Reading Response #7

Jem had the most notable and consistent changes throughout the novel. Although he wasn't the main character his process of maturing was one of the most important aspects of understanding the theme. A moment at the climax of the novel that exemplifies his change from a naive child with a narrow worldview to a more realized individual is when he is knocked unconscious trying to protect his sister, “He was up like lightning and pulling me up with him but, though my head and shoulders were free, I was so entangled I did get very far. We were nearly to the road when I felt Jems hand leave me, felt him jerk backward to the ground.” (Lee, 301). At the beginning of the novel Jem was enthralled with senseless rumors like Boo Radley and displays it for the town to see. He even got to the point of almost getting himself shot trying to peek into the Radleys' house. He was easily angered and only saw the beginnings of deeper meanings behind some of the actions of the town. Later on, Jem starts to become less easily angered when Atticus takes the Tom Robinson case and they start to receive backlash from the town. Jem understands the importance of keeping a level head, besides Ms. Dubose, when people insult them where Scout is unable. At the trial, Jem constantly holds out hope that the town will make the right decision and is crushed when Tom Robinson is found guilty. This led to the discussion between him and scout about boo Radley not leaving the house because of the people outside.

Atticus stayed the most consistent throughout the entire novel. By design, Atticus was supposed to be the reliable and unwavering source of wisdom for Scout and Jem. A moment that shows how he's stayed the same throughout the novel is when he believes Jem killed Bob Ewell in self-defense and prepares to have him go to court, “‘of course, it was clear cut self-defense, but I'll have to go to the office and hunt up-’”(Lee, 313). He treated them and spoke to them as adults from the beginning of the novel, explaining to them complex ideas like entailments and elaborating when they needed it. The theme of Atticus acting and treating his family the same as he does in public carries throughout the entirety of the novel and when Jem and Scout are attacked he treats the situation the same way he would have if it was anyone. This highlights his reliability as a character and his cons for all his pros.

Scout changed the most throughout the book. She used to get into fights with others and aggravated easily. She believed all the stories people told her about Boo Radley and she never understood why her Aunt wanted her to be a lady so badly. “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” (Lee, 283) This quote shows how much Scout has matured from the beginning of the book. She may still get upset, or not understand her aunt, but she sees things differently now. She doesn't get into fights, she understands her aunt more, and she finally understands who Boo is. 

The character who stayed the most consistent is Atticus. He never thought less of people like Arthur because he knows that most people aren't bad. “‘Atticus, he was real nice’ … ‘Most people are, Scout when you finally see them” (Lee 285) This quote shows more into Atticus’s way of thinking. He didn't believe the rumors about Arthur, instead, he believed that Arthur was a nice person. 

The end of the story was a bit of what I had expected. I had not expected Scout and Jem to be attacked, but I had hoped that they would get the chance to meet Arthur. I wanted the story to end maybe the next morning, but even without the story continuing it is pretty easy to imagine what Scout and Jem would have done. 

I thought I wanted to be a lawyer but I ain’t so sure now!(Lee 55) This shows that Jem wanted to become a lawyer because he wanted to follow in his fathers step but once he grew up he didn't want to be a lawyer anymore because jem realized that the legal system was naive and how the Tom robinson trial did to him 

I think that Atticus did not change a bit throughout the whole book because he was always looking out for his kids and trying to protect them and teaching the from right to wrong and how not to be judgemental of people just because of their skin color he was showing them why you have to trust people some time when that guy hired Atticus but didn't pay him in cash instead he payed him in wood and food. 

I was surprised that Atticus did not win the case but I think it would have kept the book boring if we expected the ending but I wish there was more of boo radleys perspective in the book and showed somethings from his point of view.

The character in the novel that has grown and changed the most is Scout.  

"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" (Lee 321). 

The first time Atticus told her this, she didn’t fully understand what he was trying to say. Now that she has matured, she understands that you can’t just judge people. A lot of people discriminate and look down upon Radley, but don’t ever take the time to get to know him. With that same belief, she now understands why you can’t judge people just by the color of their skin. 

The most consistent character in the novel is 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’”(Lee 140). 

This quote helps us understand that Atticus does not care about anybody’s opinion besides his own. He knew that representing Mr. Robinson in front of the court was going to make him look really bad, but he knew that it was going to eat away at his conscience if he didn’t. We also see this happen at the end of the book when Atticus starts getting really nervous about how court would go down with Jem. He was afraid that Heck was going to try and cover for Jem by saying that he just fell onto a knife. Atticus knew that holding onto a secret like this one would eventually get to his conscience 

I would say this novel definitely had some big plot twists throughout it. I didn’t realize that a whole jury would just vote against a person just because of their skin color. Even if they really did have more facts to prove that they were innocent rather than guilty. I was really surprised with how Mr. Ewell reacted after black man had made him look stupid in the courtroom. He made it seem like it was a life or death situation after the trial was over. I wish there was more character built on Boo Radley, throughout the novel I feel as though sometimes I’m reading about a shadow or something that doesn’t actually exist.

Scout to me was the Character that changed the most. “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” (Lee 104) This quote makes me feel that Scout changed how she sees her father. She never really looked up to him how she does now. She has also matured so much and learned so much since the beginning of the book. But the person who changed barely at all was Atticus. "People were content to reelect him to the state legislation that year, as usual, without opposition" (Lee 279). Atticus stays the same smart lawyer he has been throughout the whole book. He is a man who believes in justice from the beginning to the ending. I thought that Atticus was maybe going to die due to him defending a black man in court.

Jem- The person who I think changed the most is Jem because he is just a young boy with a lot to learn so he grows a bit every day. In the beginning, he would play “Boo Radley” and torment him to try and see him and test his bravery by loitering around the house of the mysterious neighbor but as he grows up he realizes that Boo Radley is just like him.

“Scout, I think I’m beginning to understand something. I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley’s stayed shut up in the house all this time... it’s because he wants to stay inside.” (Lee 259)

Atticus- I think Atticus has changed the least, his morals and ideas have remained seemingly the same since the beginning of the book. He stays courageous and compassionate at the same time, caring, loving, protecting his kids, and fighting for the truth.

“Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It's knowing you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” (Lee 128)

Their personalities grew to a perfect peak by the end of the novel. Atticus’ children Scout and Jem are getting targeted by Bob Ewell because of Atticus’ accusations during the trial. Atticus’ courage was the reason he even knew the risk remained unphased and continued with the trial and Jem’s growing as a character ended up being the reason he could protect Scout from Bob and also why Boo Radley helped the kids after their tormenting.

Scout: 

"It is a scary place though, ain’t it?...Boo doesn’t mean anybody any harm, but I’m right glad you’re along" (Lee, 258). This quote is showing the more maturity that Scout has gained over the course of the novel. She no longer is in fear of Boo Radley but now views him as shy and closed off. Scout has a very loyal, kind, and hopeful personality. One to stick to ways. For such a very persistent character she seems to adapt to the people around her. Throughout this book she had learned a lot thanks to Atticus, she looks up to him. 

Atticus: 

“You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don’t you let ‘em get your goat. Try fighting with your head for a change.”

This quote is very defining of Atticus personality. It shows that he is kind hearted. Throughout the book he stays to be himself from start to finish. The wise man that had been introduced in the beginning of our book stayed that way and always tried his hardest to do what was best for his kids. Even through all the trials and stress he did everything he could to be the best father for his kids. The ending of the book was unexpected, and much more intense than imagined. It was an understandable ending to the book because Bob did say he would get back at Atticus. Te biggest surprise to me would be that out of everyone Boo Radley was the one to save them. It does make sense because of his shy personality, everyone snaps at some point. 

Someone who changed: Scout

“Scout yonder’s been readin’ ever since she was born, and she ain’t even started to school yet.” (Lee 8).

Scout is always trying to learn about how the world works and what things mean. At the beginning of the book, she was always arguing or getting into fights trying to resolve every issue. As the book went on she learned to listen to her father Atticus and not start fights even if the fight's intention was good. 

Someone who stayed consistent: Atticus

“He liked Maycomb, he was Maycomb County born and bred; he knew his people, they knew him, and because of Simon Finch’s industry, Atticus was related by blood or marriage to nearly every family in the town.” (Lee 6).

Atticus stayed the same throughout the entire novel. All he wanted to do was keep his kids safe and teach them equality, and understand people more than just judge or assume things about people. Atticus was a big role player in Jem and Scout's life in the novel, and he is the reason why they both change so much. 

The novel ended in a way I did not expect. What surprised me the most was that Boo Radley was the one who ended up saving Jem and Scout. I wish I had more detail on why Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout, and I also wonder what happened to Bob Ewell's body and his family and kids. 

Jem is a character that has had overall success on their personality. “‘Don’t do that, scout. Set him out on the back steps.’” Is an example of what he is now after the court cases unfairness. He mostly reflected on the actions he’s done to others and replaced them with more thoughtful ones. I think that the story was good and I thought that the story was resolved in the end. What surprised me was when Bob tried to kill Jem and Scout but then Bob was murdered by Arthur. 

In To Kill a Mockingbird Scout grew and changed the most. One quote to show Scout's personality is displayed where Scout is getting heated and is physically displaying his anger. ““‘You can just take that back, boy!’...was the beginning of a rather thin time for Jem and me. My fists were clenched and ready to let fly.” (Lee 85) Scouts experienced a lot within the town. 

Atticus stayed consistent throughout To Kill A Mockingbird One quote showing Atticus’s personality “As you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it—whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash.”(Lee 252) Atticus throughout the whole book stayed consistent. In this quote Atticus is saying how when you get older you'll  see that white men try to falsely accuse black men no matter how the man is. And that is what makes the white man trashy. 

The story did not unfold the way I expected. I did not know what the court case was gonna come out as and was surprised more and I read more. 

The character that stays most consistent throughout the story is Aunt alexandra. “The thing is, you can scrub Walter Cunningham till he shines, you can put him in shoes and a new suit, but he’ll never be like Jem. Besides, there’s a drinking streak in that family a mile wide. Finch women aren’t interested in that sort of people.” (Lee 255) Aunt alexandra is very biased about her opinions and thinks she is the only person with any sort of social standpoint in her town. She has this idea that nobody is good enough for her and her family. She has very strong opinions on race and economic standpoints that stay eminent throughout the story.

Scout in my opinion has shown the most growth and formality throughout the book. As the story plays out, Scout has come to realize what is going on with adults and the community in her town. She starts to understand social and economic class and the issues the town faces with these problems. One of the best shown examples in the book has to do with Boo Radley. Scout had heard stories of Boo Radley being this scary old man who never left his house. As the story plays out, Scout realizes that Boo Radley didn't want to leave his house because of how messed up the community was. At the very end of the story, Scout and Jem get jumped by Bob Ewell, and Boo Radley comes outside and saves Scout and Jem. This was a huge turning point in Scout's perspective as she is finally able to talk to Boo Radley, and she acted as if they had known each other for years.

I enjoyed the way the story played out, and the ending sort of ties it all together without leaving a cliffhanger. Little hard to understand at times being a perspective based book, but overall everything came together.

I think Scout changed the most and grew the most throughout the book, at the end after she is speaking with Atticus about Boo Radley she opens a new perspective on life after thinking of his. On the very last page Atticus is reading to Scout and she says “when they finally saw him, why he hadnt done any of those things… Atticus, he was real nice….” (Lee 323) then Atticus replied with “Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them.” (Lee 323) both of these quotes show atticus consistency because throughout the entire book he always met people and got to know them off of who they are not what he hears, and this also shows Scouts growth because Atticus is teaching her and she is learning how to shy away from believing what everyone says about someone and only making judgements after learning who they really are.  

"'First of all' He 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'" (Lee 33). Because of what Atticus told Scout, she had gotten a better understanding of what empathy is. I would consider this quote to be foreshadowing because empathy is one of the lessons Scout learns throughout the book, which brings me to believe that Scout has changed the most throughout the book. She learns many valuable life lessons and she is more mature at the end of the book. 

"'Hush your mouth! Don't matter who they are, anybody sets foot in this house's yo' comp'ny, and don't you let me catch you remarkin' on their ways like you was so high and mighty!'" (Lee 27). I believe that Calpurnia stayed the most consistant throughout the book. She always acted like Scout and Jem's mother. She told them what was right and wrong and she always protected them. 

The ending of To Kill A Mockingbird was very surprising. Two big characters died; Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell. Then we finally got to see Boo Radley. I wasn't expecting Boo Radley to come out, I thought he was just going to be a part of the story/plot. With that being said, I do wish we had more of Boo. I wanted to know why he truly never came out, and why he had saved Scout and Jem.