Today the universe is telling me I need to blog on To Kill A Mockingbird...Last week I sent my great-niece a hardcover of the book To Kill a Mockingbird, for her 14th birthday. This morning just after I realized the movie was on, my great-niece sent me an email message thanking me for the for book and elucidating that she has always wanted to read it. I told her this is one of my favorite books and weirdly the movie based on the book is on television right now.
So I just watched the movie, To Kill a Mockingbird...yet again. And I am always blown away when I see Boo Radley. I know he's going to be there, but I'm always surprised to see him. My memory is good that way, allowing me to see things as if it were the first time.
So today has been a wonder of reading online, all things To Kill a Mockingbird. This book has so many amazing thoughts embedded inside, it's like a treasure trove. I find it hard to believe that it was intentional on Harper Lee's part...I'm of the feeling that she was just telling an incredible heartrending story and magic happened. Pulitzer prize-winning magic. Banned 17 times, as recently as 2009. While there are things that happen in this book that are unacceptable, is was set in Alabama in 1960 and is true to what was happening in society at that time. AND IT'S FICTION, PEOPLE!
To me the main themes of the book involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. The mockingbird represents true goodness and innocence that should always be protected. In this book, Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are both "mockingbirds."
So maybe my point is this...there are mockingbirds in all our lives, and we need to protect and celebrate the fact that this goodness and innocence still exists.
I believe that people are generally good at heart. Some just lose their way and need to recall their direction. So there is still hope for us all.
So go gently in this life, making sure to listen to the Mockingbird's song...
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