Shoot all the bluejays you want. (To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee)

Member Name: carly_pussycat

Product:	To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Date:	07/05/04 (225 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Touching, Interesting, Upsetting

Disadvantages: None

I originally read this book when I was 16, for my GCSE set examination text. Remembering how much I enjoyed it back then, I chucked it into my latest Amazon.co.uk order so that I could read it again.


PLOT SYNOPSIS

The novel essentially begins at the end. To explain it a little better ? the narrator, Scout Finch, explaining the circumstances around which her brother Jem had broken his arm. Scout narrates the whole book from her point of view.

The story is set in the 1930s in a small American town called Maycomb in the state of Alabama. Scout and Jem live with their father Atticus and household maid, a Negro lady named Calpurnia; their mother died when they were very young. Calpurnia is a strict, yet sympathic character.

During the summer Scout and Jem meet a new friend, Dill, who continues to visit Maycomb each summer holiday.

The children, mischievous as children are, are intrigued by their mysterious neighbour Arthur Radley who they nickname Boo Radley and set about a plot to entice him out of his house. Meanwhile Atticus has been appointed to defend a Negro accused of raping a white girl ? but not any white girl; Mayella Ewell. The Ewells are a large family, unable to support themselves and depend on state benefit. They are the scum of the town with whom no one associates, but despite this, being white people, they are still regarded as superior to any honest hard working Negro.

The Finches live in the nice part of town along with all the other white people. The Negroes live together in the poorer part of town, and the Ewells live right next to a rubbish dump, just a short distance from the Negroes.

As the novel progresses, tension bui
lds in the town as Atticus continues to do his utmost to defend Tom Robinson despite the abuse Jem and Scout receive at school. The children aren?t the only ones who are abusive towards the Finches for defending Tom; in fact, the children?s attacks aren?t nearly as scathing as many of the adult?s. However, Atticus being a character strongly set in his morals will not reject the case as he feels he would be setting an extremely poor example to his children.

Quite late on in the novel Atticus?s sister Alexandra takes up residence in his house to offer guidance to Scout, as she believes she should be moulding herself into a lady.

It wouldn?t be ruining the story to say that events reach a climax when Tom Robinson makes his appearance in court only to be wrongly imprisoned. The events that follow are something almost no one could have predicted; upsetting and unexpected.


MY ANALYSIS

It is interesting to learn about how things used to be not so many years ago. There are many themes running through the book, but the main one is that of justice, or rather lack of it. It is sad to see that the children (save for a few adults) are the only ones in the novel with minds pure enough to be capable of seeing true justice.

The town is overrun with prejudiced attitudes. The prejudices in the book don?t end at assumptions based on race, but extend to prejudices against every family in the village. Aunt Alexandra has many theories on the town and the people that reside in it, one of which is that each family has a ?streak,? be it alcoholism, morbid behaviour, gossiping, lying, or even walking a certain way ? it seems that she cannot relax until she has pigeon holed everyone appropriately. The town is swamped with malicious gossip and rumours, which I feel fuel the fire of injustice al
l the more.

The prejudices also extend to sexism, mainly aimed at Scout and generally voiced by Aunt Alexandra. Scout is a typical tom-boy; she favours trousers over dresses, loves playing boyish games with Dill and Jem and likes to have little scraps with the boys at school. However, aunty is not satisfied with this and makes it her life?s mission to create a lady out of Scout.

The most evident prejudice throughout the book is that of racism. The attitudes in the town fundamentally amount to the fact that NO negro man will be better than a white man, and therefore when the word of Tom Robinson, an honest Negro, is set against Bob Ewell, the dirtiest piece of white trash, Mr Ewell?s statement is enough to imprison Tom.

Due to the narration being Scout?s train of thought, we gain greater insight into the events of the town. It emphasises the injustice all the more because the reader is experiencing it through the eyes of an innocent, uncorrupted child?s mind. There are times that the novel lends to light humour, but mainly through Scout?s childish ignorance.

Inevitably the prevailing theme of the book is that of the mockingbird, hence the title. When Jem and Scout receive a gun each as a present, Atticus advises them, ?I?d rather you shot at tin cans in the back yard, but I know you?ll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ?em, but remember it?s a sin to kill a mockingbird.? Scout notes that this is the first time Atticus has ever declared anything to be a ?sin? so it makes a big impression on her.

Neighbour and friend Miss Maudie explained that mockingbirds don?t do any harm in the world. The soul thing they provide is cheery music for people to enjoy ? so although the mockingbird phrase was initially intended for literal translation
when Jem and Scout go shooting, it eventually extends to the court room and the public streets. Throughout the book two metaphorical ?mockingbird? characters become increasingly apparent: Tom Robinson and Arthur (Boo) Radley ? gentle, innocent characters who mean no harm, but owing to the colour of their skin or the manner in which they choose to conduct their life are deeply misjudged by the majority of people.

I really enjoyed how the book developed and how it was written from Scout?s point of view. Due to the nature of the book, it is necessary that it includes a lot of background information on the town and its inhabitants. It is successful in developing our perception of the town to that of the children?s, but does so in a way that is not exhausting or boring in any way. I find Scout?s descriptions lively and at times, entertaining.


CONCLUSIO& #78;

I really enjoyed reading this book again. I liked the subject matter and the way it was handled made it easier for me to identify with ? I don?t think I would have enjoyed it so much if it had been narrated from an adult?s point of view.

Due to the structure of the book, it would be a great book to read twice. As it ends, if you flick to the first page and read it you go ?ahhhh?..? and more things become apparent each time you read it. I am glad I had this for my GCSE exam text because it was a great book to read and equally great to analyse.

I would recommend this to absolutely everyone to read at some point in their lifetime. It is not a hard book to read in the slightest and will probably make you appreciate just how lucky you are to live in this day and age (and depending on your racial background, maybe grateful that you were born white). Go on, read it!


ISBN 0-09-941978-5


£4.79 from www.amazon.co.uk


 carly_pussycat - dooyoo UK ©

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