IN BETWEEN THE LIVES

To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)   by Harper Lee   Arrow Books   309 pages "Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."

This Pulitzer Prize winner does not evoke deep thoughts. It poses a question, but doesn't give an answer -- because the narrator in the book is an 8-year-old girl. And 8 year olds can't penetrate through the dark side of human nature, which, in this story, is the "irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class".

The story is set in the Deep South in America in the thirties, and goes like this. There's a mysterious family called Radley in Maycomb county, whose members never come out of the house, which triggers all kinds of rumors so horrifying that the "Radley place" is a taboo for every child. Jem and Jean Louise (nicknamed Scout) Finch, children of the lawyer Atticus Finch, don't buy all this and tried to find out about the Radleys with their friend Dill. Bob Ewell, housemaster of a notoriously roguish white family, charged a black man, Tom Robinson, with the rape of his daughter. And Atticus Finch, the most venerable lawyer in Maycomb county, is to defend Robinson. He successfully proves him guiltless and accuses Bob of the evil deed, but out of whatever that produces pressure, the jury, as it has always done, convicts Robinson on the ground of race inferiority. Atticus tries to steam Robinson up, but the latter gives up, and is killed in an attempt of jailbreak. Although Atticus wins respect (as usual), Bob Ewell aims at revenge. He doesn't physically harm Atticus, which leads Atticus to once more believe in the bright side of his nature, but attempts to do harm to John Taylor, the judge, and Tom Robinson's wife. And finally, He attempts to kill the Finch children, who are saved by Arthur Radley, the legendary danger of the town.

The story is written from the perspective of Jean Louise (Scout) Finch, the 8 year old girl who doesn't understand anything of the adult world, namely, unfairness, manners, class, race, ladyship, etc. She only knows and cares about goods and bads, and it is in this way that the innocence and idealism of children form a sharp contrast with the "irrationality" of the adult world, sharper than any justice-injustice confrontation among adults, as with Atticus Finch and the rest of the town, because what a child dares to speak aloud, the adults don't, even though in many cases they know their conscience. During the whole series of events, the children, both Jem and Scout, hurl their father, whenever possible, questions about everything unclarified to them. And their hyper-patient father answers them whatever that can be clarified openly. But there's one thing that defy even such frankness: why are good people always silent when they know what's right and what's wrong?

Fear. Fear of what? It's really difficult to say whether the Maycomb county is hostile to the colored folks or not. The story took place in the South in the 30's, years after the Civil War. White people still hired blacks, and are nice to them if they did well. People treated each other as human beings in equal terms. Then why are white people and black people afraid of each other? Why is there always an air of tension whenever they meet as a group? The fear, and tension as well, is not present between individuals of each race, as Link Deas, Tom Robinson's employer, would break into the trial and pronounce at the court Tom's impeccable integrity.

The fear is generated out of the prejudice the whites have against the blacks. The prejudice is groundless, but it's been acquiesced and reinforced so much that nobody among the whites can afford to break the rule, even after the environment softens. The blacks react by close themselves up. And people growing up unknown to history inherit the prohibition silently, since being singled out of a group while unaccepted by the other is utmost tragic to an individual. For both white people and the black, this is no exception. Thereupon whenever a group confronts another, tension arises, and both groups become headless. But when they themselves are not involved, they always have upright opinions -- Everyone in Maycomb holds Hitler anti-human.

But in the story, there is someone who breaks the rule and is alive despite labeled as another evil of the town. Mr. Raymond has a black wife and children of mixed blood. He lives in his own way, and the price is isolation and that has has to feign drunk as an acceptable way to account for the disgrace. Atticus can't afford the sacrifice, and is somewhat squeezed to the edge of survival when he defends for Tom Robinson. Groundless assailments from the whites are inflicted upon him and his family, but black people can't express their high regard. What he does is holding on to his ideal and sustain as long as he can. In a sense he is Jesus Christ of Maycomb county, sacrificing himself to preach up Truth, and finally win respect from both sides.

The storyline is enriched by a extremely vivid portrait of everyday life in Maycomb, presenting a dozen of major characters with a childish and humorous touch. Languagewise, lots of colloquial speech are used to suit a small town in South America in the 30's. To quote the back cover comment by Truman Capote, the writer has "the liveliest sense of life and the warmest, most authentic humor."

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