To Kill a Mockingbird: Discuss the book with me! (unboxed spoilers, FWIW)

Cafe Society
1

Somehow, in all my junior high, high school, and college English courses I was never assigned this book to read.

We were re-organizing the kids’ bedrooms and I came across a copy of it. Heck, I thought, I’ve finished Duma Key and I don’t have another book high on my queue yet, it’s not that long a book, why not?

I loved how Harper Lee showed everything through Scout’s young eyes. We didn’t get to see the whole story, except as how she interpreted it, but we were able to see a lot.

For some reason, I thought this book was about the trial of a black man (from the bits and pieces of the movie I’ve seen, mostly on Top 100 AFI shows) but that was only part of it. I also thought the book was set in 1960, when the book was published, so when I saw that it was set in 1935 it had an impact.

I found Atticus to be an incredibly brave, kind, and loving man. He cherished his children, did a good job raising them, and his children could talk to him about anything. I especially liked how Scout crawled up in his lap and accused her father of sending Jem off to be killed by Mrs. Dubose after he tore up her camellias.

Aunt Alexandra was a bit of a puzzle to me. She came to the house, I’m assuming to help out her brother when the trial started, but she seemed to soften her “quality folks” snobbery at the end.

I’m not quite sure what Ewell’s problem was…it was strongly intimated that he was molesting his daughter, but he “succeeded” in getting Tom Robinson convicted, so why was he gunning for Judge Taylor and Atticus?

I would also have liked to know Boo’s story…was he an agoraphobe? Was he ailing? It seemed like the adults knew what Boo’s story was, but they never shared it with the children. I would also like to how Jem and Scout and Dill grew up.

Now, all I have to do is watch the movie. Does it do the book justice?

2

Wow. Welcome to the club, Ivylass! TKAM is my favorite book, and among my favorite movies, so yes, IMO, the movie does the book justice. Gregory Peck is perfect as Atticus (and wait until you see who plays Boo!)

As to your other questions, I think Boo was just one of those adults kids find frightening because they are “different” and because of rumors and legend. He may have been an agoraphobe, but I think he was just “slow.”

Ewell was a miserable person who felt he he was being persecuted, and didn’t have the capacity to understand his own problems.

3

Yes, the movie does a great job of translating the novel to film. Gregory Peck has said many times that Atticus Finch was his finest role. Look for Robert Duval in his first film role as Boo Radley

4

I’ll try to give my unlearned interpretation for a couple of your questions (this is one of my favorite books of all time).

Yes, Tom is convicted, but I think Ewell is angry that, because a trial like this with the accusations and crime involved was an automatic slam dunk, the Judge actually tried to conduct the trial in a reasonably fair manner, and really angry that Atticus not only vigorously defended Tom but did it by highlightibg Ewell’s – a white man however despicable – shortcomings to do it.

In addition to being the classic symbol of the boogeyman in the dark (or other) who we’re all afraid of until we take a closer look, I thought Boo was the classic southern freak kept in the attic or, in this case, the basement. The book seemed to imply he was also or simply mildly developmentally disabled.

You must see the movie – preferably in a darkened room (the b&w and the mood goes over so much better)

5

You must see the movie – preferably in a darkened room (the b&w and the mood goes over so much better). And check out that tingly musical score. Remember the book came out and the movie was made in the early sixties, so a lot of themes were played up in light of the advancing social times, and the growth in the belief of civil rights; it’s good nonetheless.

6

So, are we to assume that Ewell assumed he and his family would be vindicated because they were the “victims” of the Bad Black Man, and when that didn’t happen, he got angry? He thought his fortunes would turn and when they didn’t, he blamed Atticus and Tate and Taylor?

The back of the book says Harper Lee considers this a love story, and it is…Scout’s love for her family, Atticus’ love for the law and his fellow man, and the gradual love of the townsfolk for racial equality.

Oh, I forgot…I need to go Google NRA, aka National Recovery Act…

7

All stories set in the South must have a crazy aunt in the attic; Boo was the crazy aunt in the attic.

Boo was also a very important symbol, a morally worthy social outcast; I think he was, although white, a Magical Negro figure. {Boo was white, wasn’t he?}

Did we really need Boo’s back story explicated? He was autistic, gay, ‘challenged’, a genius … it doesn’t matter; not filling in the story was necessary to maintain Scout’s perspective.

But, To Kill a Mockingbird from Boo’s perspective … I would read that book.

8

That’s pretty much how I saw it. He felt like they made a fool of him.

Weird that this thread came along at this time. I just read this book for the first time about two weeks ago. I’m 39, and like you stated in your OP I was never assigned to read it in school and truthfully never really knew what the subject matter was until I ordered it a few weeks ago. Great read. I definitely need to see the movie now.

9

No, I think the explanation – and Ewell – is much simpler than that. As has been mentioned, Bob Ewell is not a very deep thinker when it comes to himself and his problems, and ideas of vindication are probably foreign to him.

As the book (and even Atticus) points out, how dare Tom commit the tertiary crime of even daring to act on what was pity – his for a white girl/family and presume to help. Once that happened and the false allegations and charges arose, it was simply a black man (with the BBM automatically implied – Birth of a Nation, anyone?) accused by a white man, or better (or worse) still, a white, southern woman.

Poor white trash or not, her virtue was impugned, even if it was actually by her pa’s false accusations and not any action on Tom’s part. Everbody knew who and what the Ewells were, so there was no expectation of vindication in any real sense, just the expectation that their accusations would be taken as seriously and not questioned at all, as would the accusations of a Maudie Atkins or a Mrs Dubose and that a conviction would be pro forma.

Once the nexus of the two – BBM / southern white virtue – came together, it was the expectation of everyone that the deal was done, as far as a conviction. The Judge and Atticus didn’t quite go along with the tradition and that was what made an ignorant man like Ewell, who even in his debauched, immoral and dirt-poor state, thought he was at least better than a nigger, so angry.

10

I wonder how many kids were assigned the book as part of a reading assignment and grew up resenting it? Ivylad said that was the case for him. I remember when I was assigned to read a book in school I was never comfortable just curling up with it…I felt I had to delve into the “deeper meaning” and Og forbid if I skipped something that might show up on a test.

Watership Down was one of those…I read it after college, and I was able to enjoy it, but in high school, it was just another homework assignment. And I have a loathing of William Faulkner ever since I was assigned The Bear…I gave up after struggling through a stream of consciousness paragraph, when all Faulkner was trying to say was that the kid was 10 years old.

So 5-4, what you’re saying is that Ewell expected this to be an open and shut case just because he was white and the accused was black, and how dare Atticus Finch of the Finch’s Landing Finches assume otherwise?

11

In a couple hundred fewer words, yes.

:smack:

12

IIRC, Robinson testified that Ewell’s daughter arranged for the younger kids to be out of the house, invited him in on some furniture-moving pretext, and made a rather explicit pass at him, which he rejected. This plus the fact that Robinson could not have done what she accused him of because of his crippled arm, made the daughter out to be less than pure, the failed seducer of gasp a black man, and a liar as well. Ewell was beside himself with fury at the very idea of any of that being suggested, let alone said aloud in a court of law in front of everyone, regardless of whether Robinson was convicted or not. Thus Atticus became yet another enemy.

Boo Radley, I believe, was mentally deficient, and was not allowed out of the house. Having been kept from all human company save his parents, he was extraordinarily shy.

I love that book, and the movie is very faithful to it.

13

I don’t have my copy of TKAM, it’s at my daughter’s, but I seem to remember that Boo stabbed someone with scissors and was kept locked up after that. The classic Southern crazy relative. I don’t think kids would have found Boo frightening if they could have known him, he was really the Bogeyman because he ws hidden, and therefore stories could be told about him.

I think Bob Ewell’s problem with the town is that Atticus and the town decided to even question his word that Mayella was raped. Also, during the trial, it was pretty conclusively shown that no rape took place and that Bob had beaten his own daughter. Everyone in town knew the truth, even with the jury’s conviction. That was going to be hard for Bob Ewell to take.

One of my favorites bits from the book is (paraphrased) you shouldn’t name a child after a confederate general, it makes slow, steady drinkers of them.

Here is a link to the Cliffnotes for this book, if you are interested. The chapter summaries have glossaries for the Southern-impaired.CliffNotes for TKAM

14

Maybe Ewell was also surprised that this got to the trial stage…maybe he was thinking as a white man, his word against a black man was good enough, so they should have dispensed with the trial and gotten a rope and found a tall oak tree and have done with it.

I also liked how Scout questioned her teacher’s railings against what Hitler was trying to do to the Jews, and yet this same teacher felt that the blacks should be kept in their place. I think that was the beginning of wisdom for her.

I’m not quite sure of the undercurrents with Miss Maudie, except she didn’t seem to put up with bigotry either, and Aunt Alexandra was thankful to her for shutting up the women at the missionary meeting.

So, does the movie show Scout wrecking the pageant? A ham? I snickered at that one.

15

Yep, in the movie Scout is a ham. You really, really need to see the movie.

16

Anyone know how I can find out when the movie will be shown on cable? I’m checking out American Movie Classics and Turner Classic Movies, so far no luck.

17

Do you have a Netflix account, ivylass? It’s available on Watch Instantly.

(Just checked) Rats, apparently it isn’t available instantly anymore. I know it was, though. Sorry.

Oddly enough, it’s available at this legal video watching site called Like Television. However, it’s a teeny size, unless you purchase the download, so it’s hardly an adequate experience for the first time you watch.

Ah! You can also download it for purchase / rent from Amazon unbox, assuming you have a PC. Only two bucks to rent.

18

Ivylass, wait’ll you see who plays Aunt Stephanie, and Mr. Radley, Boo’s father.

19

I hated most books I was assigned in high school, because either the book was dreary and overrated or it was taught in a dry, dull manner. Great Expectations is why I’ve never read any other Dickens. The Pearl was boringly predictable, full of cliches and sterotypes.

So I knew I was going to hate TKAM. But wonder of wonders, it’s one of my favorite books, one of the few in which I like the movie and the book equally, and think they rank together in quality.

I’ll join the chorus and say “See the movie!”

“Stand up, Miss Jean Louise, your father’s passing.” That line, and scene, gets me every time.

20

It was mentioned that Arthur(Boo)Radley was an ordinary teen that got into some minor trouble, some kind of teenage hijinks, so his father said he’d keep him in line. Apparently that involved keeping the kid confined until, later, he’d gone round the bend. To me it was Mr. Radley that was really creepy, more concerned with his family honor or image than anything else.