To Kill a Mockingbird: First Impressions

Hey everyone! We recently started reading To Kill a Mockingbird in

my GHEnglish class. So far, we have read chapters 1-9.

First Impressions

I am very surprised to say that I am really enjoying this book so far. I find it a lot easier to follow than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, even though there are similar themes in these two classics. This novel makes me want to keep reading as the plot continues to thicken and jokes continue to be made. I can already tell that as a reader, I am going to get a lot out of this book, especially in terms of themes. An important theme that has already showed up in the novel has to do with the fact that we cannot understand other people's lives. On page 30,

Atticus states, "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his own point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (Lee). This quote is very true, but it is not something we always keep in mind, even though we probably should. This reminds me of bullying, which we recently had a discussion about. We make a lot of assumptions, judge people, etc. But how can we do this if we don't put ourselves in his/her shoes? We can rarely understand others. And besides, can we really always understand ourselves?

My Characters

While reading this novel, I am focusing on two characters: Calpurnia and Boo Radley. So far, we have received a lot of second-hand information about these characters, especially Boo Radley. All we really hear is the opinions of Scout and others, but have yet to find out what Boo Radley is really like. However, we have gotten some clues that he is not as people make him out to be based on his actions. We know that he was giving gifts through the tree, put the blanket on Scout, and sewed Jem's pants for him, which makes me think he is not

crazy nor a bad person. Boo Radley is a clear example of a person with a "secret life" as he is literally behind closed doors. I am really looking forward to finding out more about him as a character as the story progresses. Calpurnia on the other hand, we know a little more about, but she does not seem to be a major character, at least not so far. The thing that stood out to me the most about her is how she acts as a mother figure to Jem ad Scout. One of my favorite quotes so far was from Calpurnia when she states, "Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!" (Lee24). This quote again brought up the idea that we cannot understand others, but should embrace them for who they are. One person is not any better than the next and people need to embrace their differences.

Today's Discussions

I found the discussions today to be very interesting, especially when we transitioned into the large group. One thing that really intrigued me was the idea that everyone in this story likely lives a secret life, not just Boo Radley, and we may not learn about them directly or even at all. This thought makes me want to keep reading to see what the readers

can uncover about all of the different characters in this novel. One group asked about these secret lives, specifically whether or not parents should keep secrets from children. I am not happy to say this as I hate not knowing what is going on, but, I think parents should keep some things to themselves. There are certain topics and problems that kids do not always need to have in mind and parents likely hide these things to protect their kids.

Questions

Next week, I am hoping to be able to ask more questions about Boo Radley and the recurring themes in this novel, especially the idea of secret lives. Though I will likely be able to create some better questions

after reading the next set of chapters, some that I have in mind right now are: Boo Radley seems like he wants to be involved with others based on his thoughtful actions. Why does he continue to live his life in secret? Do secrets make us feel safe? Or do they actually give us more to fear? I find these questions to be very intriguing because I believe that Boo Radley is fascinating as a character and there is still so much to learn about him. The idea that people live "secret lives" makes me very curious, but the aspect of the unknown bothers me at the same time.

Check out these related articles!

"Should we parents keep secrets from our kids?"

"How “To Kill a Mockingbird” shaped race relations in America"

"Empathic Intelligence: To put yourself in their shoes, unlace yours"