Jayson’s Reviews > To Kill a Mockingbird > Status Update
Jayson
is on page 102 of 336
Notes:
(1) "[Jem] went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way."
- Hmm, I wonder if that's where The Bangles got it from?
- Rural American children learning about Egypt just seems odd. Greece and Rome seems more natural.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 05, 2024 09:00AM
(1) "[Jem] went through a brief Egyptian Period that baffled me—he tried to walk flat a great deal, sticking one arm in front of him and one in back of him, putting one foot behind the other. He declared Egyptians walked that way."
- Hmm, I wonder if that's where The Bangles got it from?
- Rural American children learning about Egypt just seems odd. Greece and Rome seems more natural.
(Continued in comments)
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is on page 323 of 336
Notes:
(1) It's always difficult to write reviews and form opinions on books people hold in high esteem, enthuse about, and even herald as classic literature.
- What if I don't like it? Will people forever swarm and pester me?
- Thankfully, I liked this book a lot. I wouldn't rank it among my all-time favorites, but I'm notoriously stingy with five-star ratings and effusive praise in general.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 10, 2024 08:00AM
(1) It's always difficult to write reviews and form opinions on books people hold in high esteem, enthuse about, and even herald as classic literature.
- What if I don't like it? Will people forever swarm and pester me?
- Thankfully, I liked this book a lot. I wouldn't rank it among my all-time favorites, but I'm notoriously stingy with five-star ratings and effusive praise in general.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 293 of 336
Notes:
(1) Atticus: "There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance."
- I feel like modern audiences reading this line, specifically "a Negro's ignorance," might be quick to label Atticus a racist.
- I know, it's ridiculous given the overall context of the book and of this quote. Though, I've seen harsher reactions to milder words.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 09, 2024 10:30PM
(1) Atticus: "There’s nothing more sickening to me than a low-grade white man who'll take advantage of a Negro’s ignorance."
- I feel like modern audiences reading this line, specifically "a Negro's ignorance," might be quick to label Atticus a racist.
- I know, it's ridiculous given the overall context of the book and of this quote. Though, I've seen harsher reactions to milder words.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 249 of 336
Notes:
(1) Mayella, we learn, has no friends. Even among her many siblings, they're always out with each other while she does the household chores alone.
- Of course, solitary individuals in this book are either taken as monsters (Boo Radley) or prone to making poor and impulsive decisions (Dill). Mayella is arguably both.
(2) Speaking of which, why was Boo Radley the primary focus of Part 1?
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 08, 2024 07:10AM
(1) Mayella, we learn, has no friends. Even among her many siblings, they're always out with each other while she does the household chores alone.
- Of course, solitary individuals in this book are either taken as monsters (Boo Radley) or prone to making poor and impulsive decisions (Dill). Mayella is arguably both.
(2) Speaking of which, why was Boo Radley the primary focus of Part 1?
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 204 of 336
Notes:
(1) This has been a real slow burn. Not that it's been bad, just it's been going at a leisurely pace and hasn't been at all what I expected.
- The story doesn't really find a clear direction until the jailhouse scene. After that it's been laser-focused on the trial of Tom Robinson.
- From Chapter 17 onward, it's been pretty much a pure law procedural, albeit from a child's perspective.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 07, 2024 08:15AM
(1) This has been a real slow burn. Not that it's been bad, just it's been going at a leisurely pace and hasn't been at all what I expected.
- The story doesn't really find a clear direction until the jailhouse scene. After that it's been laser-focused on the trial of Tom Robinson.
- From Chapter 17 onward, it's been pretty much a pure law procedural, albeit from a child's perspective.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 154 of 336
Notes:
(1) This is an odd sort of novel. So far, it's been more interconnected short stories than anything all that cohesive.
- Perhaps I'm just too used to the pace and plotting of modern books. Halfway through this and I don't really know where it's going, only an inkling based solely on the book's reputation.
(2) The whole First Purchase Church section is a fascinating bit of anthropology.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 06, 2024 09:55AM
(1) This is an odd sort of novel. So far, it's been more interconnected short stories than anything all that cohesive.
- Perhaps I'm just too used to the pace and plotting of modern books. Halfway through this and I don't really know where it's going, only an inkling based solely on the book's reputation.
(2) The whole First Purchase Church section is a fascinating bit of anthropology.
(Continued in comments)
Jayson
is on page 56 of 336
Notes:
(1) The most striking thing so far has to do with people's names. The brother and sister, Jeremy and Jean, are nicknamed Jem and Scout.
- It's notable that practically everyone calls them by their nicknames, which are both decidedly unisex—I can't be the only one who saw "Jem" and thought "and the Holograms"?
- Possibly it's to underscore a time of innocence, before sexuality kicks in.
(Continued in comments)
— Jan 04, 2024 03:30AM
(1) The most striking thing so far has to do with people's names. The brother and sister, Jeremy and Jean, are nicknamed Jem and Scout.
- It's notable that practically everyone calls them by their nicknames, which are both decidedly unisex—I can't be the only one who saw "Jem" and thought "and the Holograms"?
- Possibly it's to underscore a time of innocence, before sexuality kicks in.
(Continued in comments)
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I imagine some of the fascination with Egypt is connected to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922 (To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the early 30s, I think...?)
superawesomekt wrote: "I imagine some of the fascination with Egypt is connected to the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922 (To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the early 30s, I think...?)"I was thinking the same thing just moments ago.
(2) One of the big subplots at the start is the knot-hole in the Radley's tree, which is used as a kind of drop-off between the Finch children and some mysterious benefactor.
- My guess is that it's Boo Radley who's been leaving them little treats and trinkets. Which would be ironic, since the main focus of this first part has been the children trying desperately to catch a glimpse of and make contact with Boo. It could well be that Boo's been trying to make contact with them.
(3) We get quite frequent use of the N-word here, and mainly by children no less. I'm not the least bit squeamish about it, but I can understand if people are.
- Possibly I'd feel differently if I were listening to the audiobook version.
- I'm guessing this is why the book's so controversial and banned in many jurisdictions. Otherwise, it's a rather tame story so far: reminds me a lot of Laura Ingalls Wilder books, all quaint rural activities.
(4) So far, the book hasn't struck me as remarkable at all. Though, by the end of Chapter 9 it seems to be ramping up the heat.
- Atticus is conscious that his choices will negatively affect his children. It's the first time we've seen him show any vulnerability.
- It'll be interesting to see how Boo Radley fits into all this. He's so far been the focus of the book and I can't see how he'd naturally tie into the story going forward.
(5) School is canceled because of some unseasonably slushy snowfall.
- I live in Canada, so to me that's totally weak. Though, understandable if they don't have the clothes for the cold, poor as they are.