True confession time: I just finished listening to the unabridged version of Mockingbird this morning. For me, the audible experience was quite compelling, giving Scout's voice a more authentic tone than I might have experienced by reading it. Did anyone else who listened to it vs. read it have a similar experience? If yes, what were your impressions?
I also had a chance to watch the movie on DVD. While I didn't find a skimming of "Cliff Notes" that helpful, its highlighting of the differences between the written vs. filmed versions was informative.
When preparing to launch our first book a few weeks ago, I came across a book club study guide for Mockingbird that included questions to enhance the reading experience. Two of the more than a dozen questions that caught my attention were:
1. What elements of the book did you find humorous, memorable or inspiring? Are there any characters whose actions or beliefs impressed or surprised you? Did any events lead you to revisit childhood memories or see them in a new light?
2. Scout ages two years, from six to eight, over the course of Lee's novel, which is narrated from her perspective as an adult. Did you find the account her narrator provides believable? Were there incidents or observations in the book that seemed unusually 'knowing' for such a young child? What event in Scout's story do you feel truly captures her personality?
Please respond to either or both questions. It has been suggested that in the future questions such as this be posted during the month to help focus the reading experience; we will do that going forward.
I think what I found most humorous was the point of view of a child. I had forgotten that aspect of the book. It is very naive and innocent and because of it, portrays the town and to a certain extent, Atticus to be the same.
ReplyDeleteI thought Scout's narrative was perfect. She is a smart kid and some of her actions were very out of character for a child, but again, it fits the whole story. The whole book tells a story that is out of the norm. I think the event that truly captures her personality is when Walter Cunningham comes over for dinner and asks for maple syrup to go on his dinner. Scout finds that so weird and starts questioning him. It just captures her character, to me. She was smart and she could put pieces together, but she was still a child and that just didn't make sense to her, just like racism and death and the end of summer didn't make sense to her.
I should have answered these questions when I posted and the book's plot and narrative were still fresh in my mind. I did feel Scout's account was at times a bit advanced for her age. At the same time, she wasn't being coddled by her father and with no mother in the home, being left on her/their own may have given them a maturity they might not otherwise have had.
ReplyDeleteHer recounting of the events in the book did cause me to revisit my own childhood. My stroll down memory lane, in connection with Janet's comment earlier about how reading the book made her feel important, made me wonder if there was a book in me just waiting to pop out. I'm sorry to inform you there isn't. I was hoping there might be.
I listened to the book and feel this added a dimension I might not have had if I read it instead. The reader sounded quite authentic I thought and made me think of a young friend I have (Bronte, age 9). Bronte is very bright and it was easy to picture her in Scout's place and acting much the same as she did.