To Kill a Mockingbird
“Shoot all the Bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird.”
Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real Mockingbird of this pulitzer prize winning novel, Tom Robinson a black man falsely accused of raping a white girl.
As I read this book I remembered the film with Gregory Peck
who portrays one of the great heroes of literature, a lawyer whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.
This book is a very well written ‘page turner’ which captures the atmosphere of the deep South in 1930′s America. A time which is drifting into the shadows of the past now that we have Barack Obama as President. Although the story is very moving and poignant there was one part that made me laugh out loud.
Tom Robinson was being quizzed at the trial as to why he ran away;
“Like I says before, it weren’t safe for any n****r to be in a – fix like that.”
“But you weren’t in a fix – you testified that you were resisting Miss Ewell. Were you so scared that she’d hurt you, you ran, a big buck like you?”
“No suh, I’s scared I’d be in court, just like I am now.”
“Scared of arrest, scared you’d have to face up to what you did?”
“No suh, scared I’d hafta face up to what I didn’t do.”
This short film extract demonstrates how it was impossible for Tom Robinson to have committed the crime, yet he was still found guilty by an all white jury.
One thing jarred in the book with me, and the only other instance I can think of is with Bart Simpson and Homer. Throughout the book the children call their father by his first name Atticus. Does anyone know how or why this happens in some families?
Marathon Runner, Drinker and Artist, Blogging for Pleasure and Profit.
Hi John, TKAM is one of my favorite reads of all time and the movie is still standing as the only and most excellent rendition. I don’t know why Harper Lee chose for the children to call their dad by his first name. She may have been referencing the behaviors she witnessed when doing research for her book.
The trial excerpt you selected was perfect. It took me right back into the very scene to laugh once again. Thanks John, Steve D.
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John McNally
Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Hello Steve, I’m not surprised TKAM is one of your favourite books, I’ve just finished reading it and it’s well worth being in my top 10.
I’m glad you mentioned laughing at Tom Robinson’s trial comment, I thought maybe it was just my own sense of humour, but it must tickle everyone’s funny bone.
I still find it strange the children calling their Father by his first name? Good point about her background research though.
More book reviews on the way.
John
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I found out that Tom Robinson’s childhood life was difficult and it started when he realized that he was a homosexual when he fell in love with another boy at school but later married a girl despite of being a homosexual. Currently, Robinson rarely performs live, apart from two annual free concerts, known as the Castaway Parties, for members of his mailing list.
[Reply]
John McNally
Reply:
August 26th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
Andy, Your spam mailer picked up the wrong ‘Tom Robinson’, this is a fictional character NOT a UK musician.
On the other hand I like his music, so I left your comment here for other music fans. 
John
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Hi John,
Reading your post made me research what this story is all about. I’m glad to find some ideas though not the whole flow of the story. I’ll just want to comment about man in his nature. I do believe that man by nature is good though he has the potential to become bad. What I’ve learned from your blog is that it is important to give value to every created being, whether it is living or non living.
[Reply]
John McNally
Reply:
September 9th, 2010 at 7:08 am
I agree with you Vincenzo, I believe that man is by nature good.
Anarchism is a much misunderstood political theory, because that’s exactly what anarchists believe. Anarchists think that the evils of the world come from governments, without them the natural goodness of man would prevail.
Unfortunately life isn’t as simple as that.
John
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