I think Harper Lee ended the book the way she did so the readers can get a final portrayal of the characters. For example, Atticus. When Atticus suspected that Jem might have killed Mr.Ewell, he told Mr.Tate “ Thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I don’t want my boy starting out with something like this over his head.... I don’t want anybody saying, ‘Jem Finch his daddy paid a mint to get him out of that.“(Lee 366). This proves that Atticus has a good moral compass. Another example is Boo Radley. Boo’s portrayal throughout the book has changed from being a mysterious psychopath in Maycomb, to giving Scout a blanket so she doesn’t freeze and saving the kids from Mr. Ewell. Boo’s final portrayal was heroic and kind. Finally Bob Ewell. Not only does the town think of him as dirty and poor, not many people believe him and Mayella. The fact that he attacked the kids purely because Atticus was defending Tom Robinson shows how much of a bad guy he is.
I agree. I also love how the book comes full circle. At the beginning of the book we talk specifically about Jem's broken arm and in the following few chapters we are introduced to the story arc of Boo Radley and the recurring theme of empathy in the book. The thorough conclusion ties up all loose ends and gives the reader a sense of finality. The final scene is a happy conclusion that, much like a concluding sentence, reminds the reader of the overall themes of the book in a nice and comforting way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about Atticus. He knew that if Bob Ewells death was really Jem's fault, he coudn't pretend like it didn't happen because then it could get out of his control with rumors. Also, when Boo Radley asks Scout to walk him home, it shows that he is vulnerable in a way that Jem and Scout were when they were younger. Almost as though he was a child himself. When Scout narrates, "He gently released my hand, opened the door, went inside, and shut the door behind him. I never saw him again" (Lee 373), I think that she is sad that the world is so unfair that Boo would rather lock himself inside then experience the outside.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christina and Hagar. I liked that the last scene circled back to empathy. Obviously, empathy has been a giant theme through out the book, but in the last page Harper Lee makes the reader think that maybe it was the most important theme. This book's last exchange of dialogue is when Scout says, " 'Atticus, he was real nice' "(Lee, 376). Atticus then responds, " 'Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them' "(Lee, 376). This shows how heavily Harper Lee and Atticus hold empathy. Through out this story Atticus has been trying to teach Jem and Scout to walk around in other people's shoes and it is Atticus most highly held moral.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with you, as I believe that Harper Lee ended the book this way to finish with a large increase in maturity for Scout and Jem. They have been growing up a lot in the recent chapters, as Scout starts to understand the evil and racism in Maycomb when Tom Robinson is unfairly murdered and incarcerated, and Jem understands why Boo Radley stayed in his house for his whole life instead of going out in the world at the end of Chapter 23. Both of them have thoroughly matured throughout the book, and Scout seeing Maycomb and life through the shoes of Boo Radley, and Jem experiencing the events under the tree in Chapters 28 through 31 have just added to their maturity.
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