to kill a mockingbird chapter 2 characters
[74] In its use of racial epithets, stereotyped depictions of superstitious blacks, and Calpurnia, who to some critics is an updated version of the "contented slave" motif and to others simply unexplored, the book is viewed as marginalizing black characters. [150] In 2020, the novel was number five on the list of "Top Check Outs OF ALL TIME" by the New York Public Library. When old Mrs. Radley dies, people hardly take notice. [96] Literary critic Rosemary Goring in Scotland's The Herald notes the connections between Lee and Jane Austen, stating the book's central theme, that "one's moral convictions are worth fighting for, even at the risk of being reviled" is eloquently discussed. The grotesque and near-supernatural qualities of Boo Radley and his house, and the element of racial injustice involving Tom Robinson, contribute to the aura of the Gothic in the novel. 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The only good thing about Introductions is that in some cases they delay the dose to come. [64] Atticus respects Calpurnia's judgment, and later in the book even stands up to his sister, the formidable Aunt Alexandra, when she strongly suggests they fire Calpurnia. Lee's father died before the film's release. "[77] Writer Edwin Bruell summarized the symbolism when he wrote in 1964, "'To kill a mockingbird' is to kill that which is innocent and harmless—like Tom Robinson. When Atticus figures out what happened, Jem begs him not to tell Nathan Radley about it, telling him that Nathan is crazy and might be keeping Boo from contacting them. Hoping to be published, Lee presented her writing in 1957 to a literary agent recommended by Capote. [30][78][79], Tom Robinson is the chief example, among several in the novel, of innocents being carelessly or deliberately destroyed. During the following two and a half years, she led Lee from one draft to the next until the book finally achieved its finished form.[7]. [98] Thomas Mallon in The New Yorker criticizes Atticus' stiff and self-righteous demeanor, and calls Scout "a kind of highly constructed doll" whose speech and actions are improbable. LeMay, Harding (July 10, 1960). trib.al/2zObDXh", "Commitment to Change: The Council on Interracial Books for Children and the World of Children's Books", "Q&A: Should Teachers Still Assign 'To Kill a Mockingbird'? King, Susan (October 18, 1999). Jem's faith in justice is badly shaken. Christopher Metress writes that the book is "an icon whose emotive sway remains strangely powerful because it also remains unexamined". When Scout embarrasses her poorer classmate, Walter Cunningham, at the Finch home one day, Calpurnia, their black cook, chastises and punishes her for doing so. "[36] Scout's precocious observations about her neighbors and behavior inspired National Endowment of the Arts director David Kipen to call her "hysterically funny". "The Romantic Regionalism of Harper Lee". [114] In the Mississippi case, the novel was removed from the required reading list but subsequently made available to interested students with parental consent. Lee even uses dreamlike imagery from the mad dog incident to describe some of the courtroom scenes. "[173], This article is about the novel. Claudia Durst Johnson writes that "a greater volume of critical readings has been amassed by two legal scholars in law journals than by all the literary scholars in literary journals". [52] The National Education Association in 1968 placed the novel second on a list of books receiving the most complaints from private organizations—after Little Black Sambo.[121]. One had come from Clark's Ferry, sixty miles away. [50] However, in 1997, the Alabama State Bar erected a monument to Atticus in Monroeville, marking his existence as the "first commemorative milestone in the state's judicial history". [50] Noble suggests it does not receive academic attention because of its consistent status as a best-seller ("If that many people like it, it can't be any good.") Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the Deep South. [44], As children coming of age, Scout and Jem face hard realities and learn from them.