To Kill A Mockingbird is easily my favorite read from this class
thus far. I have read this novel twice before, and each time I read it I
discover details that I previously over read, or was not mature enough to fully
grasp. The main concept that struck me this time was how thematically relevant
this novel is to different cultures and age groups. Despite being written in
1960, this novel remains inexplicably applicable to many different readers.
When I was in eighth grade,
this novel was the first novel I ever had to attempt a literary analysis on. At
the time, I was convinced these 268 pages would be the death of me. Now, those
sentiments just seem silly. Another interesting result of this read was that my
favorite section of the book has shifted. When I was in eighth grade and
freshman year of high school, I always remember enjoying the part one of the
novel, and treating part two like it was the bane of my existence. Oddly
enough, I think I’ve recently decided that I’m more partial to the second portion
of the novel. I haven’t quite decided if the reason for this shift is my own
maturity or my ability to now read a three hundred page book without becoming
bored, but either was I still find this alteration curious. Back to my original
point, I believe that this story has so many different conjoining thematic
threads that almost anyone can find a connection to the piece. It seems to me
like younger readers more easily connect with the characterization of Scout and
her friends, while the more mature readers would see more significance in the
cultural effects of Atticus’ life decisions and the evident sociocultural
conflict of that time period. I
think that the author does a brilliant job of meshing elementary lessons to
take from the book while at the same time implying certain concepts that, if
mentioned explicitly, would raise a momentous amount of criticism.
In comparison, I think that To Kill A Mockingbird is everything
that Huck Finn is not, at least in
the context of making a statement against racism. The main reason I refuse to
write a blog post on Huck Finn is
because I feel Mark Twain was a coward when it came to the conclusion of his novel.
If I have to read four hundred pages to discover that you almost entirely
contradict the thematic elements leading up to what seems like it should be a
socially risqué conclusion, of course I’m going to be upset. Racism is arguably
the darkest part of American history, and to think that a national figure of
his time didn’t make a statement that truly needed to be made somewhat
infuriates me. At the same time, I can also see why Twain did what he did.
Maybe it was too early, and it does seem like the social effects of such a
novel might be too controversial. Either way, I find To Kill A Mockingbird to be a much better read.
This is also the first time
that I have liked Jem as a character. During my previous reads of this novel I
always thought of him as the lame older brother. In addition, I always remember
liking Jem less and less as the novel proceeded. Taking time to look back on these thoughts, I think I felt
this way because I had a difficult time connecting with Jem’s coming-of-age. As
a freshman in high school, the last thing I wanted to do was grow up and worry
about the future. My central concerns consisted of which friends I was going to
hang out with and trying not to miss the bus to football practice. With high school behind me, it makes
sense that I would have more respect for Jem’s character. The more I think
about it, the more connections I see between Jem’s life and my own. I also have
a younger sister who quite often bothers me with her ignorance and naive
nature. It’s kind of ironic.
It’s intriguing how malleable
a concrete set of words can be during different portions of one’s life.
Perception really is everything.
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