Oh, the Little Things

In most novels, authors very discreetly add miniscule details that will often times mean so much more later in the book but in which the reader won’t even notice until it is clearly pointed out in black and white.   The little things such as a mockingjay pin, a simple “Thank you, Ma’am”, or even a mocking bird can seem like so little, but they turn out to be something that we didn’t even think of: a reason why Districts are rebelling against the Capitol, the title of the actual story itself, and sometimes, it can hint at the ending of the book.   Besides novels, movies, more often than not, show you certain places, people, possessions, or even ideas that wrap around to make an ending that elicits a sense of relief, awe, terror, curiosity, or pure joy.  Little hints make you realize things that aren’t even written in the book, and they help you understand the characters on a deeper level.  To the naked eye, Atticus Finch just looks like a father that is “…too old for that…” (89), but by reading between the lines and paying attention to the little things, you realize that Jem and Scout really don’t know their own father.

As you grow up, your parents’ past is gradually eased into your knowledge.  A hint here, a story there (usually associated with a learned lesson), but we don’t come into this world with a full understanding of who our parents really are.  When you first dive into Maycomb County in 1933, Scout thinks that her father, Atticus Finch, is just a regular man.  Just a single dad.  Just a lawyer.  Just Atticus Finch.  Scout doesn’t realize that there is so much more to Atticus.  She say’s herself that “Atticus was feeble: he was nearly fifty”, he “didn’t do anything”, and “he was nearly blind in one eye” (118).  Because the story is told from innocent and unknowing Scout’s point of view, we as readers are shocked as feeble, old Atticus picked up the gun and shot the mad dog.  Is Atticus really who we thought he was?  No.  Atticus is “…the deadest shot in Maycomb County…” (129).

Although Atticus shooting a sick dog does not throw Scout’s world into a raging frenzy, it causes her to take a second look at him.  One night, curiosity gets the better of Jem, Dill, and Scout, and they decide to follow Atticus.  They are taken to town, where they see a “solitary light burning in the distance” (201) and Jem finds it funny that the light is there, because the jail doesn’t have an outside light.  The kids come closer to find Atticus sitting propped against the front door.  Atticus is there to protect Tom Robinson; he is the only one there to protect Tom Robinson.  He is the only good in the bad, he is the only light in the darkness.  Of course, Scout is confused by Atticus’ actions, but maybe one day she realized that Atticus was the only man willing to risk his life for a Negro.

By then, curiosity is slowly creeping its way into Scout’s head.  Does she really know Atticus Finch? He is just her father, but his discreet actions gain him respect.  The kind of respect where you wish you could have his guts to be able to stand alone.  Scout doesn’t realize that her father is such an icon, she doesn’t have the respect for him that the Negros do.  When she is told, “Miss Jean Louise, stand up.  Your father is passin’.” (283), it finally pries open her eyes to reveal the real Atticus Finch.  The comment from Reverend Skyes caught Scout off guard because she didn’t have the respect for him that the Negros had.  It may take her some time to piece the puzzle together, but she certainly has all the pieces to the puzzle.

Atticus Finch said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it” (39).  If we were to walk around in Atticus’ skin, he was not just a lawyer, just a father, or just Atticus Finch.  He was the man that had to do the dirty work, the man that stood alone, but also the man that deserved a medal or award.  Something to reward his bravery, courage, and unwavering view on the world, even when everyone was against him.  Atticus Finch never gave in, even though if he would have, he would have been accepted by everyone again.  Atticus’ little, unseen acts make him who he is, and they go unnoticed until we walk around in his skin.  He was alone, different, an outcast to some, but by his actions, Atticus Finch was the utmost respected man in Maycomb County.