Chattahoochee River
Thursday, January 14, 2016
To Kill A Mockingbird Section 1
Two characters in section one really caught my attention. The schoolteacher, Miss Caroline, I felt was very harsh and not relatable. She seemed to not understand the children and immediately took a disliking to Scout. I thought it was weird that she was punished for having skills that exceeded her grade level; I would have expected Miss Caroline to be impressed with Scout and to have encourage her abilities. Instead, she gave Scout an ultimatum that made her want to quit school altogether. Atticus Finch, Scout's father, seemed too forgiving of Miss Caroline when Scout tried to complain about the way she was treated. He proved to be a much more tolerant character than I expected, also when dealing with suspicions surrounding Boo Radley. The other character that I liked reading about was Miss Maudie. She seemed to contrast Miss Caroline in every way. Her impact in Scout's life was opposite that of her dreaded teacher. Miss Maudie was kind, caring, and understanding. She too understood that the Radley's weren't to be feared. And, she didn't have the pretentious air some of the neighbors and Miss Caroline had. I took an immediate liking to Miss Maudie and I am interested to see how she may play a bigger role in Scout's life.
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Katie, I agree that Miss Caroline as a character stands out in the book, but I wouldn't say that she's entirely unsympathetic. We see a moment of humanity after Burris threatens her. This is recognized for what it is by most of the class, who all attempt to comfort her, even if it's not by the narrator, who bears an entirely understandable bias against the woman.
ReplyDeleteIsabelle, that's true that Miss Caroline showed more relatability when the kids comforted her. However, I think you're right, while I was reading I was so in Scout's head I didn't really consider that maybe she was starting to soften her attitude and gain the affection of the class.
ReplyDeleteHaving been a new teacher once upon a time, I'm sure Miss Caroline was trying very hard to act like she knew what she was doing. Perhaps she was also not from their town. I think part of what the author is doing here is to show how people from Maycomb ARE and how outsiders are different from them. Katie, what do you think of how Atticus reacted when Scout told him?
ReplyDeleteMrs. Schulz, I remember them mentioning Miss Caroline was not from their town so maybe Maycombites are just very distinctive or idiosyncratic in their behaviors and judgements of others. When Atticus was reacting to Scout I was surprised he wasn't upset with the teacher. But, I understood why he was so adamant about her going to school considering he was a lawyer. Additionally, he seemed very understanding and wise, especially when he said to Scout that she should try and see things from other's perspectives. It was definitely a token of parental wisdom that Scout will probably try to take with her throughout the story.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Atticus believes that education consists of more than learning how to read :)
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