About the author
Harper Lee, an American novelist, who won the Pulitzer Prize, and many other honorary degrees including the Presidential Medal of Freedom which is awarded for her contribution to literature.
About the book
To Kill a Mockingbird is published in 1960 and was an instant success. It has become an American literature classic, and is widely read in middle schools and high schools in the United States. The plot and characters are based on her family, neighbors, and an event that happened in her hometown in Alabama when she was ten.
I started reading this book in February, and finally finished it today. Many times I flipped several pages on the subway. This whole process was not a continuous one, so I remembered those details in previous chapters vaguely. However, I remember goodness of Atticus, Scout, Jem, Boo, but evil of Bob Ewell vividly. Especially when I read Mr. Tate was trying to protect Jem but rejected by Atticus, I burst into tears. I was touched by Scout’s kindness when Boo was in her house. And I was furious when Tom was put in prison even though the jury knew he’s innnocent just because he’s black and was accused of by a white person.
Although there’s badness, I was deeply moved by the kindness and goodness. And I highly recommend this novel. Now I’d like to share some sentences that impressed me while reading.
Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough.
Neighbors bring food with death and flowers with sickness and little things in between. Boo was our neighbor. He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives. But neighbors give in return. We never put back into the tree what we took out of it: we had given him nothing, and it made me sad.
Atticus was silent for a moment. He looked at Mr. Tate as if he appreciated what he said. But Atticus shook his head.
“Heck, it’s mighty kind of you and I know you’re doing it from that good heart of yours, but don’t start anything like that.”
😭
I wondered why Atticus was inviting us to the front porch instead of the livingroom, then I understood. The livingroom lights were awfully strong.
Yes, a right pretty spell. Feeling slightly unreal, I led him to the chair farthest from Atticus and Mr. Tate. It was in deep shadow. Boo would feel more comfortable in the dark.
❤️
His lips parted into a timid smile, and our neighbor’s image blurred with my sudden tears.
“Hey, Boo,” I said.
“I simply want to tell you that there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us. Your father’s one of them. “
“How could they do it, how could they?”
“I don’t know, but they did it. They’ve done it before and they did it tonight and they’ll do it again and when they do it—seems that only children weep. Good night. “
Atticus had said it was the polite thing to talk to people about what they were interested in, not about what you were interested in.
“Atticus, you must be wrong…”
“How’s that?”
“Well, most folks seem to think they’re right and you’re wrong…”
“They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions,” said Atticus, “but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
“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.”
“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”