To Kill a Mockingbird (SECOND POST)

Wow! I absolutely love this book! To Kill a Mockingbird is filled with love, drama, family, suspense and saddness! How can you not love a book with all that! So for starters, I was extremely suprised that Atticus could shoot a gun so well. He let his brother teach Jem and Scout to shoot so of course I thought he couldn't!

As I was reading the part on the trial, I was really moved. I really related to Dill and Jem and their emotions. But let's start at the beginning. Atticus is extremely smart and I knew that before the trial, but as he was grilling the witnesses it really struck me! I thought it was unfair that Tom Robinson was on trial, he didn't do anything! But as I am doing my US history homework, I really get why he didn't win. Anyway it was a good move when Atticus called Tom to the stand. When Atticus had Tom talk about why he did work for Mayella, he was showing the jury what a good man Tom was. As the trial ended, I really thought, like Jem, that Tom had a shot. But it goes to show how much racism can affect a person. That brings me back to when Atticus was sitting outside the jail and the mob came to hurt him and Tom. It was because of Scout that they went away. Atticus says later to Scout, "So it took an eight year-old child to bring 'em to their senses, didn't it?" said Atticus. "That proves something- that a gang of wild animals can be stopped, simply because they're still human. Hmph maybe we need a police force of children...you children last night made Walter Cunningham stand in my shoes for a minute. That was enough." Because Scout talked to Walter and reminded him of his son, Mr. Cunningham saw himself in Atticus's shoes and what would happen if he were to be hurt.

At the end of the book there was a lot of suspense. As Jem and Scout were walking home from the school and Jem said he heard something, at first I thought he was joking around because it was Halloween. But when Scout also heard the footsteps I knew something bad was going to happen. The whole struggle was a bit confusing, but when Scout described the figure holding Jem, and she said his arm was dangling, I really thought he was dead. So before I got all choked up about it, I read on and was so relieved when Atticus said Jem wasn't dead! But imagine my suprise when I read that it was Arthur "Boo" Radley that save the day, well technically night!

When Scout was stepping into Boo Radley's shoes, the whole time she was describing Boo's thoughts it was his children. He thought of them as family, his family! I love how Harper Lee makes Scout innocent of hatred and prejudice. She accepted the man she once feared. She wasn't like the jury that convicted Tom Robinson. Everyone knew that TOm was a good honest man, and they knew, because he was cripple that it would be almost impossible for him to force Mayella. But they let racism get in the way of their vote. Because he was black, he was already condemned. Scout didn't let her past knowledge of Boo Radley condemn him. She was thankful for him and knew what she learned about him was false. She is an innocent child, and I agree with Atticus, I don't get how someone can hurt a child.

Harper Lee wrote and excellent book and I am so happy that I read it. It is probably one of the few books I will read over and over again in my life. Though I admit I wish it would have gone on and on, and told us what Jem's reaction to having Boo save his life or what would happen later on between Scout and Dill. I have to say I love the way the book ended.

Atticus was putting Scout to bed and she was mumbling about the book he read. She says the guy in the book was real nice, and Atticus responds, "Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." Scout always thought Boo Radley was a mean old man, but when she finally saw him, he turned out to be pretty darn nice. :)