Chattahoochee River
Monday, January 18, 2016
To Kill a Mockingbird Section 1
Fear can be many things: physical, mental, biochemical, and emotional. However, fear can also lead to adverse effects that common sense would not condone. For example, fear can lead to driving curiosity, that when viewed from an outsider seems crazy. This phenomena is not only seen in this book in the form of, originally, Dill, and later Jem, exploring the Radley house and gradually taking greater risks, but also Horror films that stream each and every year. Even though common sense and the city folklore tell the kids they shouldn't go near the Radley house, and in movies the whole audience is saying the girl shaking with fear should definitely not go toward the rattling noise in the pitch black garage, they always seem to do it anyway. Regardless of the countless tales spun about the Radley house (i.e. the pecans that can kill you, the ghost that lives there, the dislikable father figure, and the supposedly crazy Boo Radley) the kids gamble with their futures anyway. Why? It is my belief that the kids curiosity is derived from our want, as humans, to always live a little bit on the edge. A life too safe is boring, and a life too dangerous is stressful, but a life with a little bit of risk taking adds just the right amount excitement. It is because of these effects that the house can represent temptation. Everyone has urges to do certain things at certain times, and our better judgement can not always guide us away from the slightly impulsive thing. However, as we indulge our temptation more and more, it has the power to take more away from us. To give a better idea I will reference drugs; with the first fix there are little negative effects, but as you take the drugs more and more your health slowly deteriorates, and you are reliant on the feeling it gives you. To a slightly lesser degree this is happening to Jem and Dill. At first their curiosity did not have any negative effects, but as the story developed there began to be greater consequences with their greater actions; when Jem touched the house, nothing happened, but near the end of the section, when Jem, Dill, and Scout looked through the window of the Radley house Jem lost his pants, which if left unretrieved could have gotten him into a great deal of trouble. With this temptation left unchecked, I believe that at some point in the story Dill and/or Jem may be hurt.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That's very intellectual. Gives a new meaning to the saying "Curiosity killed the Cat!"
ReplyDeleteI think you're pointing out a very interesting trend in the book, and I'm now interested to see if either of the boys does end up hurt. Of course, there's always the point of view that as dangerous as the children think Arthur Radley may be, we as readers haven't yet seen him do anything to give us an acute sense of danger where he is concerned.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that as readers we do not know how true the tales that the kids spin about the Radleys' are, but I continued reading and even though there is the supposed accident where Boo stabbed his dad with scissors as the story goes on I find myself thinking he might not actually be at all what they make him out to be. You read about the gum in the tree, and the items keep appearing (sorry if I ruined something) so I'm beginning to wonder if Boo has a weird sympathy for the kids and wants them to enjoy the little things they might otherwise take for granted since he didn't get that luxury.
DeleteI think you're pointing out a very interesting trend in the book, and I'm now interested to see if either of the boys does end up hurt. Of course, there's always the point of view that as dangerous as the children think Arthur Radley may be, we as readers haven't yet seen him do anything to give us an acute sense of danger where he is concerned.
ReplyDeleteWhat you refer to is a very important development in the plot and is one of the most interesting details about the book. I like how you specifically mention fear because these emotions and the experiences you mention can indeed shape the perspective of Scout. The development of Scout through different emotions like fear can help explain how the character grows throughout the novel and is an important feature in understanding the state of mind of the character.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about how these different emotions would personally impact Scout until you brought it up and now that you have i already seem to have made another connection. As readers, we can already see how fear and intimidation are shaping Scout in her experiences with Miss Caroline (who made her want to quit school)and of course, Boo Radley.I'm interested in seeing how Scout continues to develop and whether or not she will ever fit into the gender role society seems to urge onto her.
DeleteI think it's interesting how you connect the risk-taking of Jem and Dill to the example of drugs. I do agree that we, as humans, are filled with excitement when taking on risk even though there may be consequences. I do feel like temptation continues to grow up until there one hits the barrier of a consequences. However, some people continue to live on the edge even after confronting such consequences.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how you say that you're sure one of them is going to get hurt. The book opens by having Scout discuss with Jem how hebroke his arm. It could be that the Radleys really did have something to do with it.
ReplyDelete