Well, I finally made myself sit and finish reading, To Kill A Mockingbird. While everyone is aware of the theme being "racism" I have to say how I was in awe of the many themes running through the book, just to name a few..... Childhood fears, judgments, sexism, education, racism, accepting people for which class they are in financially, abuse, law and unlawfulness, prejudice, coming of age, and so many more.
I admired how Atticus Finch once appointed to be Tom Robinson's defense lawyer, handled the town's mockery, and yet defended him with the same vigor he would have defended any client. I loved how Atticus was determined to raise Scout and Jem with respect, honesty and decency, yet allowed them to be kids. Harper Lee created Scout, a five year old little girl, with the intelligence and wisdom beyond her years, due to the time Atticus took with her reading in his lap. In only first grade, Scout was able to see hypocrisy, and call it out.
This chapter stood out to me, and has really had an impact on me, since I closed the book:
Ch 26
Even so, not many of the children knew what a Current Event was. Cecil Jacobs knew what one was, though. When his turn came he went to the front of the room and began, "Old Hitler___." "Adolf Hitler, Cecil," said Miss Gates. "One does never begins with Old anybody." "Yes Ma'am," he said. "Old Adolf Hitler has been prosecutin' the__" "Persecuting Cecil. . ." "Nome, Miss Gates, it says here__well anyway, Old Adolf Hitler has been after the Jews and he's puttin' 'em in prisons and he's taking away all their property and he won't let any of 'em out of the country and he's washin' all the feeble-minded and__" "Washing the feeble-minded?" "Yes ma'am, Miss Gates, I reckon they don't have sense enough to was themselves, I don't reckon an idiot could keep hisself clean. Well anyway, Hitler's started a program to round up all the half-Jews too and he want to register 'em in case they might wanta cause him any trouble and I think this is a bad thing and that's my current event." "Very good, Cecil,' said Miss Gates. Puffing, Cecil returned to his seat.
A hand went up in the back of the room. "how can he do that?" "Who do what?" asked Miss Gates patiently. "I mean how can Hitler just put a lot of folks in a pen like that, looks like the govamint's stop him," said the owner of the hand. "Hitler is the government," said Miss Gates, and seizing an opportunity to make education dynamic, she went to the blackboard. She printed DEMOCRACY in large letters. "Democracy," she said. "Does anybody have a definition?" "Us," somebody said. I raised my hand, remembering an old campaign slogan Atticus had once told me about. "What do you think it means, Jean Louise?" "Equal right for all, special privileges for none,'" I quoted. "Very good, Jean Louise, very good," Miss Gates smiled. In front of DEMOCRACY, she printed WE ARE A. "Now class, say it all together, "We are a democracy.'" We said it. Then Miss Gates said, "That's the difference between America and Germany. We are a democracy and Germany is a dictatorship. Dictator-ship," she said. "Over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Prejudice," she enunciated carefully. "There are no better people in the world than the Jews, and why Hitler doesn't think so is a mystery to me."
Scout once asked Atticus why he was so impatient with Hitler and Atticus said, "Because he's a maniac."
"But it's okay to hate Hitler?" "It is not," he said. "It's not okay to hate anybody." "Atticus," I said, "there's somethin' I don't understand. Miss Gates said it was awful, Hitler doin' like he does, she got real red in the face about it__" "I should think she would." "But__" "Yes?" "Nothing, sir." I went away, not sure I could explain to Atticus what was on my mind, not sure I could clarify what was only a feeling. Perhaps Jem could provide the answer. Jem understood school things better than Atticus.
"I wanta ask you somethin." "Shoot." He put down his book and stretched out his legs. "Miss Gates is a nice lady, ain't she?" "Why sure," said Jem. "I liked her when I was in her room." "She hates Hitler a lot. . ." "What's wrong with that?" "Well, she went on today about how bad it was him treatin the Jews like that. Jem, it's not right to persecute anybody, is it? I mean thoughts about anybody, even, is it?" "Gracious no, Scout. What's eatin' you?" "Well, coming out of the courthouse that night Miss Gates was__she was goin' down the steps in front of us, you musta not seen her__she was talking with Miss Stephanie Crawford. I heard her say it's time somebody taught 'em a lesson, they were gettin' way above themselves, an' the next thing they think they can do is marry us. Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home__?"
This chapter left me with not only a sadness, but I can't help but think of the old adult adage..... "Do as I say, not as I do."
I hope this book is never allowed to be banned from English Literature classes. I can see why it was voted "America’s best-loved novel” by The Great American Read of 2018.
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