Chattahoochee River
Sunday, February 7, 2016
TKAM Section 4– Duncan
I think this last section of the book is most notable for the way it kind of brings together all the coming-of-age themes in the novel. Before I read the book, I was under the impression that it would be a story about segregation and intolerance, but in actuality I found it to be much more about growing up and becoming aware of the world as it truly is. The difficulty there, Lee seems to imply, is that as one becomes an adult and realizes more and more what things mean and how bad some things are, one has to learn how to respond to messed up situations. Jem struggles with this as much, if not more than, Scout, such as after the blatant injustice of the guilty verdict. Atticus serves as a model of adulthood and maturity, especially in the way he treats Ewell after the trial.
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Duncan, I agree with you that the book was more about growing up than it was about predjudice, but at the same time there was also an elemment of seeing beyond everyone else's imposed preconceptions of someone.
ReplyDeleteAdding to Isabelle's comment; don't you think that while yes the racial prejudice and the racism was not the main focus of the book, it did play a big role in shaping how Jem and Scout developed as people. Without the aspect of segregation and intolerance some of the morals that Atticus hoped to pass on to the kids would not be as strong. For example, without noticing the turmoil caused by the Robinson case and the racial prejudices that shaped the jury, Scout, Jem, and Dill may have developed completely different views on the shape their society took; maybe causing them to never have developed the tolerance they did.
ReplyDeleteVery nice insight Duncan. I also agree with Rachel that racism plays a role in this book.
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