Atticus Finch's Commentary on Life
While I was conducting my research for the project that I had to do (teaching resources), I cam across an interesting article. This article was published in The Onion and it was written by "Atticus Finch" (I have a link above if you would actually like to read it). In this commentary Atticus is telling the story of his and his family's life after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird are over. His main point is, however, that the only time Atticus ever had anything exciting happen in his life was during the time he was defending Tom Robinson. Jem winds up being a tax lawyer and Jean Louise--who no longer goes by the name of Scout--quits college and is a waitress at a diner for the rest of her life.
Although this is a very plausible outcome to everyone involved in the story, somehow this does not seem to be the "correct" ending of each of these character's lives. The Onion is supposed to be a satirical newspaper of sorts, and I think that it achieved its goal in the writing of this article. I think that it was supposed to leave its audience with a sense of wrongness--this was not supposed to be how the life's of these characters ended up. Scout would continue to break the standards expected of her and get on the a good career path after completing college: she would not wind up at a dead end job.
The level of understanding that Scout is able to achieve in the novel astounding; that she really does understand the importance behind the phrase of not killing a mockingbird, especially in regards to Arthur Radley exemplifies how bright Scout is. This opens up a world of career possibilities for Scout. She will never adhere to the social expectations of the time period. Scout start out being different because she is a tomboy and her intelligence sets her apart from her classmates already (for example, already knowing how to read). The only thing that can be expected of Scout is a continued difference in the way she lives her life.
What an interesting article to have found! It definitely makes you think of the characters in a different light.
ReplyDeleteI love that article and will send on to my freshman English teachers at the junior high. Thanks for blogging on a different version and text. How fun!
ReplyDeleteI agree that when children have insights into injustice, you then expect them to continue to work towards justice. Both children should follow in their father's footsteps although taking the journey on his or her own. For instance, Jem turning to the voice for equal rights for blacks in the South, maybe even voter rights or legal counsel and Scout for female rights or even the rights of the mentally ill would become her passion.