Number four in My Top Five Influential Women in Fiction goes to Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, from To Kill A Mockingbird. Written by the amazing Harper Lee, and up until recently, her only published novel, To Kill A Mockingbird is a story that truly analyses the irony of human kind and the differences between good and evil.
I first read the novel during secondary school, maybe my fourth or fifth year. It’s one of the few novels where I actually watched the film before I read the book, something which I tend to avoid due to the use of ‘poetic license’ in a film production. However, in this instance, the film was actually quite true to the book. After the film viewing, I read the book over and over, and I fell in love with Scout as a character. I wanted to be as intelligent and as confident as her; I understood her view of the world and how contradictory it was; and I really enjoyed reading about the relationship she shared with her father and brother.
Set in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the story revolves around lawyer, Atticus Finch, and his family as he defends a black man for raping a white woman, in a predominantly racist town.
At the beginning of the story, Scout is just five years old. I was drawn to her character because she's such a unique little girl, she’s a fighter, she’s bright beyond her years and she is much more aware of what is going on around her than a normal five year old would be. She’s growing up in a time when children should be children, and girls should be ladylike, neither of which she cares to be. She speaks her mind and due to how Atticus’ has brought her up, she is forthright but good-hearted.
The story is narrated by Jean Louise Finch, or Scout as an adult. This was a clever move from Harper Lee; as well as getting the innocence of Scout and the genuine lack of understanding a five year old has, she also conveys the knowledge of the older Jean Louise, who has a different view of her father than the younger Scout. For example, Jean Louise is in awe that her father orchestrated Scout overhearing his conversation with Uncle Jack about the case and the repercussions on the family, and on Atticus, in order to prepare her for what was coming.
The story takes place over three years, and Scout grows up a lot and learns a lot of lessons between the ages of five and eight. The main lesson is how to walk in somebody else’s shoes, something which Atticus begins to teach her very early in the story, but she doesn’t truly understand until the end, when she is able to put herself in Boo Radley’s shoes. (Boo Radley was Scout’s neighbour, an avid curiosity of hers due to his speculated disability and the fact he doesn’t ever come outside). The ending of the book where she explains to Atticus why she thinks Boo was right to kill Bob Ewell, and ultimately save the children’s lives, shows how she has matured through the book and has developed a clearer understanding of right and wrong, and good and evil.
An analysis of the themes within To Kill a Mockingbird is another blog post, however, Scout’s character helps to convey those themes in such a way that the reader can’t help but to develop an affinity with her.
No comments:
Post a Comment