept me turning the page, was the adventures her brother, Jem, and their friend Dill would have with Arthur "Boo" Radley. They've heard many stories about him. But, they don't stop at them. Themselves, they try to get a peak and see him for themselves. They find themselves in sticky situations, other times they don't know if they'll find a way out. What kept me intrigued was when Dill and Jem sneaked into the Radleys Place to see how Arthur "Boo" Radley actually looked like. When they heard people coming, I was afraid that they were going to get caught, which kept me reading what was going to happen next. It was quite a suspense when Jem got stuck under the fence and had to take off his pants to set himself free. It also left me hanging until the end of the chapter if they were going to find his pants. It changed my point of view of how the people in Maycomb described Arthur "Boo" Radley to be. Especially if he was the one who sewn Jem's pants and neatly hung it over the fence. I wonder, Are the stories about Arthur "Boo" Radley really true, or are they just myths? As I continue onto part two of To Kill A Mocking Bird will Jem, Scout, and Dill finally meet Arthur "Boo" Radley?

Well, overall I find the novel not one to over look. Harper Lee has her way of shifting to different topics throughout the story, but ends up leading back to where it started, not leaving you in suspense for very long.

1 comment:

  1. Jesery,

    I agree with you Atticus is a very strong individual who sticks to his own views and goes for what he believes in which I think many people in Maycomb should start doing. They should stop being judgemental and actually start thinking the opposite ways of others in Maycomb.

    As I see it, Scout really doesn't seem like she has a relationship with her father because he is always so busy but she continues to stick up for her father as the story goes on. Her father seems like the typical busy, working Dad, who reads next to the fire and falls asleep then wakes up doing the same routine the next day. Its amazing how he seems to manage to escape the criticism of the neighbors it shows how strong he is as a character in the book.

    The Radley's are also very intriguing to me. They make me want to read more just to find out more about there mysterious backround. No one really knows about them but the stories they hear. People are quick to judge and don't really look into the stories but judges the way it sounds. You read all the thoughts of each neighbor towards the Radleys, especially Boo and it seems like a bunch of junk to me.

    I can't wait till the story goes back and focuses more on Boo Radley :)

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