When we were young we glutted ourselves on tales of daring do, fairy tales, and all manner of stories that instill in us a sense of justice. We believe, at such an early age, that evil doers are punished and the good and virtuous will rise from their plight on eagles' wings. My daughter has had to deal with this lately. Her sense of "fairness" is being attacked on all sides by reality.
My heart broke for Jem in this section. He's forced to grow up and realize that the world isn't fair or just. There are moments of fairness and slight breezes of justice that can be felt, but there are more times when neither will appear. For Tom Robinson the cards were stacked against him just because of the color of his skin. Things are wrong, in this world. We can easily go about our days seeing injustice and becoming bitter, wailing like Jem that it just isn't right. There are so few things we can do individually to affect major change.
I like what Miss Maudie says,
"I waited and waited to see you all come down the sidewalk, and as I waited I thought, Atticus Finch won't win, he can't win, but he's the only man in these parts who can keep a jury out so long in a case like that. And I thought to myself, well, we're making a step - it's just a baby-step, bit it's a step."
There's something I refer to as the "Totalitarian Temptation" that comes along with big justice issues. Whether it's Gay Rights, Feminist issues, or either side of the abortion debate, there is this desire that crops up when we see the problem as too large. We presume that we know best and everyone else is stupid or uneducated and not entitled to their beliefs. We decide that what we need is the government to force the other side of the argument to capitulate. This is less than ideal. People don't like being told what to believe or what to do especially without having a say in the matter. It often leads to resentment and sometimes violence. When we talk about these justice issues we're really talking about matters of the heart not just of the mind. Forced acceptance may seem like the best route, but only the law has been changed. You can outlaw abortion but you haven't changed the fact that people are still going to seek it. And so, I love this attitude of "baby steps". If you force the change then you disrespect everyone. Like Scout says to Jem, "How can you hate Hitler so bad and be so ugly about folks at home?" when he wants to force the people to change their minds.
There's a lot about the book I could write about here. I could write about how hilarious Scout is in her girly dress at the Missionary Tea when asked where her pants are, since she's a tomboy, and she declares that her britches are on under the dress. The final scene with the reveal of Boo and the second "mad dog" that had to be taken down was masterfully written to a Bradbury degree. Simply perfect. And I'd love to go into how much of an influence Truman Capote (the real life Dill to Harper's Scout) was with some of the sharp moments of language such as in the description of Mrs. Merriweather as a "faithful Methodist under duress". However, none of that is the real takeaway from this novel.
The perpetual question for the next three years or so of these books has been and will be, "Why do they endure?" Why ARE these the books you should read before you die?
One answer so far has been the relatability of the characters and situations. All three novels so far have come off as real people in real situations rather than some idealized version of events. There is something amazingly concrete that even 250 years removed from the original material we respond.
I think the other, larger answer has something to do with a quality of the characters themselves. When I look at Jane Eyre I can't help but admire her. I admire her most, out of many reasons, for her principles. In To Kill a Mockingbird I have to say that Jem, Scout, and Boo don't endure. At least not as much as Atticus. As much as it is from Scout's perspective, this book is really about Atticus. He is a man of principle, and quiet principle at that. Atticus follows those principles to their logical end even in the face of intimidation, mockery, and threats of violence. He makes mistakes. He's not the perfect parent. He's not even the best lawyer in the state. I couldn't help but hear Jane's voice relating how her principles were there to be clung to in the worst and most maddening of times. Even when it appears that Jem has murdered Mr. Ewell in self defense he wasn't going to buckle from his principles.
It's not pride, though it could be misinterpreted as such, and it's not adherence to any old principle or idea that comes along. I got the sense that this is a man who has weighed out all options and found that this is the best way to live, these are the things to cling to. I think we'd like to believe that is who we are, but I'm not sure these days. Opinions move with the tides, principles shift with the opinion and what is expedient to our interests. Somewhere in our DNA I think we all recognize that Atticus is as much a hero as Hercules, perhaps even more so. At least we want to be like him even if we don't succeed. In a relativistic society I think it gets harder and harder to hold on to our principles. Someone once asked me if I thought I was able to believe in something, an ideal or a principle, even if every single person on the planet thought it was ridiculous. I answered then as I'll answer now, "I'd like to think so." But then again I can't decide between two pop tarts which is better. (Today I'm leaning Brown Sugar but other days it's Blueberry)
Next up is Wuthering Heights by one of the other Bronte sisters. It should be interesting to see how similar their styles are and where their inspirations cross.
Pax,
Will Arbaugh
No comments:
Post a Comment