I read quite a lot of books mentioned or recommended by one of my Polish
friends, Raf. I perhaps would have never read To Kill a Mockingbird if not for
his passing comment that the book is remarkable. That and my guilty conscious
(have I mentioned that I am a specialist in GUILT?) not having read such a
famous book, featured for a long while on many short lists of must-reads. Now, I
had a chance to redeem myself and I took it. I was a little surprised that my local library had a
lot of school versions of the book but none in the form and length that was originally
written. I got a copy from another library and having started to read I understood
why my library has so many abridged versions but few originals. It is a book
for school youth taught in many countries around the 8th grade. But
it is also a book for adults. For good, decent grownups or for children who we
want to be trained to be sensitive, good, caring, tolerant individuals later on.
I like very much the sentiments masterfully conveyed in the book and at the
same time think that they may be a little (or a lot) outmoded. It seems to me
that the core values of current societies are so different to those promoted by
the book that young people may laugh at them or at least doubt in them.
I sincerely hope I am very wrong.
Thinking more about the book I remembered the part when Dill Harris, the young friend of the main characters Scout and Jem, cries during the court case of a black person accused of rape of a white girl. Observing the proceeding Dill cannot cope with injustice he sees as he realises that the innocent person will be punished even if the accused is so obviously innocent. The boy cries because he realises the horror of people blindness caused by prejudice towards those who are different in some ways. Like having different skin colour. An older man says, Dill cries because he is still a very young and has not lost his innocence. This allows him to see how wrong and tragic is the situation of the accused. He has not been influenced by the society. He does not have any preconceived views on life yet. But while his innocence protects him from being like others, he is going to lose it and, in few years, he will not cry in similar situations and wrongs will not pain him in the same way. If I take this message as a lesson I see why the book may be embraced by young children, before they lose their ethical virginity. This makes me retract my earlier doubts, at least to some extent.
 |
| The crying boy stands on the right obviously in a different mood this time. Apparently the character of Dill was based on Truman Capote when he was a child. |
I am still afraid
that in the current times with technology giving information to even very young
they must see what happens around them and what values are important to be successful,
popular, macho, admired, rich and famous… And they see that many countries in
the world are currently ruled in populistic manner and that the need for
truthfulness seems to be forgotten by many nations. People like Trump, Erdogan,
Putin, the Polish leader and many others lie blatantly and too many people do
not seem to have a need to stop and think if they are not pulled wool over
their eyes. They vote for dishonest, racist, misogynistic politicians as long
as they see some benefits for themselves in the election promises. It seems to
be difficult to find an honest politician who really wants the best for their
country. They seem to want the best for themselves. Australia was always, in my
eyes, more upstanding in its politics, but this seems to belong to the past.
The same seems to happen to the values of the citizens. Again, I hope I am
wrong.
Looks that I
have complicated the subjects again, but my mind meanders sometimes and finds new
unexpected associations. Returning to the book I liked it for its language,
humour, sentimentality and life lessons. I got reminded of some life rules that
I may have not paid attention too lately. Like:
“It is not necessary to tell all you know. Folks
do not like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.”
OR
“One must lie under certain circumstances and
at all times when one cannot do anything about them.” This one will be
always difficult for me to follow.
9 out of 10 for
me.to be allowed to be killed.
I stay with the
question : Are any Mockingbirds
still around? I mean human ones who are too beautiful inside to be killed. I am sure they are even if not in politics.
