Jayson’s Reviews > To Kill a Mockingbird > Status Update
Jayson
is on page 154 of 336
Notes:
(1) This is an odd sort of novel. So far, it's been more interconnected short stories than anything all that cohesive.
- Perhaps I'm just too used to the pace and plotting of modern books. Halfway through this and I don't really know where it's going, only an inkling based solely on the book's reputation.
(2) The whole First Purchase Church section is a fascinating bit of anthropology.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 06, 2024 07:55PM
(1) This is an odd sort of novel. So far, it's been more interconnected short stories than anything all that cohesive.
- Perhaps I'm just too used to the pace and plotting of modern books. Halfway through this and I don't really know where it's going, only an inkling based solely on the book's reputation.
(2) The whole First Purchase Church section is a fascinating bit of anthropology.
(Continued in comments)
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is on page 323 of 336
Notes:
(1) It's always difficult to write reviews and form opinions on books people hold in high esteem, enthuse about, and even herald as classic literature.
- What if I don't like it? Will people forever swarm and pester me?
- Thankfully, I liked this book a lot. I wouldn't rank it among my all-time favorites, but I'm notoriously stingy with five-star ratings and effusive praise in general.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 10, 2024 06:00PM
(1) It's always difficult to write reviews and form opinions on books people hold in high esteem, enthuse about, and even herald as classic literature.
- What if I don't like it? Will people forever swarm and pester me?
- Thankfully, I liked this book a lot. I wouldn't rank it among my all-time favorites, but I'm notoriously stingy with five-star ratings and effusive praise in general.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 293 of 336
Notes:
(1) Atticus: "There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance."
- I feel like modern audiences reading this line, specifically "a Negro's ignorance," might be quick to label Atticus a racist.
- I know, it's ridiculous given the overall context of the book and of this quote. Though, I've seen harsher reactions to milder words.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 10, 2024 08:30AM
(1) Atticus: "There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance."
- I feel like modern audiences reading this line, specifically "a Negro's ignorance," might be quick to label Atticus a racist.
- I know, it's ridiculous given the overall context of the book and of this quote. Though, I've seen harsher reactions to milder words.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 249 of 336
Notes:
(1) Mayella, we learn, has no friends. Even among her many siblings, they're always out with each other while she does the household chores alone.
- Of course, solitary individuals in this book are either taken as monsters (Boo Radley) or prone to making poor and impulsive decisions (Dill). Mayella is arguably both.
(2) Speaking of which, why was Boo Radley the primary focus of Part 1?
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 08, 2024 05:10PM
(1) Mayella, we learn, has no friends. Even among her many siblings, they're always out with each other while she does the household chores alone.
- Of course, solitary individuals in this book are either taken as monsters (Boo Radley) or prone to making poor and impulsive decisions (Dill). Mayella is arguably both.
(2) Speaking of which, why was Boo Radley the primary focus of Part 1?
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 204 of 336
Notes:
(1) This has been a real slow burn. Not that it's been bad, just it's been going at a leisurely pace and hasn't been at all what I expected.
- The story doesn't really find a clear direction until the jailhouse scene. After that it's been laser-focused on the trial of Tom Robinson.
- From Chapter 17 onward, it's been pretty much a pure law procedural, albeit from a child's perspective.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 07, 2024 06:15PM
(1) This has been a real slow burn. Not that it's been bad, just it's been going at a leisurely pace and hasn't been at all what I expected.
- The story doesn't really find a clear direction until the jailhouse scene. After that it's been laser-focused on the trial of Tom Robinson.
- From Chapter 17 onward, it's been pretty much a pure law procedural, albeit from a child's perspective.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 102 of 336
Notes:
(1) "[Jem] went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way."
- Hmm, I wonder if that's where The Bangles got it from?
- Rural American children learning about Egypt just seems odd. Greece and Rome seems more natural.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 05, 2024 07:00PM
(1) "[Jem] went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way."
- Hmm, I wonder if that's where The Bangles got it from?
- Rural American children learning about Egypt just seems odd. Greece and Rome seems more natural.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 56 of 336
Notes:
(1) The most striking thing so far has to do with people's names. The brother and sister, Jeremy and Jean, are nicknamed Jem and Scout.
- It's notable that practically everyone calls them by their nicknames, which are both decidedly unisex—I can't be the only one who saw "Jem" and thought "and the Holograms"?
- Possibly it's to underscore a time of innocence, before sexuality kicks in.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 04, 2024 01:30PM
(1) The most striking thing so far has to do with people's names. The brother and sister, Jeremy and Jean, are nicknamed Jem and Scout.
- It's notable that practically everyone calls them by their nicknames, which are both decidedly unisex—I can't be the only one who saw "Jem" and thought "and the Holograms"?
- Possibly it's to underscore a time of innocence, before sexuality kicks in.
(Continued in comments)
- Also notable is how prevalent public shaming is in coercing desired behavior. Reverend Sykes calls out people by name, in front of the congregation, for their moral failings. He even shames the congregation, keeping them locked inside until the minimum weekly offering's met.
(3) We get a closer look at Calpurnia, who's very much a binary figure herself. She lives among blacks but works among whites.
- In this capacity she acts as a sort of bridge or translator between the two cultures.
- Scout goes as far as to say she's bilingual, the way she changes her speech to fit who she's talking to.
- She brings literacy into her community, having learned from her employers.
(4) It's very important to Atticus to instill in his children a very specific idea of courage. He very reluctantly, but very expertly, puts down a mad dog. His shooting skills having been hidden from his children.
- He goes to great lengths to hide it, in fact, having his out-of-town brother come teach them to shoot instead of himself.
(5) The whole section with Mrs. Dubose is meant as a lesson, to teach Jem the real meaning of courage by witnessing first-hand an old woman persist through morphine withdrawals.
- Atticus tells Jem that he would have made him visit Mrs. Dubose even if he wasn't forced to do so as punishment. That makes me think it was actually Atticus' idea, which he suggested to Mrs. Dubose.
- Of course, this lesson in enduring discomfort and pain is done to prepare his children for the inevitable abuse they'll get once Tom Robinson goes to trial.
- Atticus is sort of doing a Mr. Miyagi on Jem and Scout. Wax-on, wax-off.
(6) Scout says that Jem is all she has in life. Her accompanying him to his daily punishments with Mrs. Dubose is that sentiment put to practice.
- They're the only two children in a neighborhood of old people, which surely played a role in making Dill's visits every summer special.