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Mockingbird was chosen from monthly nominations as our May Contemporary Classic Group Read. This thread is limited to Part One of the book ONLY, go ahead and spoiler away - but ONLY for Part One! :)

*** Please make sure NOT to spoiler Part Two of the book in this thread ***

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For discussions that don't include plot spoilers, here is the link to the Non-Spoiler thread.
For the thread open to full discussions about the book, here is the link to the Part Two/Book as a Whole - Spoilers!.


Thankyou! Happy Reading :D

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Link to nominating thread - /topic/show/...
Link to poll - /poll/show/9...

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There is also a film adaptation of this book. If you've seen the movie, and/or would like to discuss it, here's a link - /topic/show/...

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Important!

** Please make sure NOT to spoiler Part Two of the book in this thread **

MK wrote: "Important!
** Please make sure NOT to spoiler Part Two of the book in this thread **"

Yep, after all of the back-and-forth, that's all I was suggesting. Exactly. However, I'm so pleased that all of the "process" stuff is behind us, and I'm so looking forward to experiencing this book again (I, too, first read it in high school) with you and everyone else.

Warmest regards,

Paul

This will be my first read :). Others read it before. I'm glad we got the spoiler concern sorted. Now, time to read!

(for me :D )

Ch. 1: Characters and a Special Narrator. So, I just finished reading chapter 1. What fun!

You really feel like you can see the town, and its characters, opening up right in front of you. Some of the stories about the children, Scout, Jem, and Dill, playing together are a riot.

Our narrator, Scout, is clearly a very observant child. Like many children, she's also brutally honest about what she sees (even if she doesn't really understand what she sees). So we're going to get the straight scoop from this narrator.

A few of the lines I liked on this point:

"The Radleys, welcome anywhere in town, kept to themselves, a predilection unforgivable in Maycomb."

"Dill had seen 'Dracula', a revelation that moved Jem to eye him with the beginning of respect."

Other examples of Scout's watchful eye abound in chapter 1, and we're always seeing it from her vantage point as a 6-year-old. Interesting.

Great stuff, Paul. I sat down to begin reading last night, but my sister phoned from Ireland (my daughter is going to school there, currently), and we got to chatting, and all my reading time disappeared into phone time instead :).

I hope to begin tonight.

Ch. 2: Getting to Know Maycomb (or, Scout Goes to School).

In this chapter, I thought author Harper Lee found a clever way of helping us to get more deeply acquainted with the town of Maycomb. Our narrator, Scout, goes to school, and she discovers that her homeroom teacher, Ms. Caroline Fisher, is new to the school and the community.

Miss Caroline learns a lot about Maycomb the hard way, and we see, fairly quickly, just how quickly misunderstandings and conflict can develop when people with different world views interact (even in the benign environment of an elementary school classroom).

Lee has a lot of fun with this theme.

When one of the kids refuses Miss Caroline’s offer of a quarter for lunch, our narrator Scout tries to briefly explain. Scout, and every other student in the room, knows that the student, like his family, is poor but won’t accept charity.

“Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham.� I sat back down.
“What, Jean Louise?�
I thought I had made things sufficiently clear. It was clear enough to the rest of us�

Thus, the 6-year-old understands many aspects of the town better than the teacher.

Misunderstandings abound throughout the chapter. Miss Caroline believes Scout to be a thoroughly impudent student, even though Scout has tried harder than anyone to help her teacher to understand Maycomb’s ways. Scout, who is thrilled to be finally attending school, is left wondering if she has somehow committed a crime by learning to read and write before she arrived at school.

Setting aside the deeper messages, we learn that Maycomb is an agricultural community and a poor one at that. Also, we’re reminded of the time frame of the novel. Atticus makes a passing reference to the “crash�, and I recall that, in Chapter 1, Scout had commented that “Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.� The time frame is clear � it’s the mid-1930’s, the Great Depression.

I am up to chapter 5 now. I'm checking in on my kindle tho, so I'll hold off on more comments until I have a bigger screen to read with, and a keyboard to make typing easier :).

Ch. 3: Introducing Atticus.

Scout’s long day (her first day at school) continues, and now we begin to get better acquainted with her father, Atticus. In a short period of time, we learn that he’s a very special man (and certainly not like most of the attorneys we meet in fiction). He’s constantly demonstrating a deep and compassionate understanding of those around him and an extraordinary ability to communicate with everyone in their own language.

The compromise he reaches with Scout, so that she need not fear that school will deprive them of their time reading together, is priceless, but I’ll have to say that my favorite line in Chapter 3 is this:

“First of all,� he [Atticus] said, “if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you’ll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view…�

â€ÂÙ¾±°ù?â€�

“� until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.�

One of many priceless lines. When Atticus talks, we should listen.

I loved that line!

Chapter 4:

This chapter reminded me of my own summer vacations when we would be busy playing something with my friends. Here Jem, Scout and Dill have devised there own play about Boo Radley.

I love when it's said "As the summer progressed, so did our game. We polished and perfected it, added dialogue and plot until we had manufactured a small play upon which we rang changes every day."

What fun to watch these little children devise a play, what carefree setting!!

Chapter 5:

Watching Maycomb from Ms. Maudie's perspective was very refreshing. Her gardening, cooking, the monotony of daily life unexpectedly gave me a lot of peace.

"In summertime, twilights are long and peaceful. Often as not, Miss Maudie and I would sit silently on her porch, watching the sky go from yellow to pink as the sun went down, watching flights of martins sweep low over the neighborhood and disappear behind the schoolhouse rooftops."

Nidhi wrote: "...This chapter reminded me of my own summer vacations when we would be busy playing something with my friends. Here Jem, Scout and Dill have devised there own play about Boo Radley..."

I loved the very end of this chapter! Scout said she heard someone laughing, when she got out of the tire roll, in the Radley's yard. So, it makes you wonder more about Boo, and what he is doing!

I am up to Chapter 8 now. This book is just as fabulous as all of y'all have said! I was so worried Jem was going to be shot, when he went back to the Radley' s for his pants :-O

A Chapter a Day in May

For those who read more slowly (either due to available time or temperament), you will have company with me at least. "To Kill a Mockingbird" has 31 chapters, and I expect to average about a chapter a day during the 31 days in May.

Paul wrote: "A Chapter a Day in May

For those who read more slowly (either due to available time or temperament), you will have company with me at least. "To Kill a Mockingbird" has 31 chapters, and I expect t..."

Hi Paul

I was a little unfair to the group, started reading on 28th April. So I am on Chapter 5 now. But yes, I am able to read just one chapter in a day. I am also reading two other books (I like reading more than one book). SO from 9 pm to 12 am, I am hooked.

Paul, Nidhi, don't worry about having different reading paces. That is par for the course for our books - everyone reads as they are able.

Paul, don't think you are going slowly. Savoring it over a full month is a wonderful way to enjoy the book :).
And Nidhi, starting early or reading faster is in no way unfair. (ps - I also like reading more than one book at a time :) )

Chapter 6

What fun when Jem loses his pants and realizes it for the first time in front of Atticus. I couldn't help but laugh. The little children have made the most monotonous people (who keep to themselves) so interesting!

I am done with Part One. This novel is just beautifully written. Atticus Finch is an amazing character. Would love to meet a real life Atticus.

I've finished chapter 8 and agree with Nidhi,this reading makes me feel a child again. i used to spend holiday summer in a very little village where my grandma lived. One word to describe those days would be freedom and I can perceive it in children's life in Maycomb.

Finally done with part one. The book is honestly not what I expected. While I enjoyed the history and games involving the Boo Radley mystery, it was a bit slow going at first. The pace has definitely picked up a bit now, so I don't think I will be able to keep it to one chapter a day.

I agree with Marisa's comment about freedom though. Didn't time pass differently too? Each day felt long enough to be seven days and nights passed almost instantly, especially if you went to bed exhausted. A year was almost an eternity. It's a pity time speeds up as we get older.

Nidhi wrote: "Chapter 4:

This chapter reminded me of my own summer vacations when we would be busy playing something with my friends. Here Jem, Scout and Dill have devised there own play about Boo Radley.

I l..."

Yes, a great comment. There are so many reasons that people love this novel. And I suspect that one of them is that author Harper Lee does such a wonderful job of painting the town, the characters, and, in particular, the kids. The dialogue is so authentic. So much fun. You find yourself laughing out loud.

MK wrote: "I am done with Part One. This novel is just beautifully written. Atticus Finch is an amazing character. Would love to meet a real life Atticus."

There are many lawyers out there who will tell you that they first considered going into the practice of law when they met Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird." He really is viewed by many as the quintessential example of the Good Lawyer (in which "Good" is referring primarily to his innate goodness, the quality of his character, rather than his skills as an attorney).

Marisa wrote: "I've finished chapter 8 and agree with Nidhi,this reading makes me feel a child again. i used to spend holiday summer in a very little village where my grandma lived. One word to describe those day..."

Yes, I also agree with Marisa's comment regarding freedom. I recall roaming all over my neighborhood (and the nearby woods) with friends during my youth. Today, most of the parents I know (and my wife and I too, I must confess) watch our children so much more closely, giving them a shorter rope. Perhaps we've all been frightened by the stories of abductions, etc. that we see on the news or perhaps we're just not as good about giving our kids the freedoms our parents gave us. I really don't know. But, you're quite right, there is a free-wheeling quality to the way Jem, Scout, and Dill play together. I felt it, but never articulated it. Cool.

Maggie wrote: "Finally done with part one. The book is honestly not what I expected. While I enjoyed the history and games involving the Boo Radley mystery, it was a bit slow going at first. The pace has definite..."

Everyone I know (myself included) has the same initial reaction. "It started slow, and then... wow..."

Also, the slow start is just a little bit bothersome the first time you read it, but, just like the movies, the second time you read it, you notice all sorts of little things that connect the earliest chapters of the book to things that occur later.

Author Harper Lee has a lot on her mind, and she's going to take her time telling her story.

Ch. 4: Things Aren’t Always What They Seem.

Lee continues the theme that perhaps society’s institutions aren’t everything that they’re cracked up to be. Scout, for example, a clearly very bright child of six, finds herself questioning the value of her education.

“As for me, I knew nothing except what I gathered from Time magazine and reading everything I could lay my hands on at home, � yet I did not believe that twelve years of unrelieved boredom was exactly what the state had in mind for me.�

What are we to make of the items found in the live oaks at the Radley place? Recall that, first, Scout finds the gum. And then, second, Jem and Scout find the two coins (the Indian head coins, two of them).

Jem is clearly fascinated by this. He notes that he and Scout are really the only people that regularly stroll along that path by the live oaks at the Radley place, and that it’s unlikely that they’ve stumbled across a hiding place being put to use by an adult (furthermore, what adult hides chewing gum?). So are the items the hidden stash of an adult? The valuables of another child? Could they be a gift someone left for Jem and Scout? Recall the line shortly thereafter: “Before Jem went to his room, he looked for a long time at the Radley Place. He seemed to be thinking again.�

Scout grows up a lot during the course of this novel, but, at this particular moment, she isn’t quite up to figuring this out. And she clearly isn’t sure what to think about the Radleys. She’s generally scared of Arthur (Boo) Radley, based on the wild rumors she’s heard. But she also can’t quite shake what she heard when she fell out of the tire that she, Jem, and Dill were playing with in the street near the Radley place. “Someone inside the house was laughing.�

As were we, throughout all of chapter 4.

Ch. 5: Another (Female) Role Model � Miss Maudie.

We’ve all met people like Miss Maudie Atkinson, and what a joy they are in our lives. Honest, hard-working, straight-talking, ethical, friendly people. And what an interesting (and, yes, somewhat unusual) role model this wonderful woman must be to Scout.

“She was a widow, a chameleon lady who worked in her flower beds in an old straw hat and men’s coveralls, but after her five o’clock bath she would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty. She loved everything that grew in God’s earth, even the weeds. With one exception. If she found a blade of nut-grass in her yard it was like the Second Battle of the Marne…�

We implicitly trust her. For example, Scout intuitively trusts her more than the town gossip, Miss Stephanie Crawford.

“True enough, [Miss Maudie] had an acid tongue in her head, and she did not go about the neighborhood doing good, as did Miss Stephanie Crawford. But while no one with a grain of sense trusted Miss Stephanie, Jem and I had considerable faith in Miss Maudie. She had never told on us, had never played cat-and-mouse with us, she was not at all interested in our private lives. She was our friend.�

We sense that she, like Atticus, will be a sound source of guidance about the people, the town, and matters of character. For example, recall what she said about the father of the Radley household:

“You know old Mr. Radley was a foot-washing Baptist…�

“That’s what you are, ain’t it?�

“My shell’s not that hard, child. I’m just a Baptist� Foot-washers believe anything that’s pleasure is a sin. Did you know some of ‘em came out of the woods one Saturday and passed by this place and told me that me and my flowers were going to hell?�

Recall also that, later, she comments that “You are too young to understand it, but sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whiskey bottle in the hand of [another].�

By contrast, Miss Maudie has only kind things to say about the son in the Radley house, Arthur (Boo) Radley.

“No, child, that is a sad house. I remember Arthur Radley when he was a boy. He always spoke nicely to me, no matter what folks said he did. Spoke as nicely as he knew how.�

While we’re on the subject of character, we’ve also gotten to know a little about Jem. While he’s certainly into his fair share of ordinary childhood mischief, it’s also interesting how important the value of bravery is to him. It’s one of the first motifs we see in the play of the children. Jem proves that he’s willing to touch the Radley house, he retrieves the tire that landed near the steps, etc., etc.

Generally speaking, we find ourselves laughing out loud at the exploits of the children, but it’s important to remember that nothing’s an accident in the classics. After you finish the book, re-read the first few chapters again. They're even more fun, more meaningful.

This is my first time reading this book as an adult. (I first read it in high school.) I didn't realize then how beautifully written this novel is. Yes, it's written from the perspective of a child, but the detail and the honesty Scout has is such a pleasure to read. I'm in Part 2, so I'll try not to say anything about that yet.

I absolutely love the children's relationship with Atticus. I can't imagine how hard it must be to raise two children alone during the Great Depression. But Atticus, as he snaps at his sister says, "Sister, I do the best I can with them!" It's clear he does. They are both polite, respectful kids. Yes they run "wild" in the neighborhood and torment Boo Radley, but they know their limits.

I felt a tug on my memory when Scout was told at school that she needed to stop reading with her father. My assumption here was the teacher didn't want her to be ahead of the other students. I, too, started reading at a very young age. I was often reprimanded by teachers that I was reading too fast. I often felt bored in class, like Scout, and thought school was just something you had to endure until you were old enough to leave.

Just finished reading Part I. Lee is building up the story with the nigger-lover part in many regions. Waiting to read what happens in the court room in Part II. Loved the chapter in which they reveal about Atticus one shot skill.

Just finished part 1 as well. First time I've read this book, I've previously read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so in some sense this feels like an update on the conditions of the American south a houndred years later.

Like Elvira, I also took particular notice of the interaction between Scout and her teacher too, I think it is somewhat of a general theme in schools even today, (but probably more back then?).

There was a case here in Norway that got kinda famous, some genious young kid aged around 10 was bored with the math they were doing, so he went ahead of the curricilum, and when he turned that in to the teacher he simply erased whatever wasn't assigned homework.

I think that is an extreme example, but still, it fits within a general unfortunate attitude.

I've just finished part I too. I'm really enjoying this reading until now. I love the Atticus' explanation talking to Scout:
-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, 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.

He expressed in a few nice words one of my favorite Principles, respect everyone's opinions but above all respect yourself.

Paul -

I hope you come back and finish your chapters a day! I'm looking forward to really digesting them, on my next pass through the book. I'm hoping to listen to the audiobook later in this month, but I've got the ebook on order for this summer, when it's released for the first time, so I'll definitely be reading it again sometime after my pre-order arrives.

Henry wrote: "Just finished part 1 as well. First time I've read this book, I've previously read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so in some sense this feels like an update on the conditions of the American south..."

Henry, I watched a DVD documentary about the book over the weekend ("Hey Boo"). One of the authors featured in the docu said something similar, that this was a sort of continuation of the Huck Finn character.

Marisa wrote: "I've just finished part I too. I'm really enjoying this reading until now. I love the Atticus' explanation talking to Scout:
-Atticus you must be wrong
-How's that?
-Well,most folks seem to think ..."

Marisa, so many of Atticus' comments and explanations are so profound. SUCH a great character.

With regards to that, a marked difference between Huck and Scout is good fatherly influence :)

Unpopular opinion:

My favorite chapter in the whole book is Chapter 11- the one with Ms. Dubose. I thought it was a moving statement about the nature of courage. All through Part 1, we have these kind of childish macho versions of courage, with daring each other to touch Boo's house and so forth, and then nestled right at the end of Part 1, we get a picture of quiet, uncelebrated personal courage.

Two things that hit me when reading again:

1. How much I love Uncle Jack. I love the conversation between him and Scout after the hilarious Christmas scene. I love how he wants to go to Atticus and tell him the truth, but Scout tells him not to. I feel like it's the beginning of real growth and maturity.

2. I remember reading the novel in High School, and seeing the film, and everything I'd read about it made it seem like it was a courtroom drama, about this noble White man who defends a Black man of rape. That's it. However, to my surprise, the trial isn't until the second half of the book. So, while I was reading all of the Boo Radley stuff, I kept not really paying attention to it, thinking "so when do we get to the real stuff?" This saddens me, that the book is represented as a courtroom drama, when that really isn't the point of the book. The Boo Radley plot is just as important, yet gets overshadowed by the other plot.

I also feel now that it would be interesting to see this story told from the perspective of Cal, or the Ewells, or someone in the Robinson family. I tried Go Set a Watchman, and I could immediately see why the editor she submitted it to told her to rewrite it. I couldn't get through the first chapter.

Amy wrote: "everything I'd read about it made it seem like it was a courtroom drama, about this noble White man who defends a Black man of rape."

Beyond that, I think it gets misrepresented as a book about racism. I think it's actually a book about courage and neighborhood.

Lee herself said it was about the "Southern code of honor," but I can't comment on that, yankee that I am.

I'd also categorize it as a coming of age story. It's about a racist town, not so much about racism. Atticus did what was right and gave a man a fair trial, but I don't know if he would be classified as an Equal Rights crusader. He treated everyone with dignity, from Ms. Dubose, to the "poor white trash" Ewells, to the Robinson family. I wonder why people put it into the "racism" category.

Phil I thought about your mentioning courage and focused my review around it. I would say coming of age not just of Scout and Jem but also the entire town. This is evident in the mob outside the jail, the court case, and the school bringing in teachers with new methods.

Brina wrote: "Phil I thought about your mentioning courage and focused my review around it. I would say coming of age not just of Scout and Jem but also the entire town. This is evident in the mob outside the ja..."

Thanks! I'm flattered, and I loved your review.

Amy wrote: "I'd also categorize it as a coming of age story. It's about a racist town, not so much about racism. Atticus did what was right and gave a man a fair trial, but I don't know if he would be classifi..."


It's probably due to the fact that the girl lied about the rape and even though they all knew she was lying, the town wanted the black man to hang. They all knew he was innocent but they needed to use him as an outlet for their hate. He would have hanged he hadn't been shot. An appeal would have been a waste.

There's a lot more to the story of course, but racism is a big part of the story.

Kindness and empathy overrides it, but an innocent man with a family died.

Thanks Phil. Sherry, for sure racism plays a huge role. That is why when I mention courage, I bring up as many characters as possible. Aunt Alexandra for example for supporting her brother despite her opinions on race. Dolphus Raymond for living with negroes. Reverend Sykes for allowing the children to sit in the colored balcony. Coming of age for the entire town as their views on tolerance slowly change as well as for the children.

Phil wrote: "Unpopular opinion:

My favorite chapter in the whole book is Chapter 11- the one with Ms. Dubose. I thought it was a moving statement about the nature of courage. All through Part 1, we have these ..."

This particular chapter spoke to me as well. I feel that there is a real message about Ms. Dubose being determined to quit the morphine even though she will die regardless and be susceptible to all the pain. At this point, I just love the character of Atticus. We need more Atticus' in the world!

Amy wrote: "Two things that hit me when reading again:

1. How much I love Uncle Jack. I love the conversation between him and Scout after the hilarious Christmas scene. I love how he wants to go to Atticus an..."

I agree! That was a wonderful scene!

Melissa wrote: "Amy wrote: "Two things that hit me when reading again:

1. How much I love Uncle Jack. I love the conversation between him and Scout after the hilarious Christmas scene. I love how he wants to go t..."

I also liked the conversation between Uncle Jack and Scout. Like Atticus, Jack seems to be such a kind-hearted and right-minded person.

What I find extraordinary though is how grown-up Scout comes across in the book. I mean, the narrative doesn't seem fake to me - it's a child's point of view. At the same time, however, she has more common sense than most adults...

Jackie wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Amy wrote: "Two things that hit me when reading again:

1. How much I love Uncle Jack. I love the conversation between him and Scout after the hilarious Christmas scene. I love how ..."

Kids are often wiser than adults. They're not jaded.

Sherry wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Melissa wrote: "Amy wrote: "Two things that hit me when reading again:

1. How much I love Uncle Jack. I love the conversation between him and Scout after the hilarious Christmas sce..."

I entirely agree, children are in no way jaded. But still, Scout seems to be very mature for her age.

Yes she does. She's lovable though.

Sherry wrote: "Yes she does. She's lovable though."

Both children were! Scout's empathy is less well-developed than Jem's, which could be an age thing, but I think it might be temperament. She's a tough, stubborn little girl.

And then there was Dill, who was also likeable, quite the imaginative one. The book made me wonder what kind of a future he was going to have, being neglected as he was by his family. He clearly needed attention and needed to go out of his way with his fantastical stories.